California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California · Website
$68,712
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$68,712
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California Lutheran University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Thousand Oaks, California with 2,296 undergraduates and 1,054 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $30,109 a year (tuition and fees $52,560). It admits 76% of applicants and 70% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $68,712 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,669 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$30,109
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$52,560
US median $11,837
Admission rate
76%
US median 78%
Completion rate
70%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,669
About $230 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$68,712
Rank 417 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $30,109
- Tuition and fees
- $52,560
- Cost of attendance
- $68,426
- Students with a need-based grant
- 31%
- Students with federal loans
- 50%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $22,161
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $23,668
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $24,318
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $29,303
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $38,364
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $38,430 in 2015-16 to $52,560 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 76%
- Average SAT
- 1,266
- SAT reading, middle
- 595
- SAT math, middle
- 595
- ACT, middle
- 26
- Undergraduates
- 2,296
- Graduate students
- 1,054
- Part-time students
- 2.1%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 70%
- Retention rate
- 79%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 78
- Endowment
- $145.0M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving, Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 417 of 5,094 US colleges and 68 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $30,109 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $52,560 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 76% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 70% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 79% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,669 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $54,981 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $68,712 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 71% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 78% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
78 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 147 | $23,000 | $55,234 | $76,916 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 100 | $23,000 | $30,918 | $59,153 | $50,706 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 82 | $41,000 | $107,188 | $150,979 | $103,485 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 78 | $51,250 | $61,749 | $82,204 | $60,111 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | $24,000 | $33,818 | $59,820 | $54,562 |
| CriminologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 52 | $18,250 | $31,963 | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $22,587 | $32,894 | $64,939 | $57,214 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $20,802 | $37,249 | $61,653 | $56,359 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 41 | $44,500 | $50,691 | $68,901 | $59,571 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 40 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $19,750 | $36,061 | $60,243 | $63,293 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesMaster's | Master's | 31 | Withheld | $80,356 | $101,050 | $110,694 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $22,078 | $72,696 | $89,573 | $76,194 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 26 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $21,750 | $68,398 | $77,030 | $107,009 |
| Special Education and TeachingMaster's | Master's | 25 | $14,600 | $68,342 | $81,041 | $64,397 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $20,000 | $34,989 | $60,806 | $53,072 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $25,990 | $20,650 | $32,316 | $42,892 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 20 | $26,486 | $74,480 | $95,459 | $71,685 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | $67,998 | $52,657 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $24,728 | $57,276 | $83,310 | $86,176 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Thousand Oaks and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does California Lutheran University cost?
$30,109 a year is the average net price at California Lutheran University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $52,560, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $68,426. Families earning under $30,000 pay $22,161 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California Lutheran University?
76% of applicants are admitted to California Lutheran University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,266 and the middle ACT score is 26. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California Lutheran University graduates earn?
$68,712 a year is the median pay of former California Lutheran University students who work, 10 years after they started ($54,981 after 6 years). That ranks 417 of 5,094 US colleges and 68 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's) at $107,188.
How much student debt do California Lutheran University graduates have?
$21,669 is the median federal student loan debt of California Lutheran University graduates, about $230 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 50% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California Lutheran University?
70% of first-time, full-time students at California Lutheran University finish within 6 years. 79% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at California Lutheran University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (147 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (100 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (82 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 78 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.