Public · University

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio · Large city

91.3%
Admit rate
$14,764
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$52,131
Median earnings

Cleveland State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cleveland, Ohio (large city setting), enrolling 8,969 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 8,969 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Cleveland was established on July 22, 1796, by surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company when they laid out Connecticut's Western Reserve into townships and a capital city. Cleveland's Playhouse Square is the second largest performing arts center in the U.S. behind New York City's Lincoln Center. It includes the State, Palace, Allen, Hanna, and Ohio theaters. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Cleveland, OH
To Great Lakes shore
1 mile
Nearest airport
11 miles to Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) · major hub

How Cleveland State University compares

Selectivity91.3%

More selective than 21% · #54 most selective of 65 in Ohio

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 41% · #45 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention70%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,131

Higher than 45% · #38 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$14,764

Cheaper than 74% · #16 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$21,797

Lower than 61%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment8,969

Larger than 87%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

13,561students
  • Undergraduate8,96966%
  • Graduate4,59234%

Undergraduates by gender

8,969undergrads
  • Women5,28559%
  • Men3,68441%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White56%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic9.5%
  • Asian4.0%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,969
Graduate enrollment
4,592
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
41%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
19%
Median family income
$33,556
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$85,320
Endowment
$117,821,388

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

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
$12,988
Out-of-state tuition
$18,510
Room & board
$15,104
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$27,159
Average net price
$14,764

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)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
34%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,625
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,131
Median debt at graduation
$21,797
Students with federal loans
74%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
41%

About 17% 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
34%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
48%

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
2,202
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
25%
Housing charge (year)
$10,025
Meal plan (year)
$4,760
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
388 (194 men · 194 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 (11)

Soccer61
Swimming and Diving (combined)61
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)60
Lacrosse51
Wrestling38
Basketball28
Fencing23
Softball18
Tennis17
Volleyball17
Golf14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
30
Property offenses (2022–2024)
105

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (14,074 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.

45reported offenses a year
10 violent a year35 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
22
Burglary
12
Fondling
3.7
Rape
3.3
Robbery
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.3
Arson
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
$11,958
$30–48k
$13,561
$48–75k
$14,727
$75–110k
$15,690
$110k+
$20,378

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
$66,317

$14,727/year × about 4.5 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.

76%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,016
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 76% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,016. 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 1,701 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)
$52,131
Typical debt at graduation
$21,797
Debt vs. one year's pay
42%
Out-earn a HS grad
62%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 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
$48,664
Men
$58,471

Men out-earn women by $9,807 (20%) 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
81°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
33.3″
Annual snow
63.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cleveland Burke AP, OH US station (1.2 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 Cleveland State University

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

Colleges near Cleveland State 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.