Santa Clara University: Cost, Graduate Salary, Acceptance Rate and Return on Investment
Santa Clara University is a private nonprofit college in Santa Clara, CA. Students pay about $50,062 a year in net price, and the median graduate earns $109,183 ten years after enrolling. By our Degree-ROI measure the degree pays back in about 3.5 years and adds $405,420 over a decade, ranking it #18 of 918 (top 3%) by value added.
What is Santa Clara University's acceptance rate?
Santa Clara University has an acceptance rate of 48.0%, which makes it selective. It is a private nonprofit institution in Santa Clara, CA enrolling about 6,552 students, with a 88.2% graduation rate.
How much does Santa Clara University cost?
Santa Clara University costs about $50,062 per year in average net price, what a typical student actually pays after grants and scholarships. Over four years, including typical borrowing, that totals roughly $219,410. Published sticker cost of attendance is $82,026 per year.
How much do Santa Clara University graduates earn?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Santa Clara University student earns $109,183 per year. That is $62,483 more than the $46,700 that the typical worker with only a high-school diploma earns.
Is Santa Clara University worth it? Degree ROI and payback period
Santa Clara University pays back its roughly $219,410 cost in about 3.5 years, then keeps returning the earnings premium. Over the first decade the degree adds about $405,420 net of cost, a 2.85x return on the money invested. That ranks it #18 of 918 (top 3%) by value added. Its top-tier value is driven mainly by strong graduate earnings and a high graduation rate.
Top 10% value
Santa Clara University graduation rate and student debt
88.2% of Santa Clara University students complete their degree, and the median graduate leaves with $19,162 in federal student debt. That debt is about 18% of one year of median graduate earnings.
Santa Clara University by the numbers (vs the typical college)
How Santa Clara University compares to the median four-year college in our snapshot. Percentile is its rank among the 918 colleges that report both earnings and cost (higher is better).
| Metric | This school | Median college | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg net price / yr | $50,062 | $20,299 | cheaper than 1% |
| Median earnings (10 yrs) | $109,183 | $54,768 | 99th |
| Graduation rate | 88.2% | 57.0% | 94th |
| Acceptance rate | 48.0% | 75.7% | more selective than 85% |
| 10-yr value added | $405,420 | -$28,192 | 98th |
| ROI multiple (per $1) | 2.85x | 0.73x | 90th |
| Payback period | 3.5 yrs | 8.8 yrs | faster than 87% |
How Santa Clara University compares with its nearest rivals
Santa Clara University ranks #18 of 918 by ten-year value added. The five profiled colleges closest to it in that ranking are compared below on the same federal data: 5 of them cost less per year and none of them produces higher median earnings ten years after entry.
Santa Clara University is a private nonprofit college in Santa Clara, CA with 6,552 undergraduates. Its published cost of attendance is $82,026 a year, but the average aided family pays $50,062, a 39% discount from the sticker price. The median borrower leaves owing $19,162, equal to 18% of one year of median earnings ten years out. Santa Clara University admits 48.0% of applicants.
- University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN; #17 of 918; 96.0% graduate) costs $23,282 less per year ($26,780 net), and its graduates earn $9,203 less ten years out ($99,980). University of Notre Dame adds $1,260 more ten-year value than Santa Clara University. University of Notre Dame pays back its cost in 2.4 years.
- University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, CA; #19 of 918; 92.9% graduate) costs $36,581 less per year ($13,481 net), and its graduates earn $16,737 less ten years out ($92,446). Santa Clara University adds $14,884 more ten-year value than University of California-Berkeley. University of California-Berkeley pays back its cost in 1.5 years.
- Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ; #16 of 918; 88.2% graduate) costs $8,716 less per year ($41,346 net), and its graduates earn about the same ten years out ($108,772). Stevens Institute of Technology adds $22,916 more ten-year value than Santa Clara University. Stevens Institute of Technology pays back its cost in 3.1 years.
- Georgetown University (Washington, DC; #20 of 918; 94.5% graduate) costs $9,247 less per year ($40,815 net), and its graduates earn $5,689 less ten years out ($103,494). Santa Clara University adds $16,240 more ten-year value than Georgetown University. Georgetown University pays back its cost in 3.1 years.
- Yale University (New Haven, CT; #15 of 918; 96.0% graduate) costs $26,285 less per year ($23,777 net), and its graduates earn $8,650 less ten years out ($100,533). Yale University adds $24,827 more ten-year value than Santa Clara University. Yale University pays back its cost in 2 years.
| College | Value rank | Net price / yr | Earnings (10 yrs) | Graduation | 10-yr value added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University | #15 | $23,777 | $100,533 | 96.0% | $430,247 |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | #16 | $41,346 | $108,772 | 88.2% | $428,336 |
| University of Notre Dame | #17 | $26,780 | $99,980 | 96.0% | $406,680 |
| Santa Clara University | #18 | $50,062 | $109,183 | 88.2% | $405,420 |
| University of California-Berkeley | #19 | $13,481 | $92,446 | 92.9% | $390,536 |
| Georgetown University | #20 | $40,815 | $103,494 | 94.5% | $389,180 |
Paying for Santa Clara University
Net price is what a family pays after grants, so the aid a student qualifies for moves every figure above. Our sister sites cover that side of the decision: the Pell Grant 2026-2027 guide sets out who qualifies and the maximum award, the education grants guide lists federal, state and institutional grants beyond Pell, and the best AI tools for students compares what is worth paying for once enrolled.
Frequently asked
Is Santa Clara University worth the cost compared to other colleges?
By value added net of cost, Santa Clara University ranks #18 of 918 (top 3%) of the 918 four-year colleges we rank, and returns about 2.85x the money invested over a decade.
Is Santa Clara University expensive compared to other colleges?
Its $50,062 average net price is above the $20,299 median for the colleges in this snapshot, making it cheaper than 1% of them.
Do Santa Clara University graduates earn more than average?
Median earnings of $109,183 ten years out are above the $54,768 median, higher than 99% of the colleges here.
How hard is it to get into Santa Clara University compared to other colleges?
Its 48.0% acceptance rate is below the 75.7% median, making it more selective than 85% of the colleges in the snapshot.
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Federal data behind this page
What a programme costs, what its graduates earn, and what aid is available are published by federal statistical agencies rather than by any provider's marketing page, and the sources below are the primary ones. They are linked so a reader can check a figure here directly.
- College Scorecard publishes the federal cost, completion and post-enrolment earnings data used to compare programmes.
- National Center for Education Statistics is the federal statistical agency for education and the source most published figures trace back to.
- IPEDS holds the institution-level survey data behind enrolment, price and completion comparisons.
- Federal Student Aid states what aid exists, who qualifies, and what repayment actually obligates a borrower to.
- CFPB paying for college documents how education financing works and where its common traps are.
- US Department of Education sets the policy framework the accreditation and aid systems operate under.
- Department of Education laws and policy carries the rules that decide whether a provider or credential is recognised.
This page compares programmes on published data. Outcomes vary by student, and a reader's own aid package and circumstances decide what a programme actually costs them.