Nearby colleges
Colleges near San Diego, CA
37 colleges and universities sit within 25 miles of San Diego, California — 24 in San Diego itself and the rest across the surrounding area. The table below is ordered by measured distance and includes cost, admissions, and graduation data.
Colleges near San Diego by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- San Diego Mesa College ($1,146)
- Median in-state tuition (26 reporting)
- $13,529
- Median net price after aid (24 reporting)
- $22,684
- Highest graduation rate
- ATA College (89%)
- Most selective
- California Miramar University (18% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- University of California-San Diego (44,256 students)
Colleges within 25 miles of San Diego
Nearest first. Showing 37 of 37. Distance is straight-line from the centre of the San Diego campus cluster, not driving time.
| College | Distance | Location | In-state tuition | Avg. net price | Acceptance rate | Graduation rate | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific College of Health and Science | <1 mi | San Diego, CA | $11,000 | Not reported | Open admission | 77% | University |
| California Institute of Arts & Technology | <1 mi | San Diego, CA | $22,270 | $32,637 | Open admission | 56% | Community college |
| United States University | 1 mi | San Diego, CA | $6,780 | $21,557 | Open admission | Not reported | University |
| California Miramar University | 2 mi | San Diego, CA | $12,442 | $12,480 | 18% | 50% | University |
| San Diego Mesa College | 2 mi | San Diego, CA | $1,146 | $5,814 | Open admission | 35% | University |
| Franciscan School of Theology | 3 mi | San Diego, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| University of San Diego | 3 mi | San Diego, CA | $59,486 | $30,365 | 52% | 84% | University |
| Ashford University | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | $11,960 | $25,321 | Not reported | 11% | University |
| California Western School of Law | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| National University | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | $13,284 | $22,878 | Open admission | 43% | University |
| Northcentral University | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| San Diego City College | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | $1,146 | $7,935 | Open admission | 30% | Community college |
| Thomas Jefferson School of Law | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| The Chicago School at San Diego | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | $21,780 | Not reported | Open admission | Not reported | University |
| Newschool of Architecture and Design | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | $30,291 | $52,570 | Open admission | 62% | University |
| San Diego State University | 4 mi | San Diego, CA | $8,728 | $15,364 | 36% | 76% | University |
| San Diego Global Knowledge University | 5 mi | San Diego, CA | $13,774 | Not reported | Open admission | 45% | University |
| North-West College-San Diego | 5 mi | San Diego, CA | Not reported | $46,503 | Open admission | Not reported | Community college |
| High Tech High Graduate School of Education | 5 mi | San Diego, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Concorde Career College-San Diego | 6 mi | San Diego, CA | Not reported | $25,394 | Open admission | 76% | Community college |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | 7 mi | San Diego, CA | $46,250 | $38,729 | 84% | 77% | University |
| Design Institute of San Diego | 7 mi | San Diego, CA | $29,300 | $31,293 | Open admission | 80% | University |
| California Institute of Arts & Technology-National City | 8 mi | National City, CA | $15,390 | $22,688 | Not reported | Not reported | Community college |
| Grossmont College | 9 mi | El Cajon, CA | $1,332 | $2,755 | Open admission | 37% | Community college |
| University of California-San Diego | 9 mi | La Jolla, CA | $16,758 | $12,470 | 27% | 86% | University |
| Alliant International University-San Diego | 9 mi | San Diego, CA | $14,304 | Not reported | Not reported | 22% | University |
| San Diego Miramar College | 9 mi | San Diego, CA | $1,146 | $3,337 | Open admission | 48% | Community college |
| ATA College | 10 mi | El Cajon, CA | Not reported | $22,680 | Open admission | 89% | Community college |
| Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute | 10 mi | La Jolla, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| San Diego Christian College | 11 mi | Santee, CA | $28,012 | $7,871 | 31% | 20% | University |
| Pima Medical Institute-Chula Vista | 11 mi | Chula Vista, CA | Not reported | $28,561 | Open admission | 62% | Community college |
| Cuyamaca College | 12 mi | El Cajon, CA | $1,346 | $6,618 | Open admission | 41% | Community college |
| Southwestern College | 13 mi | Chula Vista, CA | $1,344 | Not reported | Open admission | 35% | Community college |
| Southern California Seminary | 14 mi | El Cajon, CA | $19,080 | Not reported | Open admission | 50% | University |
| John Paul the Great Catholic University | 24 mi | Escondido, CA | $30,265 | $34,666 | 80% | 64% | University |
| California State University-San Marcos | 25 mi | San Marcos, CA | $8,082 | $10,229 | 95% | 55% | University |
| Westminster Theological Seminary in California | 25 mi | Escondido, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the San Diego area looks like
- Within 25 miles of San Diego CampusPin finds 37 colleges. 24 of them are in San Diego itself; the rest are in surrounding communities. Distances are measured from the centre of the San Diego campus cluster.
- San Diego Mesa College has the lowest published in-state tuition among the 37 nearby colleges listed, at $1,146. Commuting from home is one of the largest levers on total cost, since housing is often the single biggest line after tuition.
- 11 of the 37 colleges shown are community colleges, which typically offer the lowest published tuition in a metro and transfer pathways into nearby four-year campuses.
How this list was built
This page runs a real geographic query: every college whose campus coordinates fall within 25 miles of San Diego is included, ordered by distance. No college appears here unless it is genuinely that close.
The San Diego anchor point is the average position of the campuses CampusPin holds for the city, so it reflects where colleges actually are rather than a civic centre-point. Distances are straight-line and are a guide to proximity, not a commute estimate.
Frequently asked questions
- How many colleges are near San Diego, CA?
- CampusPin finds 37 colleges and universities within 25 miles of San Diego, California. That includes 24 located in San Diego itself plus campuses in the surrounding area that are realistically commutable.
- What is the closest college to San Diego?
- Of the colleges on this page, Pacific College of Health and Science in San Diego is the nearest to the San Diego campus cluster at about under a mile. The table is ordered by distance, so the top rows are always the closest.
- Can I commute to college from San Diego?
- Every college on this page is within 25 miles of San Diego, which is a plausible commute for many students, though actual travel time depends on traffic and transit rather than straight-line distance. Check each college's profile for its exact location, and confirm commuter services and parking with the campus directly.
Other California metros
Keep going on CampusPin
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Data sources & methodology
Locations, cost, and outcome figures for colleges near San Diego come from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Colleges Near San Diego, CA. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-near/san-diego-ca