Private (for-profit)

Design Institute of San Diego

San Diego, California·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·disd.edu
6-yr Graduation
80%
-10.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
94
peer median 98
Avg net price
$31,293
-$9.6k vs peer
Use this data
Ask Clema

About

The Design Institute of San Diego is a private institution located in San Diego, California, focused on providing degrees in interior design, UX/UI design, and product design. The exact founding year is not mentioned on their website, and the size of the institution is also not specified.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
7
7 candidates competed
Admitted
7
100.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2
28.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
80%-10.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
0%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
80%
Full-time retention
0%

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 3 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 3 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
3
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

3programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data3 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
0
No data
3

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 2018Next review Feb 2032
PreaccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 2018Next review Jun 2020
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

Accredited since 1995Next review Dec 2014

Action history · 5

  1. Nov 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Feb 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  3. Jun 2022Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  4. Jun 2022Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  5. Jun 2020Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    WASC Senior College and University Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$28,154
$30–48k
$48–75k
$75–110k$25,392
$110k+$42,093

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$31,293
-$9,560vs peer median $40,853
Federal loans
57.0%
In-state tuition
$29,350
Out-of-state
$29,350

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 51 students received $360K in Pell grants, alongside $1.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
51
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$360K
$360,055 total
Direct Loans
$1.1M
120 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$237K
46 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$288K
50 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$200K
8 loan awards
Parent PLUS$166K
9 loan awards
Grad PLUS$202K
7 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 35 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
35
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.0%
2017
0.0%
2018
2.0%
2019
0.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Design Institute of San Diego

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs1
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

30 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
30100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
94
12-mo unduplicated
128
Undergraduate
105
Graduate
23

Gender split

Men
7%9
Women
93%119

Race / ethnicity composition

White
50.0%
Hispanic
16.3%
Black
10.9%
Unknown
9.8%
Asian
8.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
2.2%
Non-resident
2.2%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 101 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    8.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    3

    Design Institute of San Diego vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Design Institute of San Diego selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectDesign Institute of San Diego
    80%94$31,293
    ATA College
    80$20,906Community College
    Interior Designers Institute
    100%102
    Los Angeles College of Music
    28%87.7%261$40,853
    Seattle Film Institute
    85$41,429
    Gnomon
    100%41.8%526$45,824
    Peer group median90%64.8%98$40,853

    Frequently asked questions about Design Institute of San Diego

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Design Institute of San Diego.

    What is the graduation rate at Design Institute of San Diego?

    Design Institute of San Diego reports a 6-year graduation rate of 80% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Design Institute of San Diego?

    Design Institute of San Diego reports a total enrollment of 94 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Design Institute of San Diego?

    The average net price at Design Institute of San Diego is $31,293 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at Design Institute of San Diego?

    Design Institute of San Diego's yield rate is 28.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Design Institute of San Diego located?

    Design Institute of San Diego is located in San Diego, California 92121.

    Have a question this page can’t answer?

    Ask Clema anything about Design Institute of San Diego and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

    Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card