About
The University of Silicon Valley (USV) is a private for-profit university in San Jose, California, in Silicon Valley. The school was founded in 1887 as Cogswell Technical School, and later known as Cogswell Polytechnical College. It was the first technical training institution in the Western United States and one of only two private universities, along with Stanford University, that were originally guaranteed a tax exemption in the California Constitution. USV is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Programs at USV range from digital media to engineering, with an emphasis on digital animation, audio and music production, and video game design.
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 5.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 10 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 6 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing3 · 30.0%
- No Data6 · 60.0%
- Failing1 · 10.0%
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
Action history · 9
- Jun 2023Renewal of AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Jun 2021Grant Substantive Change: ProgramWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Mar 2021Grant Substantive Change: ProgramWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Feb 2021Grant Substantive Change: ProgramWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Mar 2020Grant Substantive Change: DegreeWASC 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, 433 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $4.1M 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 162 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.6%) 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 University of Silicon Valley
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
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
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.
University of Silicon Valley vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions University of Silicon Valley 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectUniversity of Silicon Valley | 29% | — | 477 | $30,799 | Baccalaureate |
| 44% | — | 2,156 | $25,133 | Baccalaureate | |
| 60% | — | 6 | — | Baccalaureate | |
| 67% | 100.0% | 67 | — | Baccalaureate | |
| 23% | 100.0% | 211 | — | Baccalaureate | |
| 61% | 64.4% | 1,084 | $42,033 | Baccalaureate | |
| 57% | 61.5% | — | $30,982 | Baccalaureate | |
| 32% | — | 2,061 | $28,037 | Baccalaureate | |
| 0% | — | 297 | $24,532 | Baccalaureate | |
| 14% | — | 303 | $25,157 | Baccalaureate | |
| 10% | — | 258 | $24,372 | Baccalaureate | |
| 27% | 98.1% | 933 | $20,913 | Baccalaureate | |
| 0% | — | — | — | Baccalaureate | |
University of Phoenix-Nevada | 0% | — | — | — | Baccalaureate |
| Peer group median | 28% | 98.1% | 303 | $25,157 |
Institutions like University of Silicon Valley
Explore the federal data for institutions in University of Silicon Valley's comparison group.
- BaccalaureateNew York
Berkeley College-New York
Grad rate44%Admit rate—Enrollment2,156Net price$25,133View data - BaccalaureateArizona
DeVry University-Arizona
Grad rate60%Admit rate—Enrollment6Net price—View data - BaccalaureateNew Jersey
DeVry University-New Jersey
Grad rate67%Admit rate100.0%Enrollment67Net price—View data - BaccalaureateOhio
DeVry University-Ohio
Grad rate23%Admit rate100.0%Enrollment211Net price—View data - BaccalaureateWashington
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Grad rate61%Admit rate64.4%Enrollment1,084Net price$42,033View data - BaccalaureateConnecticut
Paier College
Grad rate57%Admit rate61.5%Enrollment—Net price$30,982View data - BaccalaureateColorado
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
Grad rate32%Admit rate—Enrollment2,061Net price$28,037View data - BaccalaureateTexas
South University-Austin
Grad rate0%Admit rate—Enrollment297Net price$24,532View data - BaccalaureateAlabama
South University-Montgomery
Grad rate14%Admit rate—Enrollment303Net price$25,157View data - BaccalaureateVirginia
South University-Virginia Beach
Grad rate10%Admit rate—Enrollment258Net price$24,372View data - BaccalaureateArizona
University of Advancing Technology
Grad rate27%Admit rate98.1%Enrollment933Net price$20,913View data - BaccalaureateHawaii
University of Phoenix-Hawaii
Grad rate0%Admit rate—Enrollment—Net price—View data - BaccalaureateNevada
University of Phoenix-Nevada
Grad rate0%Admit rate—Enrollment—Net price—
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Grants & funding (15)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityNational Charter High School & Homeschool ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$8,000
- opportunityValor ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$3,000
- opportunitySalute to Military ServiceUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$2,500
- opportunityEsports ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$2,000
- opportunity15-to-Finish ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$1,000
- opportunityDegree Completion GrantUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$1,000
- opportunityDragon Plus ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$1,000
- opportunityFamily Member GrantUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$1,000
- opportunityHS Seniors of DistinctionUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$1,000
- opportunityDragon ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$500
- opportunityGolden Age ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$500
- opportunityTransfer GrantUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$500
- opportunityWomen in Business & CS ScholarshipUniversity of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site$500
- opportunityBusiness Entrepreneurship & Innovation (Graduate)University of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site
- opportunityCEO Leadership of Tomorrow (Graduate)University of Silicon Valleyinstitution_site
Frequently asked questions about University of Silicon Valley
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about University of Silicon Valley.
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