National University Overview
National University is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Jolla, California. La Jolla is a great location for students who prefer city over country life.
What Is National University Known For?
- The 5% student loan default rate at National University is better than the national rate of 10.1%. That's a good sign that you may be able to pay off student loans easier than your peers at other schools can.
- The doctor's degree is the highest award offered at National University.
- In 2017-2018, 11% of the faculty were full-time.
- After graduation, National University bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $59,400 a year. That's about 46% more than their peers at other schools.
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National University Rankings
According to our 2022 analysis, National University is ranked #449 out of 2,587 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
National University has been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#9 | Best Associate Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#88 | Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at National University.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards National University has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#18 | Best Instructional Media Design Schools | College Factual |
#19 | Best General Studies Schools | College Factual |
#54 | Best Special Education Schools | College Factual |
#68 | Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools | College Factual |
#68 | Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools | College Factual |
#86 | Best Nursing Schools | Nursing Degree Search |
Where Is National University?

Contact details for National University are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 11255 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037-1011 |
Phone: | 800-628-8648 |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/nationaluniversity |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/natuniv |
How Do I Get Into National University?
You can apply to National University online at: www.nu.edu/Admissions/ApplyOnline.html
Admission Requirements for National University
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | considered but not required |
High School Transcript | considered but not required |
College Prep Program | neither required nor recommended |
Recommendations | neither required nor recommended |
SAT or ACT Scores | neither required nor recommended |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into National University?
Approximately 50% of accepted students are men and 50% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 84%, and the acceptance rate for women is 95%.
Can I Afford National University?
Student Loan Debt
It's not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At National University, approximately 55% of students took out student loans averaging $7,381 a year. That adds up to $29,524 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at National University is 4.5%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
National University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 9,629 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 3,292 full-time undergraduates at National University, 46% are male and 54% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of National University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 301 |
Hispanic or Latino | 956 |
White | 1,179 |
International Students | 13 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 843 |
Geographic Diversity
California students aren't the only ones who study at National University. At this time, 7 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 29 countries are represented at National University. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, Germany, and Thailand.
Online Learning at National University
The following chart shows how the online learning population at National University has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 3rd most popular in California for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of National University
The following table shows how National University is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Online Affordability Rankings of National University Rankings
The following table shows how National University is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are mostly online.
Online Growth Rankings of National University
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at National University was -19.3%. This is the #2,053 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at National University regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of National University majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at National University ranks compared to all other partially online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at National University.
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
National University Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By University under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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