California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, California · Also known as Cal State Fullerton · Website
$62,951
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$62,951
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California State University-Fullerton is a public 4-year college in Fullerton, California with 38,546 undergraduates and 4,902 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $6,555 a year (tuition and fees $7,470 in-state, $20,070 out-of-state). It admits 91% of applicants and 70% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $62,951 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $13,750 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$6,555
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$7,470
Out-of-state $20,070
Admission rate
91%
US median 78%
Completion rate
70%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$13,750
About $146 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$62,951
Rank 631 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
- $6,555
- Tuition in-state
- $7,470
- Tuition out-of-state
- $20,070
- Cost of attendance
- $18,269
- Students with a need-based grant
- 48%
- Students with federal loans
- 22%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $3,315
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $4,123
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $6,090
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $8,930
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $15,631
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 $6,437 in 2015-16 to $7,470 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
- 91%
- Undergraduates
- 38,546
- Graduate students
- 4,902
- Part-time students
- 18%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 26
- Completion rate
- 70%
- Retention rate
- 82%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 133
- Endowment
- $142.2M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
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 631 of 5,094 US colleges and 98 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $6,555 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $7,470 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 91% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 70% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 82% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $13,750 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $48,558 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $62,951 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 70% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 73% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
133 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 | 2,134 | $13,982 | $48,256 | $71,646 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 992 | $12,502 | $27,965 | $51,661 | $50,706 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 647 | $13,000 | $34,120 | $58,082 | $56,359 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 542 | $14,250 | $23,543 | $51,787 | $54,562 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 433 | $15,917 | $22,839 | $44,365 | $41,367 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 399 | $13,000 | $28,933 | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 371 | $13,750 | $57,307 | $87,460 | $107,009 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 367 | $13,399 | $34,714 | $50,922 | $52,657 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 361 | $12,489 | $34,909 | Withheld | $58,808 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 339 | $11,000 | $34,570 | $57,135 | $55,378 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 333 | $12,500 | $103,028 | $119,353 | $88,910 |
| Human Services, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 264 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 211 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 154 | $16,500 | $24,650 | $48,094 | $50,497 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 150 | $14,750 | $24,594 | $62,436 | $58,928 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 146 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 141 | $12,550 | $24,706 | $57,408 | $53,072 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 140 | $13,873 | $23,783 | $51,845 | $48,590 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 128 | $32,033 | $94,762 | $125,086 | $103,485 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 127 | $18,874 | $65,252 | $86,808 | $92,135 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 120 | $14,869 | $31,711 | $53,966 | $63,293 |
| Educational/Instructional Media DesignOnlineMaster's | Master's | 117 | $20,300 | $78,229 | $91,755 | $70,644 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 116 | $13,812 | $27,083 | $48,309 | $50,680 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 104 | $31,100 | $64,167 | $81,397 | $65,123 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 102 | Withheld | Withheld | $126,439 | $145,571 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Fullerton and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does California State University-Fullerton cost?
$6,555 a year is the average net price at California State University-Fullerton after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $7,470 for in-state students and $20,070 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $18,269. Families earning under $30,000 pay $3,315 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-Fullerton?
91% of applicants are admitted to California State University-Fullerton. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California State University-Fullerton graduates earn?
$62,951 a year is the median pay of former California State University-Fullerton students who work, 10 years after they started ($48,558 after 6 years). That ranks 631 of 5,094 US colleges and 98 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $193,133.
How much student debt do California State University-Fullerton graduates have?
$13,750 is the median federal student loan debt of California State University-Fullerton graduates, about $146 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 22% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California State University-Fullerton?
70% of first-time, full-time students at California State University-Fullerton finish within 6 years. 82% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at California State University-Fullerton?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (2,134 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (992 bachelor's graduates), Communication and Media Studies (647 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 133 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.