College · Public · Arcata, CA · Town
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata, CA
Hispanic-serving
Admit rate98%
6-yr median pay$37k
Net price / yr$13k
Undergrad size5,612
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $13k/yr for a shot at a $37k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 98% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.
If you get in
5,612 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Town setting — self-contained, social life mostly on campus.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $25k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $13k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$101k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$53k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$48k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $8.3k
- Tuition · out-of-state
- $20.9k
- Room & board
- $14.1k
- Books & supplies
- $870
How students pay for it.
Pell grants43%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans34%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$18k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $11k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention76%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr49%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$37k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$48k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out6%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Town
- Control
- Public
- Undergrad size
- 5,612
- Location
- Arcata, CA
- Region
- Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · primarily residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
- Also known as
- Cal Poly Humboldt
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White52%
- Hispanic29%
- Two or more races7%
- Unknown5%
- Asian3%
- Black3%
- American Indian / Alaska Native1%
First-gen students44%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time12%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$27k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 49
What you can study.