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After National University: graduation, pay and debt

San Diego, California · Private · 10,794 undergrads

43% of National University students finish within six years, the typical student earns $73,988 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $25,000 in federal loans at the median.

The short answers

$74k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
43%
finish within six years.
33%
finish in four years.
53%
of first-years come back for year two.
$25k
median federal debt at graduation.
50%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers

Finishing

Finished in four yearsCollege Scorecard, 2017 entry
33%
Finished within six yearsCollege Scorecard, 2019 entry
43%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
53%
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
61%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
36%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
36
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard, earlier release
50%

Pay after college

Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$69,601
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$73,988
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
77%

Pay is for students who got federal aid and are working, counted from the year they started college, whether or not they finished.

Debt and paying it back

Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$25,000
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$18,750
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$23,438
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$12,500
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
50%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
60%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
65%

Federal student loans only. Private loans and Parent PLUS loans aren't counted.

Where these numbers come from

Updated Oct 31, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers