Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Arcata, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·humboldt.edu
6-yr Graduation
49%
-7.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
6,237
peer median 20,528
Avg net price
$13,167
+$2.6k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data SetDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt is a public university in Arcata, California. It is one of three polytechnic universities in the California State University (CSU) system and the northernmost campus in the system.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
15,725
15,725 candidates competed
Admitted
15,442
98.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
909
5.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
49%-7.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
26%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
49%
Full-time retention
76%

Pell equity

11.0pp gap
Pell recipients
43%
Non-Pell
54%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 80 Title IV programs, 33 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 45 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
80
Passing
33
41.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
2.5% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.5%
+1.9pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

80programs
  • Passing33 · 41.2%
  • No Data45 · 56.2%
  • Failing2 · 2.5%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
2
Watch
9
Safe
22
No data
45

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

35
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
-31.2%
$45,995 vs $66,899
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-3.5%
$34,812 vs $36,082
Zoology/Animal Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+6.7%
$38,495 vs $36,082
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+8.6%
$39,178 vs $36,082
Parks Recreation and Leisure Studies
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+12.4%
$40,566 vs $36,082
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+13.9%
$41,105 vs $36,082
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+14.9%
$41,464 vs $36,082
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+16.4%
$41,994 vs $36,082

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-3.5%
−$1,270

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

33
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
51%
$17,751 debt · $34,812 earn
Psychology General
Master's Degree · Psychology
51%
$40,452 debt · $79,429 earn
Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
51%
$25,614 debt · $50,525 earn
Botany/Plant Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
50%
$21,500 debt · $42,743 earn
Zoology/Animal Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
46%
$17,500 debt · $38,495 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
45%
$18,875 debt · $41,994 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
44%
$20,353 debt · $45,995 earn
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
43%
$16,806 debt · $39,178 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1949Next review Jun 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 5

  1. Jan 2026Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Mar 2020Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  3. Jun 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  4. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation · Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs
  5. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$8,090
$30–48k$9,623
$48–75k$13,095
$75–110k$17,692
$110k+$22,695

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$13,167
+$2,636vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $10,531
Federal loans
37.1%
In-state tuition
$7,913
Out-of-state
$19,793

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 2,758 students received $16.4M in Pell grants, alongside $17.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,758
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$16.4M
$16,364,318 total
Direct Loans
$17.8M
3,251 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
’20
3k
’21
3k
’22
3k
’23
3k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.9M
1,451 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$6.3M
1,427 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.1M
204 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.4M
160 loan awards
Grad PLUS$64K
9 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 2,121 borrowers who entered repayment, 63 (2.9%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.9%
+0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,121
Defaulted
63
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.4%
2017
8.2%
2018
5.9%
2019
2.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Humboldt

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs62
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,261 total completions
01Natural Resources
30624.3%
02Biological Sciences
17814.1%
03Psychology
16012.7%
04Social Sciences
13310.5%
05Business
997.9%
06Public Admin
967.6%
07Visual/Performing Arts
947.5%
08Parks/Recreation
745.9%
09Multi/Interdisciplinary
695.5%
10English Language
524.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
6,237
12-mo unduplicated
6,780
Undergraduate
6,136
Graduate
644

Gender split

Men
43%2,911
Women
57%3,869

Race / ethnicity composition

White
51.0%
Hispanic
29.7%
Two or more
7.3%
Unknown
4.6%
Asian
3.1%
Black
2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%
Non-resident
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
271
93 M · 178 W
Women athletes
65.7%
Athletic aid
$1.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$7.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$668K
$951K
Recruiting expense
$45K
$91K
Head-coach salaries
$81K
$93K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field (Indoor)
48 M · 26 W
$373K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
48 M · 26 W
$373K
Soccer
28 M · 32 W
$1.0M
Rowing
— · 48 W
$741K
Basketball
16 M · 16 W
$1.2M
Cross Country
22 M · 10 W
$382K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.15
25 offenses · 6,025 students

3-year trend

1.812 yrs ago5.591 yr ago4.15Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
70
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
25
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
6

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
10
Rape
7
Arson
2
Robbery
2
Fondling
2
Aggravated assault
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

25total
  • On campus23
  • Non-campus1
  • Public property1

Includes 9 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
16
Stalking
18 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Disability1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons31
Drugs581
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

  • Trinity Hall1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Shasta Hall1 fire
    Open flamesDamage $25,000-$49,999

Data quality: 5 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
264

Humboldt vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Humboldt selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCalifornia State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
49%—6,237$13,167Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
86%31.3%23,069$15,624Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
68%75.2%27,636$11,580Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Bakersfield
50%93.9%10,419$5,825Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Channel Islands
51%94.8%5,592$9,792Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
California State University-Chico
63%92.7%15,257$14,838Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Dominguez Hills
43%93.3%15,182$3,659Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-East Bay
48%97.4%12,326$11,276R2 Research
California State University-Fresno
57%95.3%24,427$6,480R2 Research
California State University-Fullerton
70%90.5%43,662$5,646R2 Research
California State University-Long Beach
69%46.3%42,003$8,931R2 Research
California State University-Los Angeles
53%91.3%23,163$4,113Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Monterey Bay
59%97.4%7,713$14,487Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Northridge
57%93.4%38,313$7,599Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Sacramento
56%94.0%31,943$10,512Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-San Bernardino
55%93.7%18,492$5,918R2 Research
California State University-San Marcos
55%95.1%16,237$10,550Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Stanislaus
53%98.1%9,724$5,671Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
San Diego State University
76%36.2%41,137$16,174R2 Research
San Francisco State University
50%96.4%22,563$12,882R2 Research
San Jose State University
69%84.6%37,661$13,741Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Sonoma State University
58%93.4%5,891$13,801Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median56%93.4%20,528$10,531

Institutions like Humboldt

Explore the federal data for institutions in Humboldt's comparison group.

IPEDS

Humboldt Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Institutional Research, Analytics, and Reporting
Reports to Reporting to the Chief Information Officer
Email
irar [at] humboldt.edu
Phone
707-826-5338
Address
1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521

We strive to provide you with quick and easy access to the information you need to make data-informed decisions.

Visit IR office page
Team
9 members
  • Michael "Data" Le
    Director, Institutional Research, Analytics, and Reporting
  • Michael Le
    Director, Institutional Research, Analytics, and Reporting
  • Matthew Koelling
    Analyst/Programmer
  • Gay Hylton
    Research Analyst
  • Jeff Stebbins
    Analyst/Programmer
  • Sky McKinley
    Analyst/Programmer
  • Seth Bradley
    Research Analyst
  • Stephanie Souter
    Research Analyst
  • Steven Margell
    Research Analyst

Common Data Set

Humboldt's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Total enrollment
6,276
5,677 UG · 599 grad
6-yr graduation rate
44%
First-year retention
77%
Student–faculty ratio
18 to 1
01

Affordability & Value

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Federal39.0%
State all states, not only the state in which your institution is located34.4%
Institutional23.2%
Scholarships/grants from external sources3.4%

23% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
53%
Avg debt
$23,238

53% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $23,238 on average.

02

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
44%
Retention
77%

6-year graduation rate 44%; first-year retention 77%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students44%
Pell recipients36%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 7 pts below the overall rate (36% vs 44%).

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students47
10-19 students195
20-29 students267
30-39 students105
40-49 students80
50-99 students64
100+ students9

32% of classes have under 20 students; 10% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
18 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
69%
Women faculty
54%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Natural resources and conservation21.86%
Biological/life sciences10.19%
Psychology9.79%
Social sciences9.05%
Visual and performing arts6.64%
Public administration and social services6.1%
Business/marketing5.84%
Parks and recreation4.02%

STEM-dominant: ~19% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

04

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic50.6%
Hispanic/Latino29.0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic7.9%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown4.3%
Asian, non-Hispanic3.0%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic2.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic1.5%
Nonresidents0.6%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.3%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
35
Share
1%

1% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
5,67790%
Graduate
59910%

5,677 undergraduates and 599 graduate students.

05

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
4,576
Admitted
3,877
Enrolled
887

4,576 transfer applicants → 3,877 admitted (84.7%) → 887 enrolled

Source publications

Reports & documents (4)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (1)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

USA Spending

Notable alumni of Humboldt (10)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Raymond Carver
    Literature
  • Stephen Hillenburg
    Animation
  • Bob Beers
    Politics
  • Jason Conger
    Politics
  • Anne Bredon
    Music
  • Timothy Lang Sr.
  • Marla Spivak
    Entomology
  • Dan Conover
    Athletics
  • Clinton McKinnon
    Music
  • Chuck Smead
    Athletics

Frequently asked questions about California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Humboldt.

What is the graduation rate at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt?

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt reports a 6-year graduation rate of 49% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt?

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt reports a total enrollment of 6,237 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt?

The average net price at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is $13,167 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt?

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt's yield rate is 5.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt located?

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is located in Arcata, California 95521-8299.

Who runs Institutional Research at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt?

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt's IR work is done by the Institutional Research, Analytics, and Reporting, which reports to Reporting to the Chief Information Officer.

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