Design Institute of San Diego
San Diego, California · Private For-Profit · 100.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 28/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Design Institute of San Diego scores 28 (Below Benchmark) on the CampusROI scale. The numbers are stark: $33,700 average 6-year earnings, median $46,920 at 10 years, a 26.5-year payback period, and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.093 - graduates owe more than a full year's salary in student debt. Net price of $44,010 exceeds the $29,300 sticker tuition, which typically indicates fees and living costs are substantial. The Scorecard reports net price only for the 48001-75000 income bracket; all other income brackets return null, meaning income-stratified cost data is largely unavailable. The school is a for-profit institution in San Diego with 77 enrolled students. The completion rate of 80% is the clearest positive data point - most students who enroll finish. But finishing a degree here produces $33,700 average earnings at year six with $36,844 median debt and a $390 monthly payment. The Scorecard does not report 1-year or 3-year repayment rates, and repayment rate is imputed.
How Design Institute of San Diego scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score28/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.09 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- Payback period26.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Design Institute of San Diego
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $29,300/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,300/yr |
| Average net price | $44,010/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $176,040 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,920 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $36,844 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $391 |
| Estimated payback period | 26.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 80.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 77 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $29,300/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $44,010/year, or roughly $176,040 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of N/A/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $36,844, which works out to about $391 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,700) and comes to 1.09, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | N/A |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | N/A |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $44,010 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | N/A |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Net price data for the 0-30000 income bracket is not reported by the Scorecard. With a Pell grant rate of 51.1%, a significant portion of students are in this bracket. Without income-stratified cost data, low-income prospective students cannot accurately model their net cost from public data sources alone and should contact the institution's financial aid office directly before making enrollment decisions.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The only reported net price - $44,010 per year - applies to the 48001-75000 bracket. At $176,040 over four years against $33,700 average 6-year earnings and a 26.5-year payback period, this cost structure does not produce a defensible financial return for most students. The long-run earnings trajectory to $46,920 at 10 years does not substantially change the calculation.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price data for the $110,001+ bracket is not reported by the Scorecard. Given the for-profit pricing model and $44,010 net price for the middle-income band, higher-income families should expect similar or higher costs.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Design Institute of San Diego with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $34,589 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts is the only program reported, with 16 graduates earning $34,589 at year one. Year-four earnings are not reported by the Scorecard. Median debt of $45,687 against $34,589 year-one earnings yields a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.321 (F grade). Graduates owe more than 1.3 times their annual salary on graduation day. This is the worst debt-to-earnings figure in the program list for this institution, and it is the only program. There is no higher-earning program within DISD that compensates for this outcome.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 72.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 68.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Design Institute of San Diego’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 100.0% |
| Enrollment | 77 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 51.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,708 |
The Scorecard reports a 100% admission rate with no standardized test data. This is an open-enrollment institution. The admission decision is operationally straightforward; the financial decision is not. At $44,010 net price per year for a credential that produces $33,700 average 6-year earnings, prospective students should model their specific career plan and salary expectations against this cost before enrolling.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Design Institute of San Diego's completion rate is 80% and its debt-to-earnings ratio is 1.093.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Institute of San Diego (this school) | 28 | $44,010 | $46,920 |
| DeVry University-New Jersey | 32 | $26,565 | $45,987 |
| DeVry College of New York | 31 | $12,855 | $45,987 |
| University of Silicon Valley | 23 | $27,815 | $51,017 |
| DeVry University-Florida | 21 | $29,477 | $45,987 |
| Academy of Art University | 10 | $40,613 | $39,008 |
Who Thrives Here
Design Institute of San Diego enrolls 77 students. The admission rate is 100%, meaning essentially all applicants are admitted. SAT and ACT data are not reported. The Pell grant rate of 51.1% indicates over half of students receive Pell grants - a heavily low-income student population paying high costs. Students seeking a career in interior design in San Diego may value proximity and small-cohort instruction, but the financial data warrants serious scrutiny before enrollment.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Design Institute of San Diego scores 28/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $44,010 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,920 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 26.5 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: its 80.0% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.09 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $36,844 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.09. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Design Institute of San Diego: Common Questions
Is Design Institute of San Diego worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Design Institute of San Diego scores 28/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $44,010 a year after aid against $46,920 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 26.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Design Institute of San Diego cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $44,010 a year, or roughly $176,040 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Design Institute of San Diego graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,920 ten years after enrolling, roughly $5,120 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Design Institute of San Diego?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 26.5 years for Design Institute of San Diego. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Design Institute of San Diego graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $36,844, against average earnings of $33,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.09. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Design Institute of San Diego?
The six-year graduation rate is 80.0%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.