Santa Clara University

Private, Four-years School Located in Santa Clara, CA

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How much is the SCU tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, SCU's tuition & fees is $59,241.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $80,556 when a student lives on-campus.

SCU Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
Tuition & Fees$59,241
Books & Supplies Costs$1,152
On-campus Room & Board$17,112
On-campus Expenses$3,051
Off-campus Room & Board$17,784
Off-campus Expenses$4,860
2023-2024 Projection
Tuition & Fees$57,534

How Much Does it Cost to Go to SCU for 4 Years?

For the class of 2027, who entering colleges in 2023, the 4 years tuition & fees is $255,070 at SCU. The estimated tuition rate is based on the changes over last 5 years. With room & board, books, and other personal expenses, the estimated 4 years costs of attendance is $342,677. After receiving financial aid including grants, scholarships, and/or student loans, the 4 years COA is down to $229,220.
The following table computes the 4 years tuition and COA by class of year.
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2023-24)$60,999$81,834$54,702
Sophomore (2024-25)$62,808$84,339$56,401
Junior (2025-26)$64,672$86,921$58,154
Senior (2026-27)$66,591$89,582$59,962
4 Years Total$255,070$342,677$229,220
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2024-25)$62,808$84,339$56,401
Sophomore (2025-26)$64,672$86,921$58,154
Junior (2026-27)$66,591$89,582$59,962
Senior (2027-28)$68,566$92,325$61,826
4 Years Total$262,637$353,168$236,344
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2025-26)$64,672$86,921$58,154
Sophomore (2026-27)$66,591$89,582$59,962
Junior (2027-28)$68,566$92,325$61,826
Senior (2028-29)$70,601$95,152$63,748
4 Years Total$270,430$363,981$243,691
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2026-27)$66,591$89,582$59,962
Sophomore (2027-28)$68,566$92,325$61,826
Junior (2028-29)$70,601$95,152$63,748
Senior (2029-30)$72,695$98,066$65,730
4 Years Total$278,453$375,125$251,266
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2027-28)$68,566$92,325$61,826
Sophomore (2028-29)$70,601$95,152$63,748
Junior (2029-30)$72,695$98,066$65,730
Senior (2030-31)$74,852$101,069$67,774
4 Years Total$286,715$386,612$259,079

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to four-years schools nationwide, SCU' tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $20,937. Compared to private, four-years colleges in California, its tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $23,111.
In-StateOut-of-State
Santa Clara University$59,241
U.S. Four-years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
California Four-years Colleges$20,867
Public Schools$4,034$13,259
Private Schools$23,111

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between SCU and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (private, four-years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationUndergraduateGraduate
Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA$59,241$25,873
Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish, SD$12,100$15,849
Harding UniversitySearcy, AR$24,888$13,684
University of Wisconsin-La CrosseLa Crosse, WI$18,691$20,609
Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA$27,853$26,574
Oklahoma Wesleyan UniversityBartlesville, OK$31,466$10,995
DeVry University-CaliforniaOntario, CA$17,488$17,552
University of St ThomasHouston, TX$33,660$21,634
Gannon UniversityErie, PA$37,951$22,280
Bethel UniversitySaint Paul, MN$42,930$10,566
DeVry University-GeorgiaDecatur, GA$17,488$17,552

Financial Aid and COA

At Santa Clara University, 4,233 students (72%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $26,351.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at SCU is $54,205 for students living on-campus and $56,686 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 1,159 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $25,295 and the average amount of student loans is $7,778.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
COA (on-campus)$80,556
COA (off-campus)$83,037
Tuition & Fees$59,241
Indirect Costs (on-campus)$21,315
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$23,796
COA (on-campus) after Receiving Aid$54,205
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$56,686
Average Financial Aid$26,351
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship4,23372%$26,351
Pell Grants65011%$4,955
Federal Student Loan1,42124%$6,082
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid1,15975%-
Grants or Scholarships1,12172%$25,295
Federal Grants14910%$5,417
Pell Grants1268%$5,088
Other Federal Grants866%$1,930
State/Local Grants1137%$9,179
Institutional Grants1,12072%$23,671
Student Loan Aid43228%$7,778
Federal Student Loans42427%$5,172
Other Student Loans302%$38,909

Admission Stats and Requirements to Apply

SCU's acceptance rate is 53.98%. A total of 16,848 applicants applied to and 9,095 students were accepted. Of the admitted students, 1,549 enrolled finally, and the yield (i.e. enrollment rate) is 17.03%.
To apply to SCU, 5 items are required - Secondary school GPA, Secondary school record, Completion of college-preparatory program, Recommendations and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). SAT and ACT scores are considered during the admissions process but are not required to be submitted.
TotalMenWomen
Applicants16,8488,131$8,717
Admitted9,0954,097$4,998
Enrolled1,549814$735
Acceptance Rate53.98%50.39%57.34%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)17.03%19.87%14.71%
Secondary school GPARequired
Secondary school rankConsidered But Not Required
Secondary school recordRequired
Completion of college-preparatory programRequired
RecommendationsRequired
Formal demonstration of competenciesNeither Required Nor Recommended
Admission test scoresConsidered But Not Required
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)Required
Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)Neither Required Nor Recommended

SAT and ACT Scores

The SAT and ACT scores are considered but not required to apply to SCU. The average SAT score of the enrolled first-time students is 1,410 and the average ACT score (ACT composite) is 32.
Its SAT score is higher than the national average score of 1,168. The ACT score is much higher than the national average score of 24.
Average25th75th
SAT Total1,4101,3301,490
National Average1,168
California Average1,305
SAT EBRW685650720
SAT Math725680770
ACT Composite323033
National Average24
California Average29

Student Population

Santa Clara University has a total of 9,178 students including 6,115 undergraduate and 3,063 graduate students. By gender, there are 4,497 male students and 4,421 female students attending SCU. The school offers online degree programs and 399 students enrolled online exclusively (4.35% of all students).
TotalMaleFemale
Total8,918 4,4974,421
Undergraduate5,895 3,1052,790
Graduate3,023 1,3921,631

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
Address500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA
Phone408-554-4000
WEBwww.scu.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate, Graduate
Program Offered98 Programs
Online Program Offered2 Online Programs
Graduate Program Offered41 Graduate Programs
Academic Stats
Acceptance Rate52.11%
Yield18.91%
Student Population9,178
Graduation Rate88%
Retention Rate92% (Full-time), 100% (Part-time)
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate12 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties585 (Full-time), 273 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs1,535 (Full-time), 308 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$121,203
Average Staff Salary$97,916