University of San Diego SAT Scores and GPA

What are University of San Diego's average SAT scores and GPA? In this guide, we'll discuss what scores are needed for you to get admitted into University of San Diego. You'll also get to calculate your own chances with our admissions calculator.

Location: San Diego, CA

This school is also known as: USD

University of San Diego Admissions Statistics

There are three critical numbers when considering your admissions chances: SAT scores, GPA, and acceptance rate. All these combine to tell you what you scores are required to get into University of San Diego.


Average SAT: 1280

The average SAT score composite at University of San Diego is a 1280.

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University of San Diego SAT Score Analysis

The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1200, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1350.

In other words, a 1200 places you below average, while a 1350 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute SAT requirement at University of San Diego, but they really want to see at least a 1200 to have a chance at being considered.

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math640590690
Reading + Writing640600680
Composite128012001350

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Average GPA: 4.1

The average GPA at University of San Diego is 4.1. This makes University of San Diego Extremely Competitive for GPAs.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 4.1, University of San Diego requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. You should also have taken plenty of AP or IB classes to show your ability to excel in academic challenge.

If you're a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change from this point on. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 4.1, you'll need a higher SAT score to compensate and show that you're prepared to take on college academics. This will help you compete effectively with other applicants.



Admissions Rate: 46.7%

The acceptance rate at University of San Diego is 46.7%. In other words, of 100 students who apply, 47 are admitted.

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This means the school is somewhat selective. You should prepare your academic scores well, but you have an excellent chance if you impress them.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission. Scoring at a 1280 SAT or above will already give you a great shot at getting in. Scoring a 1350 will nearly guarantee you admission, given that your GPA is roughly the average of 4.1.


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Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at University of San Diego?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: SAT ACT

SAT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.
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Other Schools For You

If you're interested in University of San Diego, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to University of San Diego.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than University of San Diego. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
University of Washington Seattle, WA 1410 32
American University Washington, DC 1368 30
University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 1355 29
University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 1355 30
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 1352 31
United States Military Academy West Point, NY 1331 30
Drexel University Philadelphia, PA 1330 30

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for University of San Diego, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Chapman University Orange, CA 1296 28
University of Denver Denver, CO 1292 30
University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX 1291 28
Ithaca College Ithaca, NY 1287 29
University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 1285 28
University of California, Davis Davis, CA 1280 28
Texas A&M University College Station, TX 1260 28

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for University of San Diego, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If University of San Diego is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 1225 26
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 1223 26
Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT 1210 25
Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 1178 26
Ohio University Athens, OH 1174 25
Pace University New York, NY 1173 26
University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX 1160 23

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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