Active Report Report ID: EDU-485519-2026

Lionel University

Carpinteria, CA 93013-2912

Tuition$15,265Published sticker
Avg. net price$29,453After aid
Graduation rate67.12%150% time

About Lionel University

Lionel University is a private for-profit two-year college in Carpinteria, California, enrolling about 370 students. The college offers associate degrees, career certificates, and transfer pathways to four-year universities. Typical net price after grant aid is about $29,453 for students who receive it, compared with published tuition near $15,265. Student demographics in federal data include White (46.2%) and Black or African American (29.7%) among the largest enrollment groups.

Key findings

  • Lionel University charges 8% below the national private for-profit median tuition ($15,265).
  • Versus the California median, sticker tuition is about 1.9×.
  • Completion within 150% of normal time is 67.12%.

Cost benchmarks

Benchmark Median Tuition Median Net Price Count
Lionel University$15,265$29,4531
Private For-profit (national median)$16,637477
California (state median)$8,093$8,343287
Rural (locale median)$14,160$18,7001,649
United States (national median)$11,900$17,156

Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.

Cost

How expensive is Lionel University really?

Source College Scorecard + EDsmart aggregatesMethod Sticker vs net; peer mediansUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Undergraduate (Title IV net price)Confidence Federal extract

Key findings

  • Lionel University charges 8% below the national private for-profit median tuition ($15,265).
  • Versus the California median, sticker tuition is about 1.9×.
Published sticker

Lionel University tuition

Published undergraduate tuition $15,265

Finding Lionel University charges 8% below the national private for-profit median tuition.

Evidence Published tuition is $15,265. That is 8% below the national private for-profit median ($16,637). Versus the California median ($8,093), sticker tuition is about 1.9×. Versus the U.S. median ($11,900), sticker is 28% above.

Method Sticker tuition compared with Scorecard-derived medians by ownership, state, locale, and national rollups when available.

Interpretation Published tuition measures sticker price relative to private for-profit and geographic peers; it does not equal what undergraduates typically pay after aid.

Limitation Sticker comparisons omit room, board, and institutional aid; average net price and income-band net prices are the stronger signals of typical family cost.

Evidence: published tuition at Lionel University versus school-type, state, locale, and U.S. medians.

Evidence: average net price at Lionel University versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.

Average net price

What undergraduates typically pay

Finding Average net price at Lionel University is $29,453.

Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $29,453 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $21,110 above the California median net price. Versus rural campuses, net price runs $10,753 above the locale median.

Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.

Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.

Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.

Key takeaway At Lionel University, average net price exceeds published tuition alone because net price uses a fuller cost-of-attendance base.

School guide

Lionel University: research record

Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Lionel University—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.

Research findings

Interpretation

High completion indicates students finish programs at scale; it does not alone measure instructional quality or labor-market fit.

Financial profile

Annual tuition

$15,265

Avg. net price

$29,453

Net price by family income

Income bracketAvg. annual net price
$0–$30,000$29,817
$30,001–$48,000$27,635

Sticker tuition × four years (estimate, no room/board): $61,060. See cost investigation.

Student outcomes

First-year retention75.0%

Share of first-year students returning the following fall.

Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.

Is Lionel University a good school?

Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.

Lionel University is a good school for those looking for high program completion rates.

EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.

Campus snapshot

More from the data

Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Lionel University.

Campus

Location

Carpinteria, CA

City / state

ZIP
93013-2912
NCES locale
Rural distant

Compared with Rural campuses nationally, net price is 58% above the median for Rural campuses ($18,700 median).

Control

Institution type

Private For-profit

Control

Region
Far West
Carnegie
Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges

Size

Enrollment

370

Total enrollment

Undergraduate
524
Graduate
33
Full-time share
71%

Student aid

Debt & aid

$12,668

Median federal loan debt

Pell grant share
44.69%
Cost detail

Total Cost, Aid & Default

Total Cost of Attendance

$117,812Estimated 4-year total cost
$29,453Average annual net price (after aid)
$61,0604-year tuition
$19,431Room & board (annual, on-campus estimate)
$34,696Estimated annual sticker (tuition + room/board + books)
$138,784Estimated 4-year sticker (before aid)

Tuition vs average net price after aid for Lionel University.

Financial Aid by Income Level

44.69% Undergraduates receiving aid through grants
66.37% Undergraduates receiving aid through loans

Financial aid distribution by income level.

Student Loan Default Rate

0.00% 3-year cohort default rate (College Scorecard)

The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Lionel University was 0.00%.

Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.

Multi-year tracker

Tuition tracker

Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Lionel University in that year.

Reporting years in the table below: 20152023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).

Year In-state tuition & fees Out-of-state tuition & fees Average net price
2015$8,528$8,528
2020$10,107$10,107$17,176
2021$10,107$10,107$13,213
2022$15,288$15,288$23,512
2023$15,288$15,288$29,539

Sticker tuition and net price over time

Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.

College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).

Net price by family income

Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).

Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.

Access

How difficult is it to get in?

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.

Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.

Test Scores

Test score data is not available for this institution.

Score distribution is not available for this institution.

Academic Requirements

GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.

Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.

Student body

Enrollment & Student Demographics

Lionel University reported total enrollment of about 370 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 68% male and 32% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes White (46.2%), Black or African American (29.7%), and Hispanic or Latino (13.2%). About 44.69% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 47.1% of students are first-generation college students.

Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

70.8% Full-Time Enrollment

The total enrollment at Lionel University in 2024 is 370 students.

Undergraduate enrollment is about 524 students. Graduate enrollment is about 33 students.

Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.

Retention Rate over Time

75.0%
2024 Retention Rate

Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.

Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.

Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

46.2%White or Caucasian
9Reported race/ethnicity groups

Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.

  • White or Caucasian46.2%
  • Black or African American29.7%
  • Hispanic or Latino13.2%
  • Two or More Races4.0%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native3.5%
  • Asian1.4%
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander1.1%
  • Race/ethnicity unknown0.5%
  • Non-Resident Alien0.3%

College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).

Outcomes

Do students complete their programs?

Time to Complete

5.48% 100% Completion Time

67.12% 150% Completion Time

In 2024, 5.48% of students graduating from Lionel University completed their program within 100% "normal time".

Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.

Completions by Sex (Top Programs)

  • Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology: 78% male / 22% female
  • Physical Fitness Technician: 76% male / 24% female
  • Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General: 89% male / 11% female

IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).

Completions by Race & Ethnicity

58White or Caucasian
7Reported groups

Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.

  • White or Caucasian58
  • Black or African American26
  • Hispanic or Latino19
  • Two or More Races7
  • American Indian or Alaska Native2
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander1
  • Asian0

Summed across program completion records in our extract.

Outcomes & academic profile

What do Lionel University graduates earn—and in which programs?

Source College ScorecardMethod Earnings + debt + net price modelsUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Institution-wideConfidence Federal extract

Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Lionel University.

Evidence Median federal loan debt: $12,668. Average net price used in cost models: $29,453.

Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.

Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.

Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.

Return on Investment

$12,668Median student debt

Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Lionel University.

Top Programs by Completions

Largest 4 programs by IPEDS completions (5 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).

IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Lionel University.

Employment Outcomes

Employment outcome data is not available for this institution.

Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Lionel University graduates.

Institutional resources

Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Lionel University—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.

Instructional Resources

  • Full-time faculty share: 25.8%
    • California median 13.5 pp below median (39.3%)
    • Far West median 19.9 pp below median (45.7%)
    • U.S. median 32.1 pp below median (58.0%)
  • Average faculty salary (monthly): $5,000
    • California median 0.49× the median ($10,166)
    • Far West median 0.52× the median ($9,635)
    • U.S. median 0.66× the median ($7,615)
  • Instructional expenditure per FTE: $1,870
    • California median 0.29× the median ($6,474)
    • Far West median 0.27× the median ($7,030)
    • U.S. median 0.26× the median ($7,288)

Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.

Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.

Lionel University at a glance

Institution snapshot

Lionel University

Carpinteria, CA 93013-2912 · Private For-profit · Far West

Lionel University is a private for-profit institution in Carpinteria, CA, classified as Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges.

Tuition$15,265
Avg. net price$29,453
Enrollment370
Completion (150%)67.12%
Pell Grant share44.69%
First-generation47.1%
Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
Exercise Physiology and KinesiologyPhysical Fitness TechnicianSports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General
Largest enrollment groups
White or Caucasian46.2%
Black or African American29.7%
Hispanic or Latino13.2%
Nearby

Schools near Lionel University

Other campuses in Carpinteria, CA when available, plus nearby institutions in California.

Peers

Similar schools

Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade C) within California, then by similar ownership and admissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lionel University located?

Lionel University is located in Carpinteria, CA.

What is Lionel University's tuition?

Lionel University tuition (published undergraduate sticker price) is $15,265 in the latest College Scorecard data. Average net price after grant aid is $29,453 for undergraduates receiving Title IV aid.

How much does Lionel University cost?

Reported tuition is $15,265 and average net price is $29,453 in the latest College Scorecard data. On-campus room and board is estimated at $19,431 annually.

What is the student body demographics at Lionel University?

Lionel University reports undergraduate enrollment of about 524 students, White (46.2%), Black or African American (29.7%) in federal College Scorecard data.

How many first-generation students attend Lionel University?

About 47.1% of students at Lionel University are first-generation college students.

What is the graduation rate at Lionel University?

The 150%-time completion rate is 67.1% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.

How much debt do Lionel University students have?

Median federal loan debt among completers is $12,668.

Is Lionel University public or private?

Lionel University is a private for-profit institution located in Carpinteria, CA.

Is Lionel University an HBCU?

No. Lionel University is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.

Is Lionel University a tribal college?

No. Lionel University is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.

Is Lionel University a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?

Using a 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold on College Scorecard demographics, Lionel University does not meet that proxy (reported share 13.2%).

Is Lionel University religiously affiliated?

No religious affiliation is reported for Lionel University in IPEDS institutional characteristics.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology & Data Scope

This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.

Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.