More selective than 24% of California colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $18,403. College Scorecard.
Higher than 32% of California colleges we cover and 48% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 38% of California colleges we cover and 68% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
California State University-Los Angeles acceptance rate & admissions
Of 32,748 applicants, California State University-Los Angeles admitted 30,106 and 3,614 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
California State University-Los Angeles tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for California residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. At University of California and California State University campuses, the Middle Class Scholarship can also help families with income and assets up to $250,000 (2026-27, dependent students). Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission
California State University-Los Angeles majors, earnings & careers
California State University-Los Angeles offers 60 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 11
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Science & Math · 9
- Engineering · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Business & Finance · 2
- Education · 2
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at California State University-Los Angeles
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $116,182 | $18,964 |
| Electrical Engineering | $96,014 | $14,676 |
| Civil Engineering | $94,760 | $18,767 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $93,028 | $13,000 |
| Computer Science | $87,525 | $15,321 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $86,970 | $15,883 |
| Mathematics | $70,677 | $13,053 |
| Air Transportation | $70,508 | $15,132 |
Quick list of all 60 majors
- Air Transportation$70,508
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry$67,441
- Biology$53,908
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$39,867
- Business Administration$62,716
- Chemistry$51,747
- Civil Engineering$94,760
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences$69,022
- Computer Science$87,525
- Criminal Justice$54,695
- Dietetics—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$54,998
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$50,444
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering$96,014
- Engineering—
- English$52,259
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$55,970
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Fire Protection—
- Food Science and Technology—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Graphic Communications—
- Health Sciences—
- History$55,413
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians$86,970
- Information Science / Studies—
- Intercultural / Multicultural and Diversity Studies—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$44,930
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$59,904
- Mathematics$70,677
- Mechanical Engineering$93,028
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$65,366
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$39,120
- Natural Sciences—
- Nursing$116,182
- Nutrition Science$52,797
- Philosophy$53,127
- Physics—
- Political Science$56,063
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)$46,060
- Public Health$56,466
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences$57,695
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work$59,545
- Sociology$50,249
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$35,591
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$53,857
- Studio Art$40,783
- Theatre$35,097
- Writing$51,414
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Los Angeles
Overall prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,964. Housing costs 70% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 14 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); wildfire (very high); river flooding (very high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Los Angeles County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Los Angeles County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare California State University-Los Angeles with similar schools
Similar public colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University-Los Angeles | 91% | $3,967 | 53% | $59,211 | This school |
| San Francisco State University | 96% | $12,278 | 50% | $68,077 | |
| California State University-Fresno | 95% | $7,000 | 57% | $61,244 | |
| California State University-San Bernardino | 94% | $4,564 | 55% | $59,977 | |
| California State University-San Marcos | 95% | $10,229 | 55% | $62,908 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
California State University-Los Angeles would cost you $8,311 less per year than San Francisco State University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at California State University-Los Angeles, mostly from more California State University-Los Angeles students living at home, which lowers its average (−$10,790).
- California State University-Los Angeles gives aided families $226 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, California resident | California State University-Los Angeles | San Francisco State University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $7,160 | $7,950 | −$790 |
| Books & supplies | $1,011 | $1,099 | −$88 |
| Housing & meals | $18,658 | $17,955 | +$703 |
| Personal & travel | $6,858 | $3,978 | +$2,880 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$15,284 | −$4,494 | −$10,790 |
| Sticker price | $18,403 | $26,488 | −$8,085 |
| Average grants | −$14,436 | −$14,210 | −$226 |
| You pay | $3,967 | $12,278 | −$8,311 |
“+” means California State University-Los Angeles costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about California State University-Los Angeles
What is the California State University-Los Angeles acceptance rate?
California State University-Los Angeles accepts 91% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 30,106 of 32,748 applicants were admitted.
How much does California State University-Los Angeles cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $18,403 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $3,967 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $2,877 and families earning $110k+ pay $13,578.
How much do California State University-Los Angeles graduates earn?
Former California State University-Los Angeles students earn a median $59,211 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the California State University-Los Angeles graduation rate?
53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 72% return for their second year.
Is California State University-Los Angeles the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing California State University-Los Angeles with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “California State University-Los Angeles: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/california-state-university-los-angeles (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).