Public · University

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California · Large city

#2 best value in California
91.3%
Admit rate
$3,967
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$59,211
Median earnings

California State University-Los Angeles is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Los Angeles, California (large city setting), enrolling 19,562 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 19,562 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

About Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. The historic center of Tongva power in the region was the settlement of Yaanga (Tongva: Iyáangẚ), meaning "place of the poison oak", which would eventually be the site where the Spanish founded the Pueblo de Los Ángeles. Iyáangẚ has also been translated as "the valley of smoke". Los Angeles is often billed as the creative capital of the world because one in every six of its residents works in a creative industry and there are more artists, writers, filmmakers, actors, dancers and musicians living and working in Los Angeles than any other city at any other time in world history. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
18 miles
Nearest airport
14 miles to Jack Northrop Field Hawthorne (HHR)

How California State University-Los Angeles compares

View 117 more ranking appearances
#7 · Colleges Admitting at Least 50% of Applicants with the Lowest Net Price #28 · Colleges Admitting at Least 50% of Applicants with the Lowest Student Debt #29 · Colleges Admitting at Least 50% of Applicants with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #2 · Colleges Admitting at Least 75% of Applicants with the Lowest Net Price #10 · Colleges Admitting at Least 75% of Applicants with the Lowest Student Debt #11 · Colleges Admitting at Least 75% of Applicants with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #62 · Colleges with Average Net Price at or Below $15,000 with the Highest Former-Student Earnings #9 · Colleges with Average Net Price at or Below $15,000 with the Lowest Net Price #38 · Colleges with Average Net Price at or Below $15,000 with the Lowest Student Debt #40 · Colleges with Average Net Price at or Below $15,000 with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #82 · Hispanic-Serving Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings #100 · Hispanic-Serving Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates #8 · Hispanic-Serving Colleges with the Lowest Net Price #33 · Hispanic-Serving Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt #31 · Hispanic-Serving Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #9 · Public Universities with the Lowest Net Price #31 · Public Universities with the Lowest Student Debt #43 · Public Universities with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #77 · Test-Blind Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings #2 · Test-Blind Colleges with the Lowest Net Price #23 · Test-Blind Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt #22 · Test-Blind Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #90 · Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #68 · Colleges with the Lowest In-State Tuition #55 · Colleges with the Lowest Cost of Attendance #98 · Colleges with the Lowest Share of Federal Loan Borrowers #1 · Colleges with the Most First-Generation Students #60 · Colleges with the Most Pell Grant Recipients #71 · College Campuses with the Least Annual Precipitation #34 · College Campuses with the Least Snowfall #37 · Cheapest Colleges for Families Earning $30,000–$48,000 #19 · Cheapest Colleges for Families Earning $48,000–$75,000 #7 · Cheapest Colleges for Families Earning $75,000–$110,000 #41 · Cheapest Colleges for Families Earning Over $110,000 #7 · Public Universities with the Highest Earnings Relative to Net Price #69 · Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings in California #1 · Colleges with the Lowest Net Price in California #70 · Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates in California #6 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt in California #74 · Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates in California #100 · Best Colleges in the West #1 · Colleges with the Lowest Net Price in the West #13 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt in the West #1 · Colleges with the Highest Earnings Relative to Net Price in the West #46 · Best Public Universities in the West #85 · Best Colleges on the West Coast #1 · Colleges with the Lowest Net Price on the West Coast #85 · Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates on the West Coast #89 · Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates on the West Coast #6 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt on the West Coast #1 · Colleges with the Highest Earnings Relative to Net Price on the West Coast #38 · Best Public Universities on the West Coast #86 · Best Colleges in the Pacific Region #1 · Colleges with the Lowest Net Price in the Pacific Region #87 · Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates in the Pacific Region #94 · Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates in the Pacific Region #7 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt in the Pacific Region #1 · Colleges with the Highest Earnings Relative to Net Price in the Pacific Region #38 · Best Public Universities in the Pacific Region #34 · Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings Near Los Angeles, CA #29 · Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings Near Riverside, CA #23 · Bachelor's Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #31 · Bachelor's Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #26 · Bachelor's Business Administration, Management and Operations Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #48 · Bachelor's Business Administration, Management and Operations Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #52 · Bachelor's Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #24 · Bachelor's Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #88 · Bachelor's Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #23 · Bachelor's Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #99 · Bachelor's Psychology, General Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #29 · Bachelor's Biology, General Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #41 · Bachelor's Biology, General Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #9 · Bachelor's Criminal Justice and Corrections Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #5 · Bachelor's Criminal Justice and Corrections Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #10 · Bachelor's Computer and Information Sciences, General Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #57 · Bachelor's Computer and Information Sciences, General Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #15 · Bachelor's Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #15 · Bachelor's Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #7 · Bachelor's Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #8 · Bachelor's Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #31 · Bachelor's Computer Science Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #48 · Bachelor's Computer Science Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #6 · Bachelor's Political Science and Government Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #22 · Bachelor's Political Science and Government Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #5 · Bachelor's Economics Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #7 · Bachelor's Mechanical Engineering Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #9 · Bachelor's Mechanical Engineering Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #66 · Bachelor's Fine and Studio Arts Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #89 · Bachelor's Fine and Studio Arts Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #13 · Bachelor's Sociology Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #19 · Bachelor's Sociology Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #28 · Bachelor's English Language and Literature, General Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #39 · Bachelor's English Language and Literature, General Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #22 · Bachelor's History Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #53 · Bachelor's History Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #17 · Bachelor's Mathematics Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #23 · Bachelor's Social Work Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #12 · Bachelor's Social Work Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #4 · Bachelor's Social Work Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #66 · Bachelor's Public Health Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #76 · Bachelor's Public Health Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #6 · Bachelor's Public Health Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #8 · Bachelor's Public Health Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #4 · Bachelor's Music Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #11 · Bachelor's Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #19 · Bachelor's Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #8 · Bachelor's Radio, Television, and Digital Communication Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #23 · Bachelor's Radio, Television, and Digital Communication Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #2 · Bachelor's Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #48 · Bachelor's Civil Engineering Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #17 · Bachelor's Civil Engineering Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #27 · Bachelor's Civil Engineering Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #20 · Bachelor's Civil Engineering Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #67 · Bachelor's Chemistry Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #5 · Bachelor's Chemistry Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #17 · Bachelor's Fire Protection Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #1 · Bachelor's Fire Protection Programs with the Lowest Student Debt
Selectivity91.3%

More selective than 21% · #77 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 46% · #86 of 122 in California

First-year retention72%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,211

Higher than 65% · #84 of 130 in California

Average net price$3,967

Cheaper than 99% · #2 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$13,000

Lower than 94%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 8%

Undergraduate enrollment19,562

Larger than 95%

Percentiles compare California State University-Los Angeles 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

23,139students
  • Undergraduate19,56285%
  • Graduate3,57715%

Undergraduates by gender

19,562undergrads
  • Women11,85161%
  • Men7,71139%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White3.7%
  • Black4.3%
  • Hispanic78%
  • Asian9.8%
  • Other or multiracial4.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
19,562
Graduate enrollment
3,577
Student–faculty ratio
21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
66%
First-generation students
62%
Students over 25
23%
Median family income
$22,032
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$114,210
Endowment
$62,522,647

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 3,614 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California99%
  • International0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — California State University-Los Angeles draws overwhelmingly from California.

1% 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
91.3%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
—
SAT average
—
SAT reading
—
SAT math
—
ACT composite
—

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,160
Out-of-state tuition
$19,760
Room & board
$19,696
Books & supplies
$1,054
Total cost of attendance
$18,403
Average net price
$3,967

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)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
25%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,702
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,211
Median debt at graduation
$13,000
Students with federal loans
18%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
52%

About 28% 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
25%
Low-income (Pell)
52%
First-generation
51%

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
2,483
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
13%
Housing charge (year)
$10,198
Meal plan (year)
$5,346
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
380 (185 men · 195 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 (Outdoor)76
Soccer73
Track and Field (Indoor)71
Baseball44
Basketball32
Cross Country25
Volleyball22
Beach Volleyball21
Golf8
Tennis8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
28
Property offenses (2022–2024)
94

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (23,163 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.

41reported offenses a year
9.3 violent a year31 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
19
Burglary
10
Fondling
3.0
Aggravated assault
2.3
Rape
2.0
Robbery
2.0
Arson
2.0

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
$2,877
$30–48k
$2,974
$48–75k
$5,002
$75–110k
$7,355
$110k+
$13,578

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
$23,912

$5,002/year × about 4.8 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.

80%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,146
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 80% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,146. 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 3,715 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)
$59,211
Typical debt at graduation
$13,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
22%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

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
$56,161
Men
$64,669

Men out-earn women by $8,508 (15%) 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
84°F
Winter low
48°F
Annual rain
14.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.83.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Los Angeles Dwtn Usc Campus, CA US station (4 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-Los Angeles

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

Colleges near California State University-Los Angeles

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.