Public · University

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, California · Large city

46.3%
Admit rate
$10,440
Avg net price
69%
Graduation rate
$64,403
Median earnings

California State University-Long Beach is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Long Beach, California (large city setting), enrolling 35,924 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 35,924 undergradsLarge citySelective · 46% admitNCAA Division I without footballNear the coast

About Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. By the 16th-century arrival of Spanish explorers, the dominant group was the Tongva, who had established at least three major settlements within the present-day city. The Long Beach Museum of Art, sited in the historic Elizabeth Milbank Anderson residence, is owned by the City of Long Beach, and operated by the Long Beach Museum of Art Foundation. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Long Beach (LGB) · major hub

How California State University-Long Beach compares

Selectivity46.3%

More selective than 86% · #31 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate69%

Higher than 77% · #48 of 122 in California

First-year retention87%

Higher than 80%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$64,403

Higher than 77% · #67 of 130 in California

Average net price$10,440

Cheaper than 89% · #16 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$14,289

Lower than 92%

Student–faculty ratio23 : 1

Lower than 5%

Undergraduate enrollment35,924

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare California State University-Long Beach 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

41,845students
  • Undergraduate35,92486%
  • Graduate5,92114%

Undergraduates by gender

35,924undergrads
  • Women21,20259%
  • Men14,72241%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White14%
  • Black4.0%
  • Hispanic52%
  • Asian20%
  • Other or multiracial9.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
35,924
Graduate enrollment
5,921
Student–faculty ratio
23 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
50%
First-generation students
49%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$26,465
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$110,484
Endowment
$132,855,011

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 5,756 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California97%
  • Other U.S. states1.2%
  • International1.8%

Most first-years stay in state — California State University-Long Beach draws overwhelmingly from California.

2% 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
46.3%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,350
Out-of-state tuition
$19,950
Room & board
$15,612
Books & supplies
$1,562
Total cost of attendance
$22,679
Average net price
$10,440

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)
69%
Graduated on time (4 years)
38%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$50,062
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$64,403
Median debt at graduation
$14,289
Students with federal loans
24%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
66%

About 31% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
38%
Low-income (Pell)
72%
First-generation
71%

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
3,216
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
9%
Housing charge (year)
$9,160
Meal plan (year)
$4,934
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
451 (197 men · 254 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)172
Water Polo53
Volleyball50
Baseball40
Basketball37
Softball26
Soccer24
Beach Volleyball24
Golf18
Tennis7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
21
Property offenses (2022–2024)
91

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (42,003 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.

37reported offenses a year
7.0 violent a year30 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
22
Burglary
7.3
Rape
3.0
Fondling
2.0
Robbery
1.3
Arson
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7

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
$7,183
$30–48k
$7,831
$48–75k
$9,705
$75–110k
$12,630
$110k+
$19,750

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
$45,351

$9,705/year × about 4.7 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.

50%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,482
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 50% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,482. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 5,260 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)
$64,403
Typical debt at graduation
$14,289
Debt vs. one year's pay
22%
Out-earn a HS grad
65%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$61,506
Men
$69,784

Men out-earn women by $8,278 (13%) 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
83°F
Winter low
47°F
Annual rain
12″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.53.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Long Beach Daugherty Fld, CA US station (2.8 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 State University-Long Beach

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

Colleges near California State University-Long Beach

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.