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Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Vanguard University of Southern California

Students comparing Vanguard University of Southern California on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Costa Mesa, California1,933 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 28Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentUrban campus

The short answer

Vanguard University of Southern California: U.S. News ranks it #43 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Niche ranks it #514 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 1,933 undergraduates, admits 62.4% of applicants, and posts a 56.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $41,700; aid recipients pay $21,241 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,541.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
62.4%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$21,241

61% below the $55,150 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$59,541

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
56.8%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$22,000

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedVanguard University of Southern California reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Vanguard University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (West)#43of 118Regional univ. (West)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#514of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Vanguard University's position moves 17 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Vanguard University

Vanguard University of Southern California is a private nonprofit institution in Costa Mesa, California. Federal data show 70.1% first-year retention and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $21,241 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $55,150 sticker cost against $21,241 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Vanguard University of Southern California on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$41,700

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
43.8%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$13,450

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $55,150 a year, but the average family pays $21,241 — a 61% difference. 43.8% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Vanguard University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    16:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    70.1%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,933

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Vanguard University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $41,700 and on-campus room and board is $13,450, for a published total of $55,150 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $21,241.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 62.4%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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    Acceptance rate
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    Average net price
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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