Graduates of California State University-Los Angeles earn median earnings of $59,756 four years after enrollment, placing California State University-Los Angeles in the 45.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,440 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 92.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to CA's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $34,672, the state median earnings of working adults age 25–34 with only a high school credential. Business is the dominant program family, accounting for 14% of degrees, followed by Social Sciences at 10% and Education at 8%. Business Administration combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Business Administration #145 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 726 graduates earning median earnings of $62,716 — 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Azimuth ranks Teacher Education #33 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 391 graduates earning median earnings of $50,444. Azimuth ranks Sociology #72 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $50,249, and Azimuth ranks Criminal Justice #67 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 348 graduates earning median earnings of $54,695.
Graduates of California State University-Los Angeles earn median earnings of $59,756 four years after enrollment, placing California State University-Los Angeles in the 45.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,440 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 92.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to CA's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $34,672, the state median earnings of working adults age 25–34 with only a high school credential. Business is the dominant program family, accounting for 14% of degrees, followed by Social Sciences at 10% and Education at 8%. Business Administration combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Business Administration #145 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 726 graduates earning median earnings of $62,716 — 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Azimuth ranks Teacher Education #33 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 391 graduates earning median earnings of $50,444. Azimuth ranks Sociology #72 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $50,249, and Azimuth ranks Criminal Justice #67 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 348 graduates earning median earnings of $54,695.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of California State University-Los Angeles earn median earnings of $59,756 four years after enrollment, placing California State University-Los Angeles in the 45.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,440 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 92.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to CA's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $34,672, the state median earnings of working adults age 25–34 with only a high school credential. Business is the dominant program family, accounting for 14% of degrees, followed by Social Sciences at 10% and Education at 8%. Business Administration combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Business Administration #145 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 726 graduates earning median earnings of $62,716 — 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Azimuth ranks Teacher Education #33 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 391 graduates earning median earnings of $50,444. Azimuth ranks Sociology #72 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $50,249, and Azimuth ranks Criminal Justice #67 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 348 graduates earning median earnings of $54,695.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
California State University-Los Angeles's program mix is anchored in Business, which accounts for 14% of graduates — the largest concentration by field. Social Sciences follows at 10%, and Education at 8%, rounding out a portfolio oriented toward applied professional fields. The largest program by cohort is Business Administration with 726 graduates, followed by Teacher Education (391 graduates) and Sociology (350 graduates). Criminal Justice (348 graduates) and Psychology, General also enroll substantial cohorts, reflecting the university's breadth across business, social-service, and health-adjacent disciplines. The strongest earnings outcomes cluster in business and quantitative fields. Azimuth ranks Business Administration #145 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $62,716. Azimuth ranks Social Work #11 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $59,545. Public Health also delivers strong early-career pay at $56,466, and Azimuth ranks the program #49 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Criminal Justice ($54,695) and Teacher Education ($50,444) round out the highest-earning programs, each serving cohorts of 348 and 391 graduates respectively. Several of the university's largest programs — particularly Teacher Education and Sociology — feed into local-labor and social-service career pathways where four-year earnings reflect regional hiring markets rather than national mobility patterns. The business-side programs, by contrast, channel graduates into finance, accounting, and management roles with broader geographic reach. The College of Business and Economics lists research concentrations in areas such as Finance, Law and Real Estate, and offers an undergraduate certificate in Finance — infrastructure that supports applied learning in the institution's dominant field. The supply-demand map provides context for how these program families align with national labor-market demand.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of California State University-Los Angeles earn median earnings of $59,756 four years after enrollment, placing California State University-Los Angeles in the 45.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,440 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 92.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to CA's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $34,672, the state median earnings of working adults age 25–34 with only a high school credential. Business is the dominant program family, accounting for 14% of degrees, followed by Social Sciences at 10% and Education at 8%. Business Administration combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Business Administration #145 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 726 graduates earning median earnings of $62,716 — 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Azimuth ranks Teacher Education #33 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 391 graduates earning median earnings of $50,444. Azimuth ranks Sociology #72 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $50,249, and Azimuth ranks Criminal Justice #67 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 348 graduates earning median earnings of $54,695.
