by our College Data Analytics TeamNational University is a private not-for-profit institution in San Diego, California enrolling 10,794 undergraduates. It has an on-time graduation rate of 43%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #436 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 8%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
National University ranks #436 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 8%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
National University was awarded 87 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked National University as #436 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.
National University also holds the #67 spot on the Best Colleges in California ranking.
See all of the rankings for National University.
Learn more about National University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at National University is about average at 16 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at National University is 11%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At National University this rate is 53%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at National University for first-time, full-time students is 43%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at National University.
In the current academic year, there are 10,794 undergraduates at National University.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at National University.
The typical net cost at National University is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of National University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At National University, approximately 25% of students took out student loans averaging $8,350 a year. That adds up to $33,400 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.1%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for National University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from National University make about $67,548 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is good news for future National University graduates since it is 37% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at National University make the most money.
National University is an private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of National University.
Contact details for National University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 9388 Lightwave Ave, San Diego, CA 92123 |
| Phone: | 8006288648 |
| Website: | www.nu.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/nationaluniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/natuniv |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 20 majors graduated from National University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 7,077 | NA |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 1,247 | $55,141 |
| General Education | 1,131 | $58,901 |
| Business Administration & Management | 650 | $59,274 |
| Special Education | 402 | $62,820 |
| Nursing | 371 | $86,269 |
| Student Counseling | 349 | $55,273 |
| General Psychology | 341 | $39,238 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 187 | $43,803 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 186 | $51,471 |
8,871 students took at least one online class at National University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at National University.
Curious how schools stack up against National University? Match them up using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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