California State University-Los Angeles (Cal State LA)
Public four-year university in Los Angeles, CA that costs an average of $2,385 a year after financial aid, admits 91% of applicants and graduates 55% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$2,385
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
55%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$62,555
PublicLarge city19,562 undergraduates
Cost of Cal State LA
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $17,767 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $7,530 |
| Tuition and fees, out-of-state | $20,850 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $20,526 |
| Books and supplies | $1,078 |
| Average net price after aid | $2,385 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $1,364 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $1,624 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $2,270 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $4,495 |
| $110,001+ | $13,082 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships (in-state students). Get your own estimate with Cal State LA's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 91% |
|---|---|
| Test scores | Neither required nor recommended |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 55% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 72% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $50,155 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $62,555 |
| Rank in California (earnings) | 87th of 129 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $14,576 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $166 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 70% |
| Students with federal loans | 17% |
Majors and programs at Cal State LA
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (61)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 275 | $104,058 | $12,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 93 | $72,677 | $23,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 242 | $72,518 | $13,500 |
| Civil Engineering | 141 | $67,271 | $14,406 |
| Fire Protection | 77 | $61,998 | $15,000 |
| Computer Science | 354 | $58,344 | $12,875 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 189 | $50,535 | $10,000 |
| Air Transportation | 34 | $50,418 | — |
| Economics | 37 | $50,170 | — |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 75 | $48,926 | $11,004 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 1,768 | $46,508 | $13,528 |
| Mathematics | 56 | $46,274 | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 63 | $45,944 | $12,500 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 21 | $45,121 | — |
| Chemistry | 45 | $45,033 | — |
| Natural Sciences | 107 | $43,186 | $13,500 |
| Public Health | 323 | $42,080 | $15,248 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 53 | $40,497 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 176 | $40,051 | $12,500 |
| Social Work | 496 | $39,621 | $14,918 |
| Sociology | 713 | $39,332 | $12,500 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | — | $38,729 | $14,400 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 99 | $38,571 | $20,750 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 752 | $38,491 | $11,000 |
| Biology | 295 | $37,457 | $15,000 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 250 | $37,056 | $15,713 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 282 | $36,926 | $12,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 760 | $36,338 | $12,500 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 52 | $32,691 | — |
| Anthropology | 54 | $32,391 | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 63 | $31,881 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 506 | $31,396 | $12,531 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 94 | $31,223 | $12,500 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | — | $31,203 | $9,623 |
| History | 109 | $29,179 | $12,734 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 319 | $29,031 | $12,500 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 338 | $28,332 | $15,000 |
| English Language and Literature | 186 | $27,980 | $17,982 |
| Music | 72 | $27,448 | $22,016 |
| Area Studies | 7 | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | — | — | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 349 | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | — | — | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 9 | — | — |
| Engineering | — | — | — |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 10 | — | — |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | — | — | — |
| Food Science and Technology | 12 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 22 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 12 | — | — |
| Graphic Communications | 25 | — | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences | 1 | — | — |
| Information Science/Studies | — | — | — |
| Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies | — | — | — |
| Journalism | 21 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | — | — | — |
| Philosophy | 28 | — | — |
| Physics | 11 | — | — |
| Psychology | 832 | — | $15,000 |
| Social Sciences | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 24 | — | — |
Certificate programs (3)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | — | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | — | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | — | — | — |
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs (8)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology | — | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | — | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | — | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | — | — | $12,500 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | — | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | — | — | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | — | — | — |
Master's degree programs (58)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 101 | $127,145 | $27,982 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 35 | $99,093 | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 43 | $94,622 | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 158 | $89,011 | $20,500 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 47 | $85,769 | $41,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 262 | $85,370 | $36,858 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 57 | $79,969 | $40,747 |
| Public Administration | 54 | $77,697 | $22,696 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 54 | $76,848 | $29,046 |
| Social Work | 284 | $73,466 | $26,024 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 167 | $73,140 | $36,500 |
| Music | 40 | $68,967 | — |
| Security Science and Technology | 36 | $66,343 | — |
| Curriculum and Instruction | — | $66,109 | $24,028 |
| Education | 88 | $64,548 | — |
| Public Health | 49 | $62,670 | $25,062 |
| Sociology | 35 | $59,061 | — |
| Anthropology | 13 | $51,666 | — |
| English Language and Literature | 27 | $50,204 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 43 | $41,984 | — |
| History | 29 | $39,272 | — |
| Area Studies | 33 | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | — | — | — |
| Biology | 25 | — | — |
| Biotechnology | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | 16 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 32 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 75 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 131 | — | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | — | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | — | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | — | — | — |
| Economics | 15 | — | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 45 | — | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 48 | — | — |
| Engineering | — | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 17 | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 17 | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 22 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 2 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 8 | — | — |
| Management Information Systems and Services | — | — | — |
| Materials Engineering | 11 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 20 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 3 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 25 | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 33 | — | — |
| Philosophy | 13 | — | — |
| Physics | 24 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 17 | — | — |
| Psychology | 29 | — | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 11 | — | — |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 27 | — | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 21 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 27 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 2 | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | 16 | — | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts | 22 | — | — |
Doctoral degree programs (3)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 33 | $96,577 | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | — | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 2 | — | — |
Professional degree programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 27 | — | — |
Graduate certificate programs (23)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | 1 | — | — |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | — | — | — |
| Biotechnology | 5 | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | — | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 3 | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 1 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | — | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | — | — | — |
| Education | 12 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 5 | — | — |
| Gerontology | — | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | — | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 1 | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | — | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 29 | — | — |
| Real Estate | 1 | — | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 13 | — | — |
| Social Work | — | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 3 | — | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 37 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 6 | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | — | — | — |
Similar colleges in California
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco State University | San Francisco | $9,803 | 96% | $73,299 |
| University of California-Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | $18,549 | 66% | $73,362 |
| California State University-Fresno | Fresno | $5,418 | 95% | $62,756 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | $18,832 | 31% | $96,304 |
| University of California-Riverside | Riverside | $12,672 | 76% | $72,974 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | $16,807 | 33% | $82,568 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Pomona | $9,404 | 75% | $77,464 |
| California State University-San Bernardino | San Bernardino | $3,946 | 94% | $61,951 |
About Cal State LA
| Type | Public four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | Los Angeles, CA |
| Setting | Large city |
| Undergraduates | 19,562 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 21 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission |
| Website | calstatela.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is Cal State LA's acceptance rate?
California State University-Los Angeles admits 91% of applicants.
How much does Cal State LA cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $17,767 a year (tuition and fees: $7,530 in-state, $20,850 out-of-state). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $2,385 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $1,364.
How much do Cal State LA graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $62,555 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 87th of 129 similar colleges in California. The best-paid bachelor's program is registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing ($104,058 a year after graduation).
What is Cal State LA's graduation rate?
55% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 72% of first-year students return for a second year.