Private · Orange, CA

Chapman University

Low ROI4 years of net price ≈ 2.3 years of graduates' median earnings

Chapman University merit aid, cost of attendance, freshman GPA and SAT/ACT scores, net price by income, and graduate earnings.

Costs, merit aid & admissions

Acceptance rate: 72%2025-26 · CollegeData source
Undergraduates: 7,478
Avg merit aid / yr: $23,936
Cost of attendance: $87,730
SAT 75th percentile: 1440
ACT 75th percentile: 31

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Costs are annual prices before aid. Average merit aid is the average non-need-based award to freshmen who got one — not an offer to every applicant.

Chapman University incoming freshman academic profile

Average high school GPA: Not reported
SAT composite middle score: Not reported
ACT composite middle score: Not reported

Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.

Freshman financial need & merit gifts

2024-25 financial-aid profile · CollegeData source

Average freshman need met: 83%
Average undergraduate need met: 75%

Merit gifts among freshmen receiving need-based aid

834 recipients · 96.8% of freshman aid recipients.

Merit gifts to freshmen without financial need

358 recipients · 22% of all freshmen.

$24,476 average annual award

These groups use different denominators and should not be added together. Need met is an average share of assessed financial need—not a share of tuition or an aid guarantee. The source’s detailed aid table reports 2024-25, although its general page note says 2025-26.

Chapman University net price by family income

Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.

Average annual net price by family income at Chapman University
Family income	$0–30K	$30–48K	$48–75K	$75–110K	$110K+	All
Annual net price	$34,494	$30,442	$31,307	$41,191	$55,261	$46,708

Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.

At what family income does financial aid stop at Chapman University?

There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use Chapman University's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.

Graduation, earnings & student debt

6-year graduation: 82.9%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort
First-year retention: 91.8%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry: $80,6942011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars
Median federal debt: $19,500Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled

Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 111948).

Colleges with acceptance rates similar to Chapman University

Chapman University accepts about 65% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.

Colleges with merit aid similar to Chapman University

Chapman University reports average merit aid of $23,936 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.

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Data sources & limitations

Admissions, costs and merit aid: collegedata.fyi (Common Data Set + federal data), imported Oct 2026. Net prices and outcomes: College Scorecard, Oct 15, 2026 release, matched by federal ID. SAT 75th percentile adds section scores; 90th-percentile and GPA match thresholds are estimates. ROI compares four years of average net price with median earnings 10 years after entry, ranked in thirds across colleges. Blank means not reported — never estimated. Confirm costs and scholarships with the college.