Private nonprofit · University

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, California · Midsize city

75.7%
Admit rate
$30,109
Avg net price
70%
Graduation rate
$68,712
Median earnings

California Lutheran University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Thousand Oaks, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,296 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,296 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 76% admitNCAA Division III with football · Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against California Lutheran University's admitted students.

Admit rate
75.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1150–1330
Avg GPA (est.)
3.57

Enter a test score to see where you land against California Lutheran University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and California Lutheran University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Thousand Oaks, California

Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. One of the earliest names used for the area was Conejo Mountain Valley, as used by the founder of Newbury Park, Egbert Starr Newbury, in the 1870s. During the 1920s, today's Thousand Oaks was home to 100 residents. Chumash Indian Museum on Lang Ranch Parkway has displays of Chumash artifacts and a reconstructed Chumash village. Another museum, the 1876 Stagecoach Inn, is located in Newbury Park and is a California Historical Landmark. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
13 miles
Nearest airport
30 miles to Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope (BUR) · major hub

How California Lutheran University compares

Selectivity75.7%

More selective than 53% · #54 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1266

Higher than 74%

Graduation rate70%

Higher than 77% · #45 of 122 in California

First-year retention79%

Higher than 59%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$68,712

Higher than 82% · #53 of 130 in California

Average net price$30,109

Cheaper than 16% · #74 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$21,669

Lower than 61%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment2,296

Larger than 61%

Percentiles compare California Lutheran University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,350students
  • Undergraduate2,29669%
  • Graduate1,05431%

Undergraduates by gender

2,296undergrads
  • Women1,41762%
  • Men87938%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White36%
  • Black4.5%
  • Hispanic41%
  • Asian5.5%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,296
Graduate enrollment
1,054
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$56,619
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$97,146
Endowment
$144,984,195

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 575 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California80%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International4.0%

Most first-years stay in state — California Lutheran University draws overwhelmingly from California.

4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
75.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1150–1330
SAT average
1266
SAT reading
590–670
SAT math
560–660
ACT composite
24–31
Average GPA (estimated)
3.57

Cost

In-state tuition
$52,560
Room & board
$16,810
Books & supplies
$934
Total cost of attendance
$68,426
Average net price
$30,109

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
70%
Graduated on time (4 years)
62%
First-year retention
79%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,981
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$68,712
Median debt at graduation
$21,669
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
62%
Low-income (Pell)
67%
First-generation
68%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,517
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
66%
Housing charge (year)
$8,740
Meal plan (year)
$7,470
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
615 (382 men · 233 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (13)

Football139
Soccer78
Track and Field (Outdoor)61
Water Polo47
Swimming46
Baseball44
Volleyball44
Basketball40
Softball27
Tennis27
Golf24
Cross Country23
Lacrosse15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (3,351 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

4.0reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Rape
1.3
Burglary
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$22,161
$30–48k
$23,668
$48–75k
$24,318
$75–110k
$29,303
$110k+
$38,364

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$101,197

$24,318/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$31,699
average award, among those who get one

California Lutheran University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $31,699. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 602 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$68,712
Typical debt at graduation
$21,669
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$67,170
Men
$71,091

Men out-earn women by $3,921 (6%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
80°F
Winter low
44°F
Annual rain
12″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.42.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Camarillo AP, CA US station (11.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to California Lutheran University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare California Lutheran University side by side →

Colleges near California Lutheran University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.