College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

California State University-Long Beach

CALarge public institution · Overall rank #5 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks California State University-Long Beach #5 nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

California State University-Long Beach is a public university in Long Beach, California, where the degree mix is led by Business and the Visual and Performing Arts. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study, and mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, yet the typical graduate earns below the median at comparable schools. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds to expected earnings, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should go in knowing that the best-paid ones are much smaller and concentrated in engineering and nursing.

CSU Long Beach at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
46.3%
Six-year completion[2]
68.9%
Four-year earnings[3]
$63,140

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$9,705
Median student debt[4]
$14,289
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$15,177

CSU Long Beach rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Enrolling 35,924 undergraduates, California State University-Long Beach is a public university in Long Beach, California. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university sits near the top of the overall ranking.

California State University-Long Beach accepts 46.3% of those who apply, against a median of 78.1% at comparable institutions (same type and size). Of students who start full time, 86.8% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

68.9% finish within six years, against a peer median of 65.0%. Because that six-year rate counts only first-time, full-time students, it describes a minority of the people who study here.

An estimated 43.1% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students. The four are spread wide.

Mobility is the strongest, while access and affordability sit close together near the top of the distribution. Return is the weakest, falling near the middle of the field and far below the other three.

Azimuth ranks California State University-Long Beach #5 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions, a composite built on four pillars. The university's strongest pillar is mobility, in the 99th percentile.

Access follows in the 99th percentile, and affordability in the 95th percentile. The return pillar, in the 53rd percentile, is the weakest of the four, though it still lands above the median for nonprofit four-year institutions.

50.2% of undergraduates at California State University-Long Beach receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks California State University-Long Beach #18 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 78.4%, which is 9.5 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate (68.9%). Azimuth ranks the university #2 for mobility. Graduates earn about $3,705 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

CSU Long Beach rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#5
California#4
West#4

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 99
Access & reach
National percentile: 99
Affordability
National percentile: 95
Return on investment
National percentile: 53

Top-ranked majors

  1. Social Work#2
  2. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services#4
  3. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician#5

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / CSU Long Beach briefing

CSU Long Beach cost & financial aid[6][7]

California State University-Long Beach publishes a cost of attendance of $22,679. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $6,838 and required fees of $1,910 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $18,554.

Nonresidents face a published tuition of $19,084. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,440.

Grants and scholarships lower the sticker price by $12,239 for the average aid recipient, covering about 54% of the published cost. That net price is $5,194 below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #70 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

California State University-Long Beach publishes a cost of attendance of $22,679. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $7,183.

In the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $9,705, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $19,750. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,567.

Azimuth ranks the university #70 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $12,239.

The across all aid recipients is $10,440. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, placing California State University-Long Beach below by $5,194.

The median federal student debt at completion is $14,289, with about 54.9% of federal aid recipients borrowing. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median debt is $20,076, so the university's median is below by $5,787.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $15,177. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $162 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$9,705

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at CSU Long Beach

The median federal student debt at completion for California State University-Long Beach is $14,289. 54.9% of federal aid recipients borrow through federal programs.

The university's median is below the $20,076 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,787. The median Parent PLUS loan, for the separate parent-borrower population, is $15,177.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 44% of 5,828 bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source. Those borrowers averaged $17,947 in cumulative principal per borrower.

Of those graduates, 42% held federal loans averaging $17,204, including 2% with private loans averaging $22,368.

The investment picture at California State University-Long Beach is mixed: earnings are solid but sit below the peer median, while debt is lower than what comparable institutions carry. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $63,140.

Azimuth places that figure in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,705 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 67th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,253 in a downside case to $88,247 in an upside case, with $63,140 representing the typical outcome. On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt of $14,289 is $5,787 below the $20,076 peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $162 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parent borrowers at the university took on a median of $15,177 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $162.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$14,289
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$15,177

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$162/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$193/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / CSU Long Beach briefing

CSU Long Beach career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

California State University-Long Beach reports median earnings of $63,140 four years after completion. That institution-wide figure is a starting point; results for particular fields can differ.

Read earnings alongside retention and completion. Earnings among completers do not include every student who entered the institution, while the lower and higher planning estimates describe modeled mixes of program outcomes rather than observed salary percentiles.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,802
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$4,097
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$3,705

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / CSU Long Beach briefing

CSU Long Beach acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

California State University-Long Beach admits 46.3% of applicants, well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 88,276 applicants, 40,105 admitted students, and 5,884 enrolled first-year students.

Admissions
Admission rate
46.3%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / CSU Long Beach briefing

What are the largest majors at CSU Long Beach?[12]

The largest program records at California State University-Long Beach, by reported degrees awarded, are: Business Administration, Management and Operations (1,566 awards); Psychology, General (528 awards); Fine and Studio Arts (415 awards); Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General (403 awards); Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (370 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.

Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Business Administration, Management and Operations at $67,853; Psychology, General at $48,926; Fine and Studio Arts at $43,349. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.

Keep individual program records separate from broader degree categories and from records for other reporting periods. Those views can describe different parts of the university’s academic mix.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 1,566 degrees awarded
$67,853
Psychology, General 528 degrees awarded
$48,926
Fine and Studio Arts 415 degrees awarded
$43,349
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General 403 degrees awarded
$50,361
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 370 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Communication and Media Studies 339 degrees awarded
$58,137

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / CSU Long Beach briefing

How does CSU Long Beach serve students from different backgrounds?

Azimuth ranks California State University-Long Beach #2 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the pillar in the 99th percentile.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 68.9%, while Pell recipients complete at a rate of 78.4%, above the overall rate by 9.5 percentage points. Graduates earn about $3,705 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 67th percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar for California State University-Long Beach in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 46.3% of applicants, a rate well below the peer median of 78.1%, and enrolls 35,924 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients make up 50.2% of undergraduates, and an estimated 43.1% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.

06 / CSU Long Beach briefing

What colleges are similar to CSU Long Beach?[15]

The comparisons for California State University-Long Beach cover higher reported admission rates, similar admissions profiles, higher reported earnings at similar cost, lower reported cost with similar earnings and options in the same state or region. The similar-schools brief keeps these questions in separate groups, with related institutional profiles shown as another comparison.

Each group has its own candidate list and ordering. A high position within one group is not a rank against all the schools in the other groups, and a school can appear more than once for different reasons. Check the source definition and earnings period for the comparison you choose.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with CSU Long Beach.

Admissions peerUniversity of San Diego52.4% admitted
Comparison with CSU Long Beach
MeasureCSU Long BeachUniversity of San Diego
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,140$85,309+$22,169 vs CSU Long Beach
Average annual net price$10,440$30,365+$19,925 vs CSU Long Beach · higher cost
Admission rate46.3%52.4%
Explore University of San Diego →
Higher-admission alternativeCalifornia State University-Fullerton90.5% admitted
Comparison with CSU Long Beach
MeasureCSU Long BeachCalifornia State University-Fullerton
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,140$63,753+$613 vs CSU Long Beach
Average annual net price$10,440$6,555-$3,885 vs CSU Long Beach · lower cost
Admission rate46.3%90.5%
Explore California State University-Fullerton →
Nearby alternativeCalifornia State University-FullertonNearby option · CA
Comparison with CSU Long Beach
MeasureCSU Long BeachCalifornia State University-Fullerton
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,140$63,753+$613 vs CSU Long Beach
Average annual net price$10,440$6,555-$3,885 vs CSU Long Beach · lower cost
Admission rate46.3%90.5%
Explore California State University-Fullerton →
Higher-earnings alternativeNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology$85,232 earnings
Comparison with CSU Long Beach
MeasureCSU Long BeachNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,140$85,232+$22,092 vs CSU Long Beach
Average annual net price$10,440$9,873-$567 vs CSU Long Beach · lower cost
Admission rate46.3%44.5%
Explore New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Los Angeles$3,967 average net price
Comparison with CSU Long Beach
MeasureCSU Long BeachCalifornia State University-Los Angeles
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,140$59,756-$3,384 vs CSU Long Beach
Average annual net price$10,440$3,967-$6,473 vs CSU Long Beach · lower cost
Admission rate46.3%91.3%
Explore California State University-Los Angeles →
Similar profileCalifornia State University-FullertonMatched across several measures
Comparison with CSU Long Beach
MeasureCSU Long BeachCalifornia State University-Fullerton
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,140$63,753+$613 vs CSU Long Beach
Average annual net price$10,440$6,555-$3,885 vs CSU Long Beach · lower cost
Admission rate46.3%90.5%
Explore California State University-Fullerton →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings