Quad
University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA · Private nonprofit

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Finance, General (13% of graduates). 13 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 50% of colleges. 54% of faculty are full-time. Spends $18,725 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

1,387 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 41% of graduates; 40 programs in 19 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Finance, General 52.080113% 185
    Graduates in this field earn $93,099 4 years out
  2. Business Administration and Management, General 52.02017.9% 109
    Graduates in this field earn $79,678 4 years out
  3. Psychology, General 42.01017.4% 103
    Graduates in this field earn $74,178 4 years out
  4. Marketing/Marketing Management, General 52.14016.3% 88
    Graduates in this field earn $83,562 4 years out
  5. Communication, General 09.01005.6% 78
    Graduates in this field earn $68,913 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Engineering, 4.7% → 8.0% of graduates since 2014–15 (111 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer Science$149,847 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $104,948

    4 years after completion$149,847
    National median: $107,009Above typical

    Median federal debt: $19,500 · 73 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$110,314 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $80,073

    4 years after completion$110,314
    National median: $100,647Above typical

    Median federal debt: $29,276 · 51 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Accounting and Related Services$109,142 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $69,240

    4 years after completion$109,142
    National median: $76,194Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $92,436 · Non-Pell: $87,402(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $24,969 · 119 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Finance and Financial Management Services$93,099 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $64,819

    4 years after completion$93,099
    National median: $83,343Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $93,085 · Non-Pell: $84,008(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $23,094 · 379 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Mechanical Engineering$91,848 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $77,962

    4 years after completion$91,848
    National median: $92,135About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $89,823 · Non-Pell: $80,154(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $26,187 · 123 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college13 to 1
13 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 50% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty54%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$118,808

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$18,725
$18,725
← Lessmore than 83% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$81,056
$81,056
← Lessmore than 73% of 1,065More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)