More selective than 58% of California colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $83,146. College Scorecard.
Higher than 78% of California colleges we cover and 91% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 66% of California colleges we cover and 85% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Chapman University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 15,914 applicants, Chapman University admitted 8,849 and 1,806 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1260–1440 on the SAT or 28–31 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Chapman University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission
Chapman University majors, earnings & careers
Chapman University offers 56 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Science & Math · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Communications & Media · 5
- Business & Finance · 4
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Education · 2
- Engineering · 2
Highest-earning majors at Chapman University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $112,780 | $24,109 |
| Accounting | $102,147 | $21,250 |
| Business Economics | $84,978 | $22,977 |
| Business Administration | $84,378 | $20,500 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $80,139 | $22,625 |
| Journalism | $79,135 | $22,500 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $78,121 | $23,000 |
| Business / Corporate Communications | $76,412 | $18,500 |
Quick list of all 56 majors
- Accounting$102,147
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$64,461
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Business / Corporate Communications$76,412
- Business Administration$84,378
- Business Economics$84,978
- Chemistry—
- Cognitive Science—
- Communications$73,461
- Computational Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science$112,780
- Dance$50,612
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Education$64,917
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- English$58,055
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$66,494
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$78,121
- Graphic Communications—
- History—
- Holocaust and Related Studies—
- Journalism$79,135
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$75,108
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Mathematics—
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions—
- Music$41,698
- Nutrition Science—
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science$68,856
- Psychology$63,617
- Public Administration—
- Public Health$72,529
- Public Relations and Advertising$80,139
- Publishing—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work—
- Sociology$62,047
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre$51,611
- Writing$44,183
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Los Angeles
Overall prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $3,057. Housing costs 70% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 13 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: wildfire (relatively high); river flooding (very high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Orange County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Orange County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Chapman University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapman University | 65% | $46,555 | 82% | $70,070 | This school |
| Pepperdine University | 63% | $58,098 | 83% | $82,939 | |
| University of San Francisco | 62% | $41,431 | 70% | $89,812 | |
| University of San Diego | 52% | $30,365 | 84% | $86,522 | |
| Loyola Marymount University | 45% | $48,381 | 79% | $78,349 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Chapman University would cost you $11,543 less per year than Pepperdine University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Chapman University, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$5,892).
- Chapman University gives aided families $1,177 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, California resident | Chapman University | Pepperdine University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $64,984 | $69,918 | −$4,934 |
| Books & supplies | $1,600 | $1,000 | +$600 |
| Housing & meals | $17,378 | $23,270 | −$5,892 |
| Personal & travel | $3,318 | $2,500 | +$818 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$4,134 | −$3,176 | −$958 |
| Sticker price | $83,146 | $93,512 | −$10,366 |
| Average grants | −$36,591 | −$35,414 | −$1,177 |
| You pay | $46,555 | $58,098 | −$11,543 |
“+” means Chapman University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Chapman University
What is the Chapman University acceptance rate?
Chapman University accepts 65% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 8,849 of 15,914 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1260–1440 on the SAT or 28–31 on the ACT.
How much does Chapman University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $83,146 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $46,555 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $33,559 and families earning $110k+ pay $55,066.
How much do Chapman University graduates earn?
Former Chapman University students earn a median $70,070 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Chapman University graduation rate?
82% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 92% return for their second year.
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Chapman University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/chapman-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).