Colleges / California State University-Los Angeles
College · Public · Los Angeles, CA · City
CSU

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

Hispanic-serving
Address5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032-8506
Websitewww.calstatela.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate91%
6-yr median pay$46k
Net price / yr$4k
Undergrad size19,562
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $4k/yr for a shot at a $46k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 91% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.

If you get in

19,562 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $18k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $4k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$74k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$16k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$58k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$7.2k
Tuition · out-of-state
$19.8k
Room & board
$19.7k
Books & supplies
$1,054

How students pay for it.

Pell grants66%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans18%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$13k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention72%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr53%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$46k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$59k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out2%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
19,562
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Region
Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
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 State LA
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Hispanic78%
  • Asian10%
  • Black4%
  • White4%
  • Unknown2%
  • Two or more races2%
  • International1%
First-gen students62%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time18%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$22k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 60

What you can study.

Colleges / California State University-Los Angeles
College · Public · Los Angeles, CA · City
CSU

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

Hispanic-serving
Address5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032-8506
Websitewww.calstatela.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate91%
6-yr median pay$46k
Net price / yr$4k
Undergrad size19,562
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $4k/yr for a shot at a $46k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 91% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.

If you get in

19,562 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $18k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $4k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$74k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$16k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$58k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$7.2k
Tuition · out-of-state
$19.8k
Room & board
$19.7k
Books & supplies
$1,054

How students pay for it.

Pell grants66%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans18%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$13k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention72%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr53%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$46k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$59k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out2%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
19,562
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Region
Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
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 State LA
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Hispanic78%
  • Asian10%
  • Black4%
  • White4%
  • Unknown2%
  • Two or more races2%
  • International1%
First-gen students62%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time18%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$22k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 60

What you can study.