College: University of San Diego – San Diego, CA www.sandiego.edu
Type of institution – Private University, medium sized with 5,700 undergraduates (8,200 students total)
Student population: 56% from CA, most popular majors are Business (Bus.Admin, Marketing, Accountancy, Finance) and Mechanical Engineering , 48% Catholic, over 75% students study abroad
Students admitted: Average statistics of 3.8+ GPA (weighted), 1200+ SAT or 28+ ACT (from 2014 class)
Academic Calendar: 4-1-4 (semesters with a winter break in between semesters)
University of San Diego is a private liberal arts college that is based in “Catholic intellectual tradition". Their academics value undergraduate research, small class sizes, and active learning. Engineering college has a well funded program based on “learn by doing” with their Cymer Ideation Space and Donald’s Garage types of creation labs. Business college has strong ties to the diverse business community in San Diego, placing students for internships and careers in industries from aerospace to wineries (see Career outcomes chart : www.sandiego.edu/careeroutcomes).
Disadvantages to USD: Financial aid does not cover full need, merit aid is generous but only to top performing students (top 10% of your class)
Advantages to USD: Small class sizes (14:1 average), consistent academic advising from freshman year , strong ties to a large city with a wide variety of industries, well supported study abroad program, and beautiful campus.
