San Diego, CA
National University is a private four-year institution in San Diego, California, a large city in San Diego County. It has an open admissions policy and enrolls 10,794 students, a count that includes its online students, at a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
National University has an open admissions policy and accepts applicants who meet basic requirements. Admission is not competitive, so enrollment steps replace a selection process.
Tuition and fees are $13,284 and the cost of attendance is $33,978. The average net price after grant aid is $22,878.
* One or more income brackets show an unusually low net price, reflecting need-based aid that can reduce cost to near zero for families in that range.
Graduates who borrowed carry a median monthly repayment of about $265.
After aid, National University costs $22,878 a year — about 1% more than a typical similar college.
Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.
National University reports a 42.3% six-year graduation rate. Median earnings are $64,331 six years after entry and $67,548 at the ten-year mark.
| Major | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | 262 |
| Business Administration and Management,... | 207 |
| Psychology, General | 172 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement... | 105 |
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 81 |
| Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism | 69 |
| Homeland Security | 43 |
| Management Information Systems, General | 43 |
| Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 41 |
| Accounting | 40 |
Median earnings eight years after entering National University are $65,775, and 77% of former students earn more than $25,000 six years after entry.
Six years after entry, former National University students earn $64,331 — 41% more than at a typical similar college.
Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.
National University is based in San Diego, a large city, and its 10,794 students include a substantial online population. 52.8% are women and 44% are first-generation.
Graduate and professional students outnumber undergraduates here, which shapes class sizes, housing and campus life in ways an undergraduate figure alone doesn't show.
7,589 of 10,151 undergraduates study entirely at a distance, against 8,980 of 9,773 graduate students.
National University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.
National University is in San Diego, CA, in what IPEDS classifies as a large city setting. The campus sits about 0.4 miles from the center of San Diego.
San Diego County scores 11.8 out of 20 on the EPA National Walkability Index — above average walkable. The index is a county-wide average of block groups, so it describes the surrounding area rather than the campus itself.
Undergraduates make up about 8.1% of San Diego's residents.
Every college that receives federal financial aid must publish its crime statistics each year under the Clery Act. These are the figures National University reported for 2024.
Read these numbers carefully. A Clery figure counts reports, not incidents. A university with active reporting channels, a large campus police force and a teaching hospital will record more offenses than one where the same events go unreported — so a higher count is not evidence of a more dangerous campus, and a low count is not evidence of a safe one. In 2024, 833 campuses with more than 1,000 students reported no offenses at all. Use these figures to ask a college questions, not to rank one against another.
Common questions about National University admissions, costs, and outcomes.
Yes. National University operates an open admissions policy and accepts applicants who meet basic requirements, so admission is not competitive.
Tuition and fees are $13,284 and books and supplies are estimated at $936. The published cost of attendance is $33,978, and the average net price after grant aid is $22,878.
42.3% of students complete a degree within six years. Pell grant recipients graduate at 50%.
Median earnings are $64,331 six years after entry and $67,548 ten years after entry. By gender, median earnings are $71,687 for men and $60,294 for women.
Enrollment is 10,794 students, a figure that includes online enrollment, with 344 faculty members and a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1.
24.7% of students take out federal loans. Median debt at completion is $25,000, equal to a typical monthly payment of $265.
28.8% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 44% are first-generation students.
Registered Nursing accounts for the most completions at 262, followed by Business Administration and Management at 207, Psychology, General at 172, and Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration at 105.
National University is based in San Diego, California, a large city in San Diego County, and it also enrolls students online.
Of 10,794 students, 52.8% are women. 32.4% are Hispanic, 28.5% are white, 17.7% are Black, and 7.3% are Asian.