College · Private nonprofit · Thousand Oaks, CA · City
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, CA
Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
Admit rate76%
6-yr median pay$55k
Net price / yr$30k
Undergrad size2,296
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $30k/yr for a shot at a $55k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 76% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1266 · ACT 26.
If you get in
2,296 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $68k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $30k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$274k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$120k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$153k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.2x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $52.6k
- Room & board
- $16.8k
- Books & supplies
- $934
How students pay for it.
Pell grants31%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans50%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention80%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr70%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$55k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$69k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out27%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 2,296
- Location
- Thousand Oaks, CA
- Region
- Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Identity
Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- Hispanic41%
- White36%
- Two or more races6%
- Asian6%
- Black4%
- International4%
- Unknown2%
First-gen students35%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time2%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$57k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 42
What you can study.