Chapman University
Orange, California · Website
$70,070
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$70,070
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Chapman University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Orange, California with 7,478 undergraduates and 2,047 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $46,555 a year (tuition and fees $64,984). It admits 65% of applicants and 82% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $70,070 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$46,555
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$64,984
US median $11,837
Admission rate
65%
US median 78%
Completion rate
82%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$20,500
About $217 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$70,070
Rank 375 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $46,555
- Tuition and fees
- $64,984
- Cost of attendance
- $83,146
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 60%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $33,559
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $33,978
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $33,709
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $40,011
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $55,066
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $47,260 in 2015-16 to $64,984 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 65%
- Average SAT
- 1,357
- SAT reading, middle
- 655
- SAT math, middle
- 655
- ACT, middle
- 29
- Undergraduates
- 7,478
- Graduate students
- 2,047
- Part-time students
- 3.2%
- Women
- 61%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 82%
- Retention rate
- 92%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 106
- Endowment
- $804.6M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 375 of 5,094 US colleges and 63 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $46,555 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $64,984 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 65% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 82% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 92% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,500 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $58,080 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $70,070 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 68% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 77% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
106 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 444 | $19,625 | $55,657 | $84,378 | $68,257 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 180 | $18,500 | $35,795 | $66,494 | $43,765 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 171 | $20,500 | $28,661 | $63,617 | $50,706 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 143 | $170,800 | $74,737 | $119,002 | $107,773 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 105 | $22,500 | $24,644 | $51,611 | $39,775 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsMaster's | Master's | 105 | $144,710 | $28,832 | $50,895 | $51,486 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 103 | $23,125 | $25,007 | $72,529 | $58,808 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 98 | $18,777 | $44,601 | $73,461 | $56,359 |
| Business/Corporate CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 98 | $17,875 | $39,901 | $76,412 | $65,784 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationProfessional | Professional | 80 | $248,569 | $78,465 | $153,718 | $138,348 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 80 | $159,899 | $77,192 | $94,016 | $81,641 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $20,500 | $35,124 | $68,856 | $63,293 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 74 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Business/Managerial EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 58 | $22,977 | $54,064 | $84,978 | $77,981 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $21,809 | $67,125 | $112,780 | $107,009 |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $21,500 | $37,928 | $64,917 | $49,808 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 53 | $119,750 | $124,016 | $84,482 | $127,347 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | $22,250 | $40,141 | $80,139 | $63,560 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 48 | $20,875 | $70,362 | $102,147 | $76,194 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $20,500 | $24,443 | $64,461 | $57,214 |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 43 | Withheld | $79,836 | $86,167 | $67,030 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | Withheld | $23,939 | $44,183 | $48,471 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 36 | Withheld | $90,639 | $107,808 | $65,184 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $22,290 | $41,645 | $79,135 | $56,278 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Orange and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Chapman University cost?
$46,555 a year is the average net price at Chapman University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $64,984, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $83,146. Families earning under $30,000 pay $33,559 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Chapman University?
65% of applicants are admitted to Chapman University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,357 and the middle ACT score is 29. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do Chapman University graduates earn?
$70,070 a year is the median pay of former Chapman University students who work, 10 years after they started ($58,080 after 6 years). That ranks 375 of 5,094 US colleges and 63 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's) at $124,016.
How much student debt do Chapman University graduates have?
$20,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Chapman University graduates, about $217 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 60% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Chapman University?
82% of first-time, full-time students at Chapman University finish within 6 years. 92% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Chapman University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (444 bachelor's graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (180 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (171 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 106 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.