Soka University of America

Soka University of America is a small liberal arts university on a 103-acre hilltop campus in Aliso Viejo, California, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Two things make it unusual. More than half of its roughly 480 undergraduates are international, from over 40 countries, which is a very high proportion for a US college. And from the 2026-2027 academic year it operates an income-banded tuition model: families earning under USD 90,000 have full tuition covered, USD 90,000-250,000 at least half, and USD 250,001-300,000 a quarter. Soka states plainly that funds it provides 'are available to any domestic, international, and dreamer students who qualify'. Every undergraduate lives on campus for four years and completes a semester abroad included in tuition. Founded on Buddhist principles, Soka states its education is non-sectarian and open to students of all backgrounds and beliefs.