Design Institute of San Diego
Tuition and net price · San Diego, California
Net price / year
$44,010
after grants & scholarships
higher than 91% of for-profit 4-year colleges
Design Institute of San Diego at a glance
- What is the tuition at Design Institute of San Diego?
- Undergraduate tuition and fees are $29,300 for the 2024-25 academic year.
- What is the cost of attendance at Design Institute of San Diego?
- The average cost of attendance is $55,911 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Design Institute of San Diego?
- The average net price is $44,010 a year after grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid (2023-24).
- Is Design Institute of San Diego test optional?
- Test policy reported to the federal government: Tests neither required nor recommended.
Key takeaways
- At $44,010 a year, the average net price is higher than 91% of for-profit 4-year colleges.
- 51% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a sign the school serves many lower-income students.
- Visual and Performing Arts is the largest field of study here, at 100% of the degrees and certificates awarded.
- About 50% of undergraduates are 25 or older.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Design Institute of San Diego
Average net price
$44,010 per year
Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
Estimate your own price with the Design Institute of San Diego net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$176,040
Net price × 4 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $55,911
- Tuition & fees$29,300
- Books & supplies$1,062
- Room & board$22,086
- Other expenses$6,930
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $29,300
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $29,300
Admissions at Design Institute of San Diego
Acceptance rate
Test policy: Tests neither required nor recommended
Graduation rate and student outcomes at Design Institute of San Diego
Typical monthly payment
$391
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Earnings vs debt
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Outcomes by student group
The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.
Completion within 150% of normal time, by group
Share of students who entered in 2018 and completed within 150% of normal time (six years at a four-year college, three at a two-year college).
All students, same entering cohort: 80%
Group rates and the all-student rate come from the same 2018 entering cohort, so they can be compared directly. Groups at small colleges can rest on very few students. Data period: Entering cohort 2018 (IPEDS).
Earnings ten years after entry
All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.
Typical range: middle half of students
25th percentile $24,270 · median $46,920 · 75th percentile $75,601
This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.
Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).
Median federal student debt, by group
Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.
By Pell Grant status
By first-generation status
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
What students study
The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.
Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field
A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).
Who attends
A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Race and ethnicity
- White 45.5%
- Black or African American 6.5%
- Hispanic or Latino 18.2%
- Asian 7.8%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 0%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 1.3%
- Two or more races 1.3%
- U.S. nonresident 3.9%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 15.6%
Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Gender
- Men 5.2%
- Women 94.8%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
50%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 77
- Part-time students
- 23%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 51%
- Receive federal loans
- 63%
- Students per faculty member
- 8 : 1
- Setting
- City
Similar colleges
Schools of a similar type, price, size and outcomes.
-
Los Angeles College of Music
Pasadena, CA
Net price $43,590Earnings $33,938
-
Fremont University
Cerritos, CA
Net price $34,483Earnings $39,626
-
California Aeronautical University
Bakersfield, CA
Net price $36,126Earnings $47,702
-
Glendale Career College
Glendale, CA
Net price $49,195Earnings $48,064
-
Seattle Film Institute
Seattle, WA
Net price $41,595Earnings $42,510
-
Walnut Hill College
Philadelphia, PA
Net price $32,351Earnings $43,016
Guides worth reading
Plain-language explainers that help you read the numbers on this page.
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Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at Design Institute of San Diego?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Design Institute of San Diego reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $29,300. This is the published price before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.
What is the cost of attendance and net price at Design Institute of San Diego?
The average cost of attendance at Design Institute of San Diego is $55,911 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $44,010 a year. That is higher than 91% of for-profit 4-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Design Institute of San Diego get?
51% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 63% receive federal loans.
How much debt do Design Institute of San Diego graduates have?
Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $36,844, or about $391 a month on a 10-year plan.
Who attends Design Institute of San Diego?
Among undergraduates in Fall 2024, 95% are women and 5% are men. The largest race or ethnicity group reported is White (45%). About 50% are aged 25 or older.
Sources and data periods
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:
- Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation rate: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
- Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things