California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, California · Also known as CSUMB · Website
$59,247
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$59,247
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California State University-Monterey Bay is a public 4-year college in Seaside, California with 6,819 undergraduates and 806 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $13,663 a year (tuition and fees $7,779 in-state, $20,379 out-of-state). It admits 97% of applicants and 59% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $59,247 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $12,750 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$13,663
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$7,779
Out-of-state $20,379
Admission rate
97%
US median 78%
Completion rate
59%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$12,750
About $135 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$59,247
Rank 835 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
- $13,663
- Tuition in-state
- $7,779
- Tuition out-of-state
- $20,379
- Cost of attendance
- $26,987
- Students with a need-based grant
- 43%
- Students with federal loans
- 28%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,970
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,981
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,440
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $16,281
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $22,818
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 $6,119 in 2015-16 to $7,779 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
- 97%
- Undergraduates
- 6,819
- Graduate students
- 806
- Part-time students
- 11%
- Women
- 59%
- Students per teacher
- 24
- Completion rate
- 59%
- Retention rate
- 80%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 41
- Endowment
- $43.5M
- 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 835 of 5,094 US colleges and 117 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $13,663 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $7,779 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 97% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 59% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 80% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $12,750 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $48,648 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $59,247 | $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. 66% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 74% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
41 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 293 | $11,000 | $29,168 | $54,074 | $50,706 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 250 | $13,322 | $30,413 | $59,017 | $53,072 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 241 | $13,000 | $47,825 | $72,558 | $68,257 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 207 | $16,022 | $71,458 | $101,787 | $107,009 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 133 | $19,000 | $35,312 | $55,654 | $57,214 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 132 | $12,795 | $29,929 | $47,736 | $54,562 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 109 | $11,000 | $34,678 | $57,200 | $53,366 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 92 | $41,069 | $87,863 | $115,179 | $103,485 |
| Human Services, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 90 | $13,750 | $37,501 | $56,719 | $48,597 |
| Marine SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 84 | $17,149 | $27,268 | $59,782 | $52,667 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $11,000 | $34,089 | $51,118 | $48,568 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 68 | $16,500 | $30,712 | $51,598 | $55,012 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 59 | $5,500 | $117,088 | $134,489 | $88,910 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 55 | $16,750 | $68,140 | $80,296 | $65,824 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $15,250 | $24,496 | $39,954 | $50,497 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 51 | $25,500 | $71,186 | $95,950 | $65,123 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $13,902 | $30,378 | $48,639 | $51,490 |
| Educational/Instructional Media DesignMaster's | Master's | 28 | $14,540 | $89,180 | $104,220 | $70,644 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $16,500 | Withheld | $62,943 | $69,562 |
| Plant SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 27 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 25 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $14,895 | Withheld | $34,006 | $41,367 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchMaster's | Master's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $74,607 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | $39,824 | $55,000 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 18 | Withheld | $84,012 | Withheld | $65,184 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Seaside 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-Monterey Bay cost?
$13,663 a year is the average net price at California State University-Monterey Bay after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $7,779 for in-state students and $20,379 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,987. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,970 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-Monterey Bay?
97% of applicants are admitted to California State University-Monterey Bay. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California State University-Monterey Bay graduates earn?
$59,247 a year is the median pay of former California State University-Monterey Bay students who work, 10 years after they started ($48,648 after 6 years). That ranks 835 of 5,094 US colleges and 117 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $117,088.
How much student debt do California State University-Monterey Bay graduates have?
$12,750 is the median federal student loan debt of California State University-Monterey Bay graduates, about $135 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 28% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California State University-Monterey Bay?
59% of first-time, full-time students at California State University-Monterey Bay finish within 6 years. 80% 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-Monterey Bay?
Psychology, General (293 bachelor's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (250 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (241 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 41 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.