Colleges in the Greater San Diego Area

Greater San Diego colleges by the numbers

Public / private

8 public · 24 private

4-year / 2-year

22 universities · 10 community colleges

Cities covered

4

Largest by enrollment

University of California-San Diego

Lowest published tuition

San Diego City College ($1,150)

Published tuition range

$1,150–$56,444

Among the 32 colleges in the Greater San Diego area, University of California-San Diego is the largest by enrollment; San Diego City College has the lowest published in-state tuition at $1,150; University of California-San Diego is the most selective at a 25% acceptance rate. Published figures are sticker price, not net price, compare net price and outcomes on each profile.

Local labor market

Across all occupations in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an annual median wage of $56,580 (1,533,290 jobs), in its May 2024 OEWS estimate. This is a whole-economy figure for the metro, not a starting salary or a graduate or field-specific wage, but it is a useful gauge of local pay levels and cost of living when weighing colleges here.

Local pay reflects the metro labor market, not what any one college's graduates earn. For how a school's cost lines up with student outcomes, see college cost vs. graduation and earnings.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024, all occupations (SOC 00-0000), CBSA 41740.