Soka University of America
About
Soka University of America (SUA) is a private liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California. Originally founded in 1987, it was established on its current campus in 2001 by Daisaku Ikeda, the founder of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist movement. Though affiliated with Soka Gakkai, it maintains a secular curriculum which emphasizes pacifism, human rights, and the creative coexistence of nature and humanity.
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 6.8-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 2 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 1 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing1 · 50.0%
- No Data1 · 50.0%
- 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
American Academy for Liberal Education
Action history · 1
- Feb 2021Initial AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
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, 97 students received $612K in Pell grants, alongside $1.2M 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 45 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (2.2%) 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 Soka University of America
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 · 7
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 campus3
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.
Soka University of America vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Soka University of America 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSoka University of America | 92% | 43.4% | 495 | $18,260 | Baccalaureate |
| 91% | 9.6% | 1,393 | $28,849 | Baccalaureate | |
| 92% | 12.7% | 951 | $35,924 | Baccalaureate | |
| 81% | 44.2% | 1,881 | $38,263 | Baccalaureate | |
| 83% | 25.2% | 1,242 | $34,191 | Baccalaureate | |
| 93% | 7.1% | 1,700 | $19,285 | Baccalaureate | |
| 83% | 38.3% | 1,137 | $36,294 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 91% | 25.2% | 1,242 | $34,191 |
Institutions like Soka University of America
Explore the federal data for institutions in Soka University of America's comparison group.
- BaccalaureateCalifornia
Claremont McKenna College
Grad rate91%Admit rate9.6%Enrollment1,393Net price$28,849View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Harvey Mudd College
Grad rate92%Admit rate12.7%Enrollment951Net price$35,924View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Occidental College
Grad rate81%Admit rate44.2%Enrollment1,881Net price$38,263View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Pitzer College
Grad rate83%Admit rate25.2%Enrollment1,242Net price$34,191View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Pomona College
Grad rate93%Admit rate7.1%Enrollment1,700Net price$19,285View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Scripps College
Grad rate83%Admit rate38.3%Enrollment1,137Net price$36,294View data
Soka University of America Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The page provides information about the Common Data Set initiative at Soka University of America, including downloadable PDFs of past years' data. It also contains contact details for the Office of Institutional Research & Assessment and links to relevant resources such as accreditation and student success data.
Visit IR office page- Tomoko TakahashiVice President for Institutional Research and Assessment
Common Data Set
Soka University of America's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Source publications
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data dictionaryInstitutional Research & Assessment2026The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment at Soka University of America collects and publishes data on enrollment, graduation, and student outcomes to support institutional planning, regulatory reporting, and transparency for prospective students, families, and researchers. The data includes detailed statistics on undergraduate and graduate admissions, enrollment, graduation rates, and student success metrics. The university maintains an average undergraduate graduation rate of 88% and a graduate program completion rate of 95%. The page provides additional resources such as career reports and links to download the Common Data Set for various years.soka.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryInstitutional Research & AssessmentThe Institutional Research & Assessment section of Soka University of America's website provides essential data on student enrollment, graduation rates, and outcomes to aid in institutional planning and transparency. It highlights its accreditation status, detailed student success data, and post-graduation pathways for students. Accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Soka maintains high standards for educational quality. The Common Data Set initiative supports standardized higher education reporting.soka.edu
Grants & funding (4)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityFulbright Student AdvisingFulbright US Student Programinstitution_site
- opportunityGraduate Grants & ScholarshipsSoka University of Americainstitution_site
- opportunityPBRC Summer GrantsPacific Basin Research Centerinstitution_site
- opportunitySummer Internship GrantsSoka University of Americainstitution_site
Notable alumni of Soka University of America (2)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Tahereh MafiLiterature
- Aditi Rao
Frequently asked questions about Soka University of America
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Soka University of America.
What is the acceptance rate at Soka University of America?
What is the graduation rate at Soka University of America?
How many students attend Soka University of America?
What is the average net price at Soka University of America?
What is the yield rate at Soka University of America?
Where is Soka University of America located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Soka University of America?
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.
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