Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·calstatela.edu
6-yr Graduation
53%
+1.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
23,163
peer median 14,473
Avg net price
$4,113
-$2.9k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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About

California State University, Los Angeles is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 master's degree programs, and 4 doctoral degrees: the Doctor of Philosophy in special education, Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Audiology. It also offers 22 teaching credentials.

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
32,723
32,723 candidates competed
Admitted
29,860
91.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,814
9.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
53%+1.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
25%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
53%
Full-time retention
72%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
52%
Non-Pell
57%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-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.

Of 134 Title IV programs, 51 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 81 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
134
Passing
51
38.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
1.5% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.5%
+0.9pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

134programs
  • Passing51 · 38.1%
  • No Data81 · 60.4%
  • Failing2 · 1.5%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
2
At Risk
2
Watch
3
Safe
46
No data
81

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.

53
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-2.7%
$35,097 vs $36,082
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
-1.4%
$35,591 vs $36,082
Communication and Media Studies
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+2.5%
$60,235 vs $58,761
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.4%
$39,120 vs $36,082
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+10.5%
$39,867 vs $36,082
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+13.0%
$40,783 vs $36,082
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+24.5%
$44,930 vs $36,082
English Language and Literature General
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+27.1%
$62,904 vs $49,483

Near the line (±5%)

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

3
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-2.7%
$985
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
-1.4%
$491
Communication and Media Studies
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+2.5%
+$1,474

Debt vs earnings

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

44
English Language and Literature General
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
63%
$39,669 debt · $62,904 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
60%
$36,068 debt · $60,235 earn
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
48%
$30,750 debt · $63,878 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
45%
$39,611 debt · $88,659 earn
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
42%
$16,625 debt · $39,867 earn
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
40%
$28,950 debt · $72,670 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
37%
$14,516 debt · $39,120 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
36%
$14,500 debt · $40,783 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1953Next review Jun 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 12

Action history · 20

  1. Jan 2026Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  3. Jul 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Apr 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  5. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$2,855
$30–48k$3,231
$48–75k$5,373
$75–110k$8,813
$110k+$14,599

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

Avg net price
$4,113
-$2,926vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $7,040
Federal loans
20.4%
In-state tuition
$6,813
Out-of-state
$18,698

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 14,651 students received $88.9M in Pell grants, alongside $45.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
14,651
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$88.9M
$88,929,189 total
Direct Loans
$45.2M
7,121 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

16k
20
17k
21
16k
22
15k
23
15k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$14.5M
3,346 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$12.7M
2,607 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$15.6M
1,011 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.1M
67 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.4M
90 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.

Of 4,602 borrowers who entered repayment, 81 (1.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
4,602
Defaulted
81
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.3%
2017
1.4%
2018
3.6%
2019
1.7%
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 Calstatela

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs101
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

5,075 total completions
01Business
1,02920.3%
02Education
65112.8%
03Health Professions
58211.5%
04Social Sciences
4889.6%
05Security/Protective
4438.7%
06Psychology
4358.6%
07Public Admin
4078.0%
08Computer Sciences
3927.7%
09Communication
3587.1%
10Engineering
2905.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
23,163
12-mo unduplicated
27,493
Undergraduate
23,458
Graduate
4,035

Gender split

Men
42%11,653
Women
58%15,840

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
77.2%
Asian
10.1%
White
4.1%
Black
4.0%
Unknown
2.0%
Two or more
1.5%
Non-resident
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
270
147 M · 123 W
Women athletes
45.6%
Athletic aid
$1.3M
Total student aid
Budget
$8.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$601K
$719K
Recruiting expense
$8K
$6K
Head-coach salaries
$101K
$81K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Soccer
36 M · 37 W
$1.2M
Track and Field (Outdoor)
41 M · 27 W
$325K
Baseball
54 M ·
$572K
Basketball
16 M · 16 W
$1.6M
Track and Field (Indoor)
· 23 W
$135K
Volleyball
· 22 W
$574K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.51
40 offenses · 26,460 students

3-year trend

0.752 yrs ago1.561 yr ago1.51Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
103
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
49
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
25
Burglary
9
Fondling
2
Aggravated assault
2
Rape
1
Arson
1

By location

40total
  • On campus40

Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
5
Dating violence
7
Stalking
15 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs312
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 3 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.

Student-to-faculty
21.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
633

Calstatela vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Calstatela selected for federal comparison reporting.

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 University-Los Angeles
53%23,163$4,113Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Bakersfield
50%93.9%10,419$5,825Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Dominguez Hills
43%93.3%15,182$3,659Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Fresno
57%95.3%24,427$6,480R2 Research
California State University-Northridge
57%93.4%38,313$7,599Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-San Bernardino
55%93.7%18,492$5,918R2 Research
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
56%57.1%13,763$3,046Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
New Jersey City University
34%98.4%5,429$11,732Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Northeastern State University
35%99.6%6,751$11,800Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
45%92.5%8,523$13,809Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
The University of Texas at San Antonio
53%86.8%35,770$11,234R1 Research
Troy University
49%96.0%13,658$13,869Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median52%93.7%14,473$7,040

Calstatela Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Phone
(323) 343-2730
Address
SSB 7230, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness provides quality data, analysis, and partnerships to foster evidence-based decision-making and advance institutional excellence.

Visit IR office page
Team
5 members
  • Yusuke Kuroki, Ph.D.
    Associate Director
  • Alan Yu
    Senior Research & Assessment Analyst
  • Suseon Yang, Ph.D.
    Data Science Lead
  • Tim Sechang
    Research Analyst
  • Kevin Kaeochinda, Ph.D.
    Senior Research Analyst

Common Data Set (18)

The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.

Reports & documents (5)

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

Notable alumni of Calstatela (30)

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

  • Billie Jean King
    Sports
  • Rosario Marin
    Politics
  • Samuel Durrance
    Science
  • Edward James Olmos
    Entertainment
  • Lucille Roybal-Allard
    Politics
  • Mervyn Dymally
    Politics
  • Esteban Edward Torres
    Politics
  • Octavia Butler
    Literature
  • Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber
    Business
  • Diane Watson
    Politics
  • Donald Sterling
    Business
  • Alan Arkin
    Entertainment
Showing 112 of 30
1 / 3

Frequently asked questions about California State University-Los Angeles

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Calstatela.

What is the graduation rate at California State University-Los Angeles?

California State University-Los Angeles reports a 6-year graduation rate of 53% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend California State University-Los Angeles?

California State University-Los Angeles reports a total enrollment of 23,163 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at California State University-Los Angeles?

The average net price at California State University-Los Angeles is $4,113 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at California State University-Los Angeles?

California State University-Los Angeles's yield rate is 9.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is California State University-Los Angeles located?

California State University-Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California 90032-8506.

Who runs Institutional Research at California State University-Los Angeles?

California State University-Los Angeles's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

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