University of Silicon Valley
San Jose, California · Private For-Profit · 51.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 23/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
University of Silicon Valley (formerly Cogswell College, a small private-for-profit in San Jose) scores 23 out of 100 on ROI - the Below Benchmark tier rating with multiple structural problems. The headlines: 28.7% completion (worse than 7 in 10 entering students do not finish in six years), $37,600 average earnings six years out, $31,000 median debt, and an 0.824 debt-to-earnings ratio that puts borrowers near the limit of what is repayable on a standard plan. Net price is $27,815 (notably higher than the $22,480 sticker tuition because Bay Area cost-of-living lifts room/board), producing a four-year total cost of $111,260. Payback period is 15.7 years. The school's program mix is concentrated in design, graphic communications, and software/media applications - fields where Bay Area earnings ought to be high but USV's graduates appear to underperform. The earnings premium of 0.144 against a Bay Area cost basis is genuinely thin. For-profit status combined with weak completion and debt-heavy outcomes make this a particularly hard school to recommend on financial grounds.
How University of Silicon Valley 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 Score23/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate28.7% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period15.7 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
University of Silicon Valley
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $22,480/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $22,480/yr |
| Average net price | $27,815/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $111,260 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $51,017 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $37,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $31,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $329 |
| Estimated payback period | 15.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 28.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 455 |
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: $22,480/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 $27,815/year, or roughly $111,260 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 $24,350/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $34,379/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $31,000, which works out to about $329 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($37,600) and comes to 0.82, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than 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 | $24,350 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $27,140 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $28,102 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $28,144 |
| $110,001+ | $34,379 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $24,350 net annually - only $3,500 below sticker tuition. Pell + Cal Grant cover only a fraction of the cost. Four-year out-of-pocket and borrowing of about $97,000 against $37,600 average earnings is a structural mismatch. This is the income tier where USV is hardest to defend.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $28,102, and $75,001-$110,000 pays $28,144 - effectively flat across mid-income brackets, which is unusual and suggests minimal need-based institutional aid. Four-year cost approaches $112,000 against earnings that don't justify it.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $34,379 net per year - four-year cost of $137,000+, well above sticker. Institutional aid is essentially absent at this tier.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at University of Silicon Valley with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic Communications | $49,968 | D |
| Design and Applied Arts | $33,596 | F |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | $67,659 | D |
| Music | $48,360 | - |
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.
Computer Software and Media Applications
Software/media is USV's strongest program, but strongest is relative: $37,693 first-year earnings rising to $67,659 by year four with $31,000 median debt and a 0.822 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a D grade. Fifteen graduates per cohort. Students with this skill set could likely earn more via a community-college-to-state-school path.
Graphic Communications
Graphic communications produces 26 graduates - the largest program - with $33,727 first-year earnings, $49,968 by year four, $31,000 median debt, and a 0.919 ratio for a D grade. The debt load is high relative to earnings. Bay Area design markets are competitive; without a strong portfolio outcomes can be weak.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts shows the structural ROI failure most clearly: $22,656 first-year earnings, $33,596 by year four, $31,000 median debt, and a 1.368 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a hard F. Nineteen graduates. With first-year earnings below $25,000 and debt above $30,000, borrowers in this program are statistically very likely to end up in income-driven repayment for decades or to default. This program should not be entered with significant debt.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 50.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 57.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 73.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 79.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How University of Silicon Valley’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 | 51.2% |
| Enrollment | 455 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 49.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,964 |
Admission rate is 51.18%. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported. The completion rate is 28.7%. Prospective students should ask USV directly about completion-by-cohort and post-graduation placement data before enrolling.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Silicon Valley (this school) | 23 | $27,815 | $51,017 |
| Design Institute of San Diego | 28 | $44,010 | $46,920 |
| Brookline College-Albuquerque | 24 | $37,459 | $29,576 |
| Miami Regional University | 23 | $22,113 | $29,081 |
| Crestpoint University | 23 | $15,670 | $42,269 |
| Academy of Art University | 10 | $40,613 | $39,008 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See University of Silicon Valley side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
USV fits a narrow student: someone committed to a creative-tech career (game design, animation, music technology) who specifically wants the small-cohort, hands-on, industry-adjacent experience USV markets. Pell rate is 49.74% - heavily working-class enrollment of just 455. The Bay Area location and small program network can produce real opportunities for the most committed students. But the 28.7% completion rate and 0.824 debt-to-earnings ratio mean most students who enroll will end up worse off financially.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, University of Silicon Valley scores 23/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $27,815 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $51,017 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.7 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 to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 28.7% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 57.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $31,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $37,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
University of Silicon Valley: Common Questions
Is University of Silicon Valley worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. University of Silicon Valley scores 23/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $27,815 a year after aid against $51,017 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.7 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does University of Silicon Valley 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 $27,815 a year, or roughly $111,260 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 University of Silicon Valley graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $51,017 ten years after enrolling, roughly $9,217 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 University of Silicon Valley?
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 15.7 years for University of Silicon Valley. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do University of Silicon Valley graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $31,000, against average earnings of $37,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at University of Silicon Valley?
The six-year graduation rate is 28.7%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (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.