Design Institute of San Diego

About Design Institute of San Diego

Thinking about Design Institute of San Diego, a college in California where more students graduate in Visual & Performing Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Design Institute of San Diego is a private for-profit institution offering graduate degrees based in San Diego, California. It enrolls 77 students (a very small, intimate student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Official website: disd.edu

Acceptance

100%

Graduation

56.9%

Net Price

$44,010

Median Earnings (10yr)

$46,920

Enrollment

77

Student : Faculty

7:1

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Open / Online), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Design Institute of San Diego admits 100% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Design Institute of San Diego is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $44,010 a year on average, it sits above what private for-profit colleges charge nationally. That is a serious number, so the earnings further down matter more here than usual. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees

$29,300

Room & Board (off-campus)

$22,086

Books & Supplies

$1,062

Other Expenses (off-campus)

$6,930

Total Cost of Attendance

$55,911

Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

Graduation Rate & Retention

57% of students who start here finish within six years, and 54% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $46,920 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 77 students, an intimate, close-knit community.

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Design Institute of San Diego. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

What You Can Study

Design Institute of San Diego offers a focused set of programs: 1 distinct programs across 1 major. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

Faculty & Resources

There are 7 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Pros & Cons of Design Institute of San Diego

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Design Institute of San Diego is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.