1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. California State University-Long Beach Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # California State University-Long Beach CA · Large public institution · Overall rank #5 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/admissions/)[Majors](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/similar/) ## [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 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 the model 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[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 46.3% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 68.9% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $63,140 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $9,705 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $14,289 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $15,177 ## CSU Long Beach rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) 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 pillars 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](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 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](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) (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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) CSU Long Beach rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #5 | | [California](/rankings/best-colleges-in-california/) | #4 | | [West](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-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](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/cost/)** National percentile: 95 **[Return on investment](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/outcomes/)** 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](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/majors/#major-rankings) 01 / CSU Long Beach briefing ## [CSU Long Beach cost & financial aid](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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 average net price 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $162. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) 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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=california-state-university-long-beach#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/cost/) 02 / CSU Long Beach briefing ## [CSU Long Beach career outcomes & earnings](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) 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](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/outcomes/) 03 / CSU Long Beach briefing ## [CSU Long Beach acceptance rate & admissions](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) 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](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/admissions/) 04 / CSU Long Beach briefing ## [What are the largest majors at CSU Long Beach?](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) 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](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/majors/) 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](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) 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?](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) 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 | Measure | CSU Long Beach | University 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 rate | 46.3% | 52.4% | [Explore University of San Diego →](/school/university-of-san-diego/) Higher-admission alternativeCalifornia State University-Fullerton90.5% admitted+ Comparison with CSU Long Beach | Measure | CSU Long Beach | California 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 rate | 46.3% | 90.5% | [Explore California State University-Fullerton →](/school/california-state-university-fullerton/) Nearby alternativeCalifornia State University-FullertonNearby option · CA+ Comparison with CSU Long Beach | Measure | CSU Long Beach | California 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 rate | 46.3% | 90.5% | [Explore California State University-Fullerton →](/school/california-state-university-fullerton/) Higher-earnings alternativeNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology$85,232 earnings+ Comparison with CSU Long Beach | Measure | CSU Long Beach | New 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 rate | 46.3% | 44.5% | [Explore New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology →](/school/new-mexico-institute-of-mining-and-technology/) Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Los Angeles$3,967 average net price+ Comparison with CSU Long Beach | Measure | CSU Long Beach | California 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 rate | 46.3% | 91.3% | [Explore California State University-Los Angeles →](/school/california-state-university-los-angeles/) Similar profileCalifornia State University-FullertonMatched across several measures+ Comparison with CSU Long Beach | Measure | CSU Long Beach | California 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 rate | 46.3% | 90.5% | [Explore California State University-Fullerton →](/school/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](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 28, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 28, 2026 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](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). 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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); 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](/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](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 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](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 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](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)