Find Your Horizon

Create a future different from anything imaginable.

Join us at the edge of everything to envision the most brilliant tomorrow. Yours.

To change the world, we need more

Make a selection and meet Toreros who share your thoughts.

Students Talking

Students Talking

ACADEMICS

INFORM YOUR PERSPECTIVES

Horizons expand here. Futures come into view. So challenge what’s expected. Open how you see the world with a modern Liberal Arts degree based in Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Define yourself as an original thinker powered by global perspective in small classes led by renowned professors. The future is changing, and you’ll be prepared.

Youngest top 100 private university in the Nation

U.S. News & World Report

#5

STUDY ABROAD PARTICIPATION

— Institute of International Education

#9

Best Catholic Colleges In America

— Niche

12:1

Student-to-Faculty Ratio

Student SPOTLIGHT

Alicia Kelley Headshot

Alicia Kelley ’19

Environmental and Ocean Sciences

She came here to find excellence, she earned it. Alicia discovered that 16,000 private wells in San Diego County weren’t required to quality test. She brought the issue to the Department of Environmental Health, changing national regulations. All as a USD Junior.

Student SPOTLIGHT

sylasanderson

Sylas Anderson ’20

Biophysics

He was curious about biophysics, business administration and chemistry, so he chose all three. At USD, Sylas brings his interests to rigorous lab work, focusing on DNA diffusion to phase gene therapies through complex cells — curing the previously incurable.

Student SPOTLIGHT

juliasomera

Julia Somera ’22

Undecided

She didn’t know what she was looking for, but Julia knew she’d find support at USD. Then during Orientation Weekend Mass, she found inspiration. She discovered the Rite of Christian Initiation, starting a journey towards the best in herself by serving others and God.

WHERE

  • X Element

    Faith

    Share your beliefs. USD is committed to others, our community and a just and humane world.

  • X Element

    TEDx

    Hear ideas worth sharing. USD has hosted and alumni have presented at numerous TEDx events.

  • X Element

    Spanish

    Immerse yourself in the language. USD offers 20 Spanish courses and is 25 miles from Mexico.

  • X Element

    Physics

    Think at a subatomic and intergalactic level. Understand the natural laws that define our world.

  • X Element

    Science

    Be curious about everything. From political to environmental and nursing to behavior, science lives here.

  • X Element

    Nation

    Become national level talent. Forbes ranks San Diego as the #2 Most Inventive City.

  • X Element

    Peace

    Build peace and social innovation. The Kroc School is the first standalone School of Peace in the US.

  • X Element

    Sea

    Swim, surf and sun on the Pacific Ocean. Campus is ten short minutes from the coast.

  • Y Element

    Reason

    Explore facts and truths. Five schools and one college offer 42 degrees to advance your career.

  • Y Element

    Swing

    Move in all new ways. Discover club lessons in the Charleston, Balboa, and Lindy Hop.

  • Y Element

    Space

    Aim for the stars, or the moon. Two alumni are current NASA Astronaut Candidates.

  • Y Element

    Philosophy

    Ask the most important questions. USD teaches the power of logic and critical analysis.

  • Y Element

    Surf

    Catch your break. There are over 70 miles of local coastline all within driving range from campus.

  • Y Element

    World

    Live at the border of everything. San Diego is a short trip to Central America and Pacific Rim countries.

  • Y Element

    Profit

    Find capital and connections. Business Insider ranks USD as #12 for Business Networking.

  • Y Element

    Sky

    Expand your views and viewpoints. San Diego has 266 days of blue sky on average.

Shuffle through to see how the unexpected comes together at USD.

Tap each image to learn more.

START FROM the EDGE

LEARN MORE

Boys Playing Handball

Boys Playing Handball

Campus Culture

DO IT ALL

Climbing Team and Club Waterski. Phi Delta Epsilon and Photography Club. No matter who you are you’ll find a club, team or organization that allows you to meet Toreros who are into what you’re into — we’re ranked #7 in Best Quality of Life by The Princeton Review. There are just as many ways to live big as there are to give back. All Toreros — students, faculty and staff — have together donated 400,000+ hours of service across San Diego County since 2016. USD isn’t just a campus, it’s a community.

  • 180

    Student Clubs and Organizations

USD has many things for you to get involved in.

Spend the next four years at the edge of them all.

ATHLETICS

RISE TO EVERY CHALLENGE

Toreros bring the energy and excitement changing everything including the game. Competing at the highest level of athletics and academics. Beyond 90+ NCAA Tournament appearances and qualifiers, our 17 NCAA DI teams have a 3.2 GPA (average), 5,000+ volunteer hours, five-straight WCC Commissioner’s Cups and annual WCC Community Service Awards since 2017. 

Wide Aerial Shot of Campus

Wide Aerial Shot of Campus

LOCATION

WHERE ALL THINGS CONVERGE

We’re located in the vibrant city of San Diego. Home to a warm sense of welcoming that colors how we engage the world. We’re at the border of Mexico and the Pacific. Where communities and cultures come together. This place is a gateway to anything imaginable. And from our most beautiful campus to our #1-ranked study abroad program, USD will nurture you and your curiosity near and far.

  • location career

    Career Development Center

    San Diego leads in Biotech, Trade and Defense, think about sticking around. Build your skills and resume with workshops, internships, speakers and more.
  • balboa park 176573499

    Balboa Park

    Where culture, science, and nature live. Balboa Park has museums, performing arts venues, gardens and the San Diego Zoo among its 1,200 lush acres.
  • Brink Poster

    the BRINK

    Unstoppable ideation. Innovative disruption. That’s the BRINK. Our campus-based workspace where big entrepreneurial ideas find mentorship and funding.
  • Student Life Pavilion

    Student Life Pavilion

    Home to everything from Pavilion Dining to USD TV, Outdoor Adventures to the USD Torero Store. The Student Life Pavilion is the epicenter of all the on-campus action.
  • location kroc

    Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies

    Make peace by taking action. The Kroc School is the first of its kind, working beyond papers and presentations to meet local and global crises with social justice.
  • location cetys

    CETYS Universidad

    One border means two degrees. Partnered with CETYS Universidad in Mexicali, USD offers binational perspective for global-ready grads.
  • 110315 430 0188

    Tijuana Immersion Trips

    Experience the culture of Mexico from within communities that welcome USD students into their homes and lives.
  • location intl center

    International Center

    Study Spanish in Spain or Computer Science in Shanghai. USD’s 135 Study Abroad options cover 44 countries, explore countless new customs and cultures.

CLEAR SKIES & OPEN MINDS

From our campus in Alcalá Park, every day is your day in the sun.

72°
san diego

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Aerial Campus Shot

Aerial Campus Shot
DCIM\100GOPRO

HISTORY

TRUTH WILL BE FEARLESSLY TAUGHT.

Those were the words of Bishop Charles Francis Buddy upon co-founding USD in 1949. That day he called for education to be bold, to be innovative and to take chances. It launched a legacy of Changemakers and powered 70,000+ alumni to advance our world in all ways.

"THERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT IN EDUCATION: BEAUTY, GOODNESS, AND TRUTH."

— Mother Rosalie Clifton Hill, University Co-Founder

Student Tutoring Child

Student Tutoring Child

CHANGEMAKERS

BE A FORCE

OF INTENTION

To make a difference, look beyond books and outside classrooms. Our community service and service-learning focus shift ideas into action and power our Changemaker designation — the first on the West Coast and one of only 43 universities in the world. Changemakers develop innovative and entrepreneurial ideas to spark social change in local, national and global communities.

Alumni SPOTLIGHT

deepbedi2

Deep Bedi ’11

Chief Product Officer at HSBC

He wanted a school that fostered business and creativity, so Deep enrolled at USD. Here he was an entrepreneur pitching startups. Now he works as an intrapreneur at HSBC Hong Kong where he ranks among Forbes 30 Under 30 in Asia.

"Organizations are looking for the types of Changemakers USD creates."

Alumni SPOTLIGHT

matthew dominick

Matthew Dominick ’05

Astronaut Candidate at NASA

As a kid, he had one poster in his room — Earthrise from Apollo 8. Matt’s goal was space, to love what he did and contribute to the world. So after USD, he flew countless missions as a Naval Test Pilot and was ultimately selected for NASA Astronaut Group 22 in 2017.

“A Liberal Arts background means you can do the technical work and communicate how you do it.”

Alumni SPOTLIGHT

stephanie ochs

Stephanie Ochs ’12

Forward at National Women’s Soccer League

Her dream began while watching the Women’s World Cup, she’d go pro. So Stephanie came to USD. She played in every USD game and was named WCC Player of the Year. Then she was the first pick of the 2013 draft, and played for 6 clubs all around the world.

"If you start a journey with pure intentions and do the work, nothing can stop you."

Smiling Medical Student

Smiling Medical Student

OUTCOMES

PASSIONS AND PROFESSIONS COLLIDE

Know things. Know things because you partnered across disciplines with people you didn’t know on problems that couldn’t be solved alone. Employers look for that. It tells them you know how to collaborate. And Toreros collaborate. And innovate. And lead. Landing us in interesting places with exciting careers at companies like Tesla, NBC Universal, Disney and many more.

70K

Alumni in 50 States and 141 Countries

82%

OF GRADUATES RECEIVED FIRST JOB OFFER WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF GRADUATIO

92%

OF GRADUATES REPORTED CURRENT POSITION ALIGNS WITH CAREER GOALS

START FROM THE EDGE

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Admissions Support

Let's Chat

Contact us to explore your financial and academic options because our world is waiting for you. If you're ready to be a Torero, we'll help you find a way to get here.

5998 Alcala Park,
San Diego, CA 92110

(619) 260-4600

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