Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Fair 54/100

John Paul the Great Catholic University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Escondido, California

About John Paul the Great Catholic University

Thinking about John Paul the Great Catholic University, a college in California where more students graduate in Communication 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.

John Paul the Great Catholic University is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Escondido, California. It enrolls 286 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.

Acceptance
79.6%
Graduation
56.1%
Net Price
$34,666
Median Earnings (10yr)
$56,930
Enrollment
286
Student : Faculty
14:1

Accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic Calendar Quarter

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 Selective), 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.

Fair
54/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 58
Value 9
Affordability 29
Selectivity 40

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

John Paul the Great Catholic University admits 79.6% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
79.6%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
975 – 1270
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
21 – 28
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether John Paul the Great Catholic University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 6.4 pts since 2019
72.9%201976.8%202078.9%202179.6%202279.3%2023

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 $34,666 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. 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.

Average Net Price
$34,666
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
33%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
53%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

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

Tuition & Fees
$30,265
Room & Board (on-campus)
$9,868
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,086
Books & Supplies
$1,900
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,097
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$7,413
Total Cost of Attendance
$52,367

Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $27,029
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $35,037
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $31,236
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $32,194
  • Over $110,000
    $38,282

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.

$3,666
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$26,968
Median percentile
$26,999
75% percentile
$27,985
90% percentile

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.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $22,670 ↓ $4,298
No Pell $19,417 ↓ $7,551
Female students $20,004 ↓ $6,964
Male students $23,063 ↓ $3,905
Pell recipients: 26.6% (7,180 students)No Pell: 22.8% (6,149 students)Female students: 23.5% (6,335 students)Male students: 27.1% (7,304 students)Overall Median$26,968
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($26,968), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

56% of students who start here finish within six years, and 77% 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.

6-Year Graduation Rate
56%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
77%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $56,930 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$56,930
Earning > $25K
86%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$30,000$35,000$45,000$55,000$60,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs
What this means: Moderate return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$1.6 of median earnings 10 years out. Compare carefully against your funding plan.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 286 students, an intimate, close-knit community.

Total Enrolled
286
Part-Time
5%
First-Generation
—

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 38.5% 110
White 37.4% 107
Other 6.3% 18
Asian 4.9% 14
Black 3.9% 11
International 2.5% 7
Hispanic: 38.5% (110 students)White: 37.4% (107 students)Other: 6.3% (18 students)Asian: 4.9% (14 students)Black: 3.9% (11 students)International: 2.5% (7 students)Total286

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at John Paul the Great Catholic University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Escondido, California
Housing
Strongly residential 231 beds for 286 students
Adult Learners
9% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Quarter scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Liberal Arts graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

John Paul the Great Catholic University offers a focused set of programs: 3 distinct programs across 3 majors. 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.

1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 14 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$5.4M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$68,438
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

8 instructional faculty across 1 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 8 100% $68,438

Pros & Cons of John Paul the Great Catholic University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where John Paul the Great Catholic University 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.

PROS
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Modest first-year retention
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution
  • Narrow program catalog compared to mid-sized peers
Best for: Based on the data, John Paul the Great Catholic University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Paul the Great Catholic University

The questions families ask most about John Paul the Great Catholic University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is John Paul the Great Catholic University hard to get into?
Not especially. John Paul the Great Catholic University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 79.6%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at John Paul the Great Catholic University?
79.6% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for John Paul the Great Catholic University?
Aim for 1270 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 975 and 1270 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for John Paul the Great Catholic University?
Aim for 28 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 21 and 28 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does John Paul the Great Catholic University cost?
Budget around $34,666 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is John Paul the Great Catholic University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $56,930 a year against a net price of $34,666, about 1.6 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is John Paul the Great Catholic University known for?
Mostly Communication & Media, Liberal Arts, Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do John Paul the Great Catholic University graduates earn?
About $56,930 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is John Paul the Great Catholic University accredited?
Yes. John Paul the Great Catholic University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend John Paul the Great Catholic University?
286 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at John Paul the Great Catholic University?
56% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is John Paul the Great Catholic University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is John Paul the Great Catholic University located?
John Paul the Great Catholic University is located in Escondido, California.
What programs does John Paul the Great Catholic University offer?
3 different programs, most commonly Communication & Media, Liberal Arts, Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at John Paul the Great Catholic University?
14 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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