Cleveland State University
About
Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. CSU absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law in 1969. Today it is part of the University System of Ohio, has more than 120,000 alumni, and offers over 200 academic programs amongst eight colleges. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 7.0-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 210 Title IV programs, 67 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 142 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing67 · 31.9%
- No Data142 · 67.6%
- Failing1 · 0.5%
Severity spectrum
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.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 16
Action history · 19
- Sep 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Sep 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
- Feb 2025Approved for Distance EducationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Jul 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Counseling Psychology (COPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
- Aug 2023Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary WithdrawalAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 4,604 students received $26.4M in Pell grants, alongside $81.5M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 4,322 borrowers who entered repayment, 101 (2.3%) defaulted within three years.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Cleveland State
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 11
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus57
- Public property63
Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Ethnicity2
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Cleveland State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Cleveland State selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCleveland State University | 51% | — | 14,074 | $16,065 | R2 Research |
| 53% | 55.4% | 34,944 | $15,931 | R1 Research | |
| 53% | 90.9% | 19,951 | $12,932 | R2 Research | |
| 64% | 71.4% | 11,315 | $19,407 | R2 Research | |
| 52% | 59.7% | 13,332 | $14,981 | R2 Research | |
| 64% | 88.2% | 20,905 | $17,727 | R1 Research | |
| 62% | 77.4% | 33,906 | $12,313 | R1 Research | |
| 49% | 83.8% | 15,575 | $18,282 | R2 Research | |
| 51% | 72.0% | 20,276 | $13,253 | R1 Research | |
| 54% | 72.2% | 14,732 | $12,837 | R2 Research | |
| 57% | 62.7% | 14,736 | $12,323 | R2 Research | |
| 38% | 74.3% | 6,501 | $11,147 | R2 Research | |
| 58% | 92.0% | 14,358 | $17,460 | R2 Research | |
| 53% | 90.7% | 22,450 | $16,177 | R1 Research | |
| 63% | 92.6% | 28,464 | $19,452 | R1 Research | |
| Peer group median | 53% | 75.8% | 15,575 | $15,931 |
Institutions like Cleveland State
Explore the federal data for institutions in Cleveland State's comparison group.
- R1 ResearchGeorgia
Georgia State University
Grad rate53%Admit rate55.4%Enrollment34,944Net price$15,931View data - R2 ResearchOregon
Portland State University
Grad rate53%Admit rate90.9%Enrollment19,951Net price$12,932View data - R2 ResearchNew Jersey
Rutgers University-Newark
Grad rate64%Admit rate71.4%Enrollment11,315Net price$19,407View data - R2 ResearchOhio
University of Akron Main Campus
Grad rate52%Admit rate59.7%Enrollment13,332Net price$14,981View data - R1 ResearchAlabama
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Grad rate64%Admit rate88.2%Enrollment20,905Net price$17,727View data - R1 ResearchIllinois
University of Illinois Chicago
Grad rate62%Admit rate77.4%Enrollment33,906Net price$12,313View data - R2 ResearchMassachusetts
University of Massachusetts-Boston
Grad rate49%Admit rate83.8%Enrollment15,575Net price$18,282View data - R1 ResearchTennessee
University of Memphis
Grad rate51%Admit rate72.0%Enrollment20,276Net price$13,253View data - R2 ResearchMissouri
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Grad rate54%Admit rate72.2%Enrollment14,732Net price$12,837View data - R2 ResearchMissouri
University of Missouri-St Louis
Grad rate57%Admit rate62.7%Enrollment14,736Net price$12,323View data - R2 ResearchLouisiana
University of New Orleans
Grad rate38%Admit rate74.3%Enrollment6,501Net price$11,147View data - R2 ResearchOhio
University of Toledo
Grad rate58%Admit rate92.0%Enrollment14,358Net price$17,460View data - R1 ResearchWisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Grad rate53%Admit rate90.7%Enrollment22,450Net price$16,177View data - R1 ResearchVirginia
Virginia Commonwealth University
Grad rate63%Admit rate92.6%Enrollment28,464Net price$19,452View data
Cleveland State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Data Analytics and Institutional Research (DAIR) serves as a comprehensive source for information about Cleveland State University, assisting in the analysis and interpretation of data to explain past patterns of performance and predict future trends in University performance.
Visit IR office page- Katherine M. CorcoranChief Data Officer
- Aaron C. RobertsDirector of Data Engineering
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Notable alumni of Cleveland State (29)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Jane L. CampbellPolitics
- Carl B. StokesPolitics
- Louis StokesPolitics
- Marcia FudgePolitics
- Tim RussertJournalism
- Stipe MiocicSports
- Andrew PuzderBusiness
- Nina TurnerPolitics
- Lesley B. WellsLaw
- Pamela EvettePolitics
- Maureen O'ConnorLaw
- Frank G. JacksonPolitics
Frequently asked questions about Cleveland State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Cleveland State.
What is the graduation rate at Cleveland State University?
How many students attend Cleveland State University?
What is the average net price at Cleveland State University?
What is the yield rate at Cleveland State University?
Where is Cleveland State University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Cleveland State University?
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about Cleveland State University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card