Dr. Miguel Cardona (left), Secretary of Education and Cindy Marten, Deputy Secretary | https://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/index.html
Dr. Miguel Cardona (left), Secretary of Education and Cindy Marten, Deputy Secretary | https://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/index.html
Of the 65 institutions in the county, nine provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Alliant International University-San Diego, Design Institute of San Diego and John Paul the Great Catholic University.
At least 96,173 people applied to San Diego County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.
NCES data shows that among them, around 225,997 students enrolled in the universities, including 185,575 in undergraduate and 40,422 in graduate programs. In total 9.7% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.
The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of Hispanic (36.8%) and white (33.6%) students.
Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, San Diego State University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 37,402 students.
U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.
This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.
NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for 21 institutions in San Diego County, including The Chicago School at San Diego, High Tech High Graduate School of Education and Southern California Seminary.
Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.
| Institution | # of Applicants | # of Admitted Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concorde Career College-San Diego | 263 | 252 | 730 |
| Bellus Academy-Chula Vista | -- | -- | 398 |
| California Western School of Law | -- | -- | -- |
| Healing Hands School of Holistic Health | -- | -- | 254 |
| John Paul the Great Catholic University | 387 | 310 | 300 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Chula Vista | -- | -- | 684 |
| MiraCosta College - San Elijo Campus | -- | -- | -- |
| Grossmont College | -- | -- | 12,862 |
| ATA College | -- | -- | 54 |
| California Barber and Beauty College | -- | -- | 71 |
| Palomar College | -- | -- | 17,655 |
| Alliant International University-San Diego | 1 | -- | 3,599 |
| Bellus Academy-El Cajon | -- | -- | 187 |
| Franciscan School of Theology | -- | -- | -- |
| CET-San Diego | -- | -- | 196 |
| Ashford University | -- | -- | 34,190 |
| Bellus Academy-Poway | -- | -- | 436 |
| Columbia College - San Diego | -- | -- | -- |
| National University | -- | -- | 18,631 |
| Gemological Institute of America-Carlsbad | -- | -- | 154 |
| California State University-San Marcos | 14,774 | 14,035 | 15,109 |
| California Institute of Arts & Technology | -- | -- | 356 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego | -- | -- | 284 |
| Design Institute of San Diego | 8 | 8 | 101 |
| Palomar Institute of Cosmetology | -- | -- | 194 |
| High Tech High Graduate School of Education | -- | -- | -- |
| Northcentral University | -- | -- | 11,578 |
| MiraCosta College | -- | -- | 10,860 |
| Associated Barber College of San Diego | -- | -- | 115 |
| Cuyamaca College | -- | -- | 8,043 |
| Pacific College of Health and Science | -- | -- | 989 |
| California Miramar University | 232 | 51 | 216 |
| Associated Technical College-San Diego | -- | -- | 94 |
| Newschool of Architecture and Design | 109 | 49 | 294 |
| California Hair Design Academy | -- | -- | 144 |
| California Institute of Arts & Technology-National City | -- | -- | 166 |
| Franciscan School of Theology - San Diego | -- | -- | -- |
| ICOHS College | -- | -- | 163 |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | 3,149 | 2,582 | 4,319 |
| Riggins Urban Barber College | -- | -- | 29 |
| Pima Medical Institute-San Marcos | -- | -- | 611 |
| North-West College-San Diego | -- | -- | 471 |
| Columbia College - Naval Base San Diego | -- | -- | -- |
| Escondido Adult School | -- | -- | 174 |
| Poway Adult School | -- | -- | 110 |
| Thomas Jefferson School of Law | -- | -- | -- |
| San Diego Global Knowledge University | -- | -- | 137 |
| UEI College-Chula Vista | -- | -- | -- |
| San Diego Mesa College | -- | -- | 18,076 |
| University of Saint Katherine | -- | -- | -- |
| University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences | -- | -- | -- |
| Southern California Seminary | -- | -- | -- |
| San Diego State University | 77,250 | 30,128 | 37,402 |
| United States University | -- | -- | -- |
| Vista Adult School | -- | -- | -- |
| Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute | -- | -- | -- |
| University of San Diego | -- | -- | -- |
| The Chicago School at San Diego | -- | -- | -- |
| University of California-San Diego | -- | -- | -- |
| San Diego Christian College | -- | -- | 355 |
| Southwestern College | -- | -- | -- |
| Westminster Theological Seminary in California | -- | -- | -- |
| UEI College-Oceanside | -- | -- | -- |
| San Diego City College | -- | -- | 12,144 |
| San Diego Miramar College | -- | -- | 13,062 |
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