California State University-Monterey Bay

California State University-Monterey Bay looks comparatively affordable after aid, with an average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $13,663. The published cost of attendance is $26,987.

In-state tuition and fees are $7,779, while out-of-state tuition and fees are $20,379. Room and board adds $17,234.

Financial aid reduces the published total by $13,324 for the average aid recipient. That net price is $405 below the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university in the 93rd percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lower net price and strong affordability standing point in the same direction.

The published cost of attendance is $26,987, and affordability is the strongest of the four pillars. Azimuth ranks California State University-Monterey Bay #96 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,970 in the lowest family-income band, $12,440 in the middle band, and $22,818 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,848.

Aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,663, which is $405 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $12,750 in federal student loans. That is $8,479 below the $21,229 peer median, and 66.2% of federal aid recipients borrow.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $16,836. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,324, at the 58th percentile nationally. That is $5,023 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $14,732 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 91st percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,167. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $9,565.

Azimuth places the university at the 68th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

California State University-Monterey Bay shows an above-expected early-career earnings picture for its federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Median earnings are $62,324 four years after completion, and Azimuth places that measure in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort contains 2,237 completers. Graduates earn about $14,732 more than the model expects for similar students.

This is earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. The typical earnings scenario matches the overall median, with a downside scenario of $46,117 and an upside scenario of $90,775.

An estimated 29.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Above-expected earnings sit alongside scenarios that vary by program.

Median earnings four years after completion reach $62,324 among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, a figure at the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That median sits $5,023 above the $57,301 mark for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks California State University-Monterey Bay #477 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $14,732 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. This outcome falls in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,167. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $9,565.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,376. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from a downside of $46,117 to an upside of $90,775.

An estimated 29.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The earnings advantage holds across both the peer comparison and the model expectation, while the scenarios show a wide spread between lower- and higher-earning clusters.

Earnings at California State University-Monterey Bay vary substantially by field. The downside earnings scenario is $46,117 four years after completion, whereas the upside scenario is $90,775; these scenarios describe possibilities based on the program mix rather than observed graduate groups.

Separate program-level medians show a wider set of outcomes: four years after completion, Nursing has median earnings of $134,489, Computer Science has $101,787, and Business Administration and Management has $72,558. Those figures are distinct measures from the earnings scenarios, so they are not boundaries for them.

For borrowers who complete at California State University-Monterey Bay, the debt picture is lower than at comparable institutions, alongside an earnings measure that compares graduates with the model’s expectation. Median federal student loan debt is $12,750, or $8,479 below the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $14,732 more than the model expects for similar students.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,663, and aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Parent PLUS parent borrowers have median debt of $16,836.

Lower borrower debt and earnings beyond expectations point in the same direction.

Admission is broadly available at California State University-Monterey Bay, which admitted 97.4% of applicants in the reported entering class. That rate is above the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size), indicating a less restrictive admission outcome than its institutional peers.

Program choice separates the higher- and moderate-earning ranked fields at California State University-Monterey Bay. Business Administration and Management had median earnings of $72,558 four years after completion and 265 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #90 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Liberal Arts and General Studies had $59,017 and 242 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #25 nationally. Psychology recorded $54,074 on 231 degrees awarded and ranks #94 nationally through Azimuth.

Kinesiology and Physical Education posted $47,736 with 172 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #138 nationally. The first field has the higher earnings figure, while the others form a more moderate range.

Program choices pair nationally ranked fields with earnings that differ widely across the largest offerings. California State University-Monterey Bay has 16 ranked programs and published earnings data for 20 programs.

Azimuth places Human Services at #4 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. Nursing stands at #7 nationally within its field, awarded 52 degrees, and shows median earnings of $134,489 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Social Sciences #12 nationally within its field. 89 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $57,200 four years after completion.

California State University-Monterey Bay awards bachelor's degrees across 20 programs with published four-year earnings, 16 of which carry an Azimuth national rank. The program mix leans toward the social sciences and business: Business accounts for 14.7% of degrees awarded, followed by Liberal Arts & General Studies at 12.5% and Psychology at 11.9%.

The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 265 degrees awarded, with Liberal Arts and General Studies close behind at 242 and Psychology at 231. Nursing has a benchmark ratio of 1.51x against the national median for its field.

Liberal Arts and General Studies, the second-largest program on campus, ranks #4 in California. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one: Nursing graduates earn $134,489 four years after completion, from 52 degrees awarded a year.

Computer Science, the fourth-largest program at 191 degrees awarded, is the second-highest earner at $101,787 four years after completion. The pattern is one of breadth, with strength concentrated in a few programs rather than spread evenly across the catalog.

The largest programs sit in the middle of the earnings distribution, while the highest payoffs come from smaller, more specialized fields like Nursing. 18.3% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, a share that points toward the social sciences and business as the primary engines of enrollment.