Vanguard University of Southern California is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Costa Mesa, California. It enrolls 1,933 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorWestern Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
65/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes41
Value55
Affordability60
Selectivity51
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 62.4%, Vanguard University of Southern California is moderately selective.
Acceptance Rate
62.4%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Vanguard University of Southern California is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
15.3 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Vanguard University of Southern California isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $21,241 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$21,241
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
44%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
57%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$41,700
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,450
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,080
Books & Supplies
$1,060
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,235
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,930
Total Cost of Attendance
$52,665
Application fee: $45 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$17,225
$30,001 – $48,000
$18,462
$48,001 – $75,000
$18,976
$75,001 – $110,000
$24,117
Over $110,000
$27,684
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,08010%percentile
$7,96625%percentile
$22,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$36,88290%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $15,824
↓ $6,176
No Pell $14,000
↓ $8,000
Dependent students $14,000
↓ $8,000
Independent students $18,930
↓ $3,070
Female students $15,000
↓ $7,000
Male students $15,250
↓ $6,750
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $12,000, less than completers ($22,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
47% of full-time students who enrolled at Vanguard University of Southern California graduate within six years, and 72% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
47%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
72%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Vanguard University of Southern California earn a median of $59,541 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$59,541
Earning > $25K
78%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$43,400
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$59,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$43,100
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$46,000
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$54,100
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $15,600, about 26% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
17.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 82% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Vanguard University of Southern California is home to 1,933 students, a mid-sized community. Some distinctive traits: 36% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
1,933
Part-Time
11%
First-Generation
36%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 47.2%912
White 30.5%590
Black 5.2%101
Asian 3.9%75
Other 3.1%59
International 0.3%6
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Vanguard University of Southern California. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Midsize CityCosta Mesa, California
Housing
Mostly residential1,020 beds on campus
Adult Learners
9%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
Designation
Religiously affiliated
What You Can Study
Vanguard University of Southern California offers
a varied set of programs:
31 distinct programs across
15 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Vanguard University of Southern California is 16:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$69M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$68,626
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
86 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
22
26%
$90,542
Associate Professors
22
26%
$85,609
Assistant Professors
12
14%
$61,319
No Rank
30
35%
$43,022
Pros & Cons of Vanguard University of Southern California
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Vanguard University of Southern California tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Reasonable class sizes
Solid post-graduation earnings
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
Below-average completion rate
Modest first-year retention
Frequently Asked Questions about Vanguard University of Southern California
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Vanguard University of Southern California.
Is Vanguard University of Southern California hard to get into?
Admissions at Vanguard University of Southern California are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 62.4%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Vanguard University of Southern California?
Vanguard University of Southern California has an acceptance rate of 62.4%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Vanguard University of Southern California cost?
The average net price after aid at Vanguard University of Southern California is $21,241 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Vanguard University of Southern California worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $59,541 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $21,241 per year. That's roughly 2.8x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Vanguard University of Southern California known for?
Vanguard University of Southern California is best known for its programs in Psychology, Business Administration, Kinesiology. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Vanguard University of Southern California graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Vanguard University of Southern California are $59,541, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Vanguard University of Southern California accredited?
Yes. Vanguard University of Southern California is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend Vanguard University of Southern California?
Vanguard University of Southern California enrolls 1,933 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Vanguard University of Southern California?
Vanguard University of Southern California graduates 47% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Vanguard University of Southern California a public or private college?
Vanguard University of Southern California is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Vanguard University of Southern California located?
Vanguard University of Southern California is located in Costa Mesa, California.
What programs does Vanguard University of Southern California offer?
Vanguard University of Southern California offers 31 distinct programs. The most popular include Psychology, Business Administration, Kinesiology.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Vanguard University of Southern California?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Vanguard University of Southern California is 16:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in California
Other colleges in California share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
