The University of San Diego is set at the edge of an international gateway on a campus that's consistently ranked among the nation's most beautiful. Our focus on academic excellence — inspired by faith, infused with contemporary Catholic values and nurtured in a warm, community environment — empowers innovative, confident, original thinkers to make positive contributions by confronting humanity's urgent challenges in places near and far.
An Inspiring Environment
USD is located in one of the world’s great diverse urban centers. San Diego's proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, where communities and cultures converge, provides our students and faculty members with unique opportunities to learn, to put theory into action and to find new ways to lead purposeful lives.
2022-23
At a Glance
With more than 8,800 students from 85 countries and 50 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD's small class sizes, compassionate culture, unique learning opportunities, study-abroad opportunities and state-of-the-art resources ensure that graduates of our undergraduate and graduate programs succeed after graduation and throughout their lives.
8,815
Total Enrollment
Number of Students
5,669 Undergraduates
2,336 Graduate, Doctoral, and Paralegal
810 Law/JD Graduate
1,109
Faculty
Instructional Faculty
515 Full-time Faculty
594 Part-time Faculty
94% Faculty with a Terminal Degree
2,771
Total Degrees
Degrees Awarded
1,432 Bachelor's
1,009 Master's
248 Juris Doctor/Master of Laws
82 Doctoral
Beauty will attract them; goodness will lead them; but the truth will hold them.
Our Roots
The University of San Diego, which began as separate colleges for men and women, celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2019. The university was founded under the leadership of Mother Rosalie Clifton Hill of the Society of the Sacred Heart and Bishop Charles Francis Buddy of the Diocese of San Diego.
Mother Hill felt that beauty would attract people who come to campus, who will then encounter people who embody a certain goodness. This, in turn, would lead them to the truth, a journey that would subsequently hold them. Mother Hill felt that the search for truth was the purpose of the university.
Find Your Horizon
A University of San Diego education is founded on the pursuit of academic excellence. Students choose from undergraduate and graduate degree programs from our seven schools and college. Undergraduate students choose from studies such as the arts, business, engineering, the natural sciences and the study of the liberal arts. Graduate students focus on business, law, peace studies, nursing, marine science, theatre, education and leadership. USD has a long-standing commitment to engaging undergraduates from all disciplines in research and scholarly activities. Our students can study abroad all over the world; in fact, more than two thirds of undergraduates participate in opportunities to enhance their studies with unforgettable international experiences.
USD 75 Year Anniversary
Lighting the Way Forward
Since its founding in 1949, The University of San Diego has prepared generations of Toreros to lead inspired and meaningful lives.