California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California · Also known as Cal State LA · Website
$59,211
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$59,211
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California State University-Los Angeles is a public 4-year college in Los Angeles, California with 19,562 undergraduates and 3,577 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $3,967 a year (tuition and fees $7,160 in-state, $19,760 out-of-state). It admits 91% of applicants and 53% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $59,211 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $13,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$3,967
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$7,160
Out-of-state $19,760
Admission rate
91%
US median 78%
Completion rate
53%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$13,000
About $138 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$59,211
Rank 839 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
- $3,967
- Tuition in-state
- $7,160
- Tuition out-of-state
- $19,760
- Cost of attendance
- $18,403
- Students with a need-based grant
- 66%
- Students with federal loans
- 18%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $2,877
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $2,974
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $5,002
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $7,355
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $13,578
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 $6,355 in 2015-16 to $7,160 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
- 19,562
- Graduate students
- 3,577
- Part-time students
- 18%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 21
- Completion rate
- 53%
- Retention rate
- 72%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 154
- Endowment
- $62.5M
- 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 839 of 5,094 US colleges and 118 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $3,967 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $7,160 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 91% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 53% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 72% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $13,000 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $45,702 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $59,211 | $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. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 71% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
154 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 | 896 | $13,000 | $42,062 | $62,716 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 412 | $20,600 | $37,567 | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 402 | $11,000 | $31,366 | $50,444 | $47,382 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 394 | $12,177 | $34,092 | $50,249 | $52,657 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 367 | $11,000 | $32,974 | $54,695 | $55,378 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 279 | $11,000 | $37,477 | $59,545 | $51,790 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 274 | $14,108 | $28,687 | $44,930 | $54,562 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 188 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 171 | $16,000 | $22,133 | $39,867 | $50,497 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 170 | $14,429 | $44,530 | $87,525 | $107,009 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 162 | $12,457 | $40,750 | $56,466 | $58,808 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 158 | $18,500 | $24,538 | $40,783 | $41,367 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 147 | $12,500 | $98,811 | $116,182 | $88,910 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 139 | $14,971 | $30,824 | $59,904 | $53,072 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 132 | $11,900 | $28,702 | $53,857 | $58,928 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 130 | $34,322 | $90,686 | $126,611 | $103,485 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 126 | $12,500 | $55,405 | $93,028 | $92,135 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 124 | $29,958 | $64,869 | $78,135 | $65,123 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 123 | $12,460 | $33,304 | $53,908 | $57,214 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 108 | $9,895 | $29,818 | $56,063 | $63,293 |
| Special Education and TeachingMaster's | Master's | 95 | $20,500 | $83,983 | $104,208 | $64,397 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $14,500 | $23,858 | $52,259 | $48,590 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 88 | $13,200 | $45,355 | $69,022 | $92,374 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 82 | $40,301 | $67,075 | $88,659 | $60,111 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $16,500 | $73,178 | $94,760 | $86,517 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Los Angeles 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-Los Angeles cost?
$3,967 a year is the average net price at California State University-Los Angeles after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $7,160 for in-state students and $19,760 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $18,403. Families earning under $30,000 pay $2,877 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-Los Angeles?
91% of applicants are admitted to California State University-Los Angeles. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California State University-Los Angeles graduates earn?
$59,211 a year is the median pay of former California State University-Los Angeles students who work, 10 years after they started ($45,702 after 6 years). That ranks 839 of 5,094 US colleges and 118 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 $145,897.
How much student debt do California State University-Los Angeles graduates have?
$13,000 is the median federal student loan debt of California State University-Los Angeles graduates, about $138 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 18% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California State University-Los Angeles?
53% of first-time, full-time students at California State University-Los Angeles finish within 6 years. 72% 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-Los Angeles?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (896 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (412 bachelor's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (402 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 154 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.