Simpson University
About
Simpson University is a private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Redding, California. Originally founded in 1921 in Seattle as Simpson Bible Institute, the institution relocated to San Francisco in 1955 and then to Redding in 1989. It is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 15.7-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 35 Title IV programs, 6 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 29 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing6 · 17.1%
- No Data29 · 82.9%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 10
- Feb 2025Renewal of AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Dec 2022Grant Substantive Change: ProgramWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Jun 2021Removal of Monitoring StatusWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Feb 2021Grant Substantive Change: ProgramWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Feb 2020Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 436 students received $2.3M in Pell grants, alongside $7.8M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 315 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Simpson
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 12
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus2
Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Simpson vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Simpson selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSimpson University | 49% | 86.0% | 992 | $27,817 | Baccalaureate |
| 56% | 67.3% | 761 | $20,789 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs | |
| 61% | 93.9% | 1,029 | $28,035 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs | |
| 49% | 33.0% | 1,025 | $29,310 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
Multnomah University | 51% | 49.8% | — | $23,866 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
| 71% | 64.7% | 1,635 | $29,580 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 68% | 83.2% | 1,053 | $22,288 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 67% | 84.0% | 2,860 | $32,647 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 57% | 62.4% | 2,246 | $21,241 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 49% | 71.1% | 378 | $25,629 | Baccalaureate | |
| 56% | 93.3% | 1,865 | $28,062 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| Peer group median | 56% | 71.1% | 1,041 | $27,817 |
Institutions like Simpson
Explore the federal data for institutions in Simpson's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsOregon
Bushnell University
Grad rate56%Admit rate67.3%Enrollment761Net price$20,789View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsOregon
Corban University
Grad rate61%Admit rate93.9%Enrollment1,029Net price$28,035View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsCalifornia
Hope International University
Grad rate49%Admit rate33.0%Enrollment1,025Net price$29,310View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsOregon
Multnomah University
Grad rate51%Admit rate49.8%Enrollment—Net price$23,866 - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIdaho
Northwest Nazarene University
Grad rate71%Admit rate64.7%Enrollment1,635Net price$29,580View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsWashington
Northwest University
Grad rate68%Admit rate83.2%Enrollment1,053Net price$22,288View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalCalifornia
The Master's University and Seminary
Grad rate67%Admit rate84.0%Enrollment2,860Net price$32,647View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsCalifornia
Vanguard University of Southern California
Grad rate57%Admit rate62.4%Enrollment2,246Net price$21,241View data - BaccalaureateOregon
Warner Pacific University
Grad rate49%Admit rate71.1%Enrollment378Net price$25,629View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsCalifornia
William Jessup University
Grad rate56%Admit rate93.3%Enrollment1,865Net price$28,062View data
Simpson Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment collects, analyzes and disseminates essential information about Simpson University’s environment and performance to support institutional management, planning and decision-making and to build and maintain an environment of academic excellence.
Visit IR office pageReports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planSimpson University Strategic Plan2022Simpson University's Strategic Plan (2022-2026) serves as a guiding document for institutional advancement, grounded in the university's mission, vision, identity, and core values. It emphasizes fostering a culture of assessment, faith formation, innovation, and fundraising. The plan is structured around strategic goals and measurable action plans aimed at enhancing the university's overall effectiveness and sustainability.simpsonu.edu
Grants & funding (4)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityFederal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)U.S. Department of Educationinstitution_site$4,000
- opportunityCal GrantCalifornia Student Aid Commissioninstitution_site
- opportunityFederal Iraq and Afghanistan Service GrantU.S. Department of Educationinstitution_site
- opportunityFederal Pell GrantU.S. Department of Educationinstitution_site
Frequently asked questions about Simpson University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Simpson.
What is the acceptance rate at Simpson University?
What is the graduation rate at Simpson University?
How many students attend Simpson University?
What is the average net price at Simpson University?
What is the yield rate at Simpson University?
Where is Simpson University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Simpson University?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about Simpson University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card