College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

California State University-Northridge

CALarge public institution · Overall rank #7 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks California State University-Northridge #7 nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

California State University-Northridge is a public university in Northridge, California, where the degree mix is led by Business, Communication & Journalism, and Psychology. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that gain to the factors it measures than to what it cannot explain.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. Pell recipients complete at a rate above the entering cohort as a whole, and access is among the highest we track.

What families in the lowest income band pay after aid is well below the published cost, and affordability is among the highest we track. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones, like Nursing and Engineering, are much smaller.

CSUN at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
93.4%
Six-year completion[2]
57.0%
Four-year earnings[3]
$59,664

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$7,744
Median student debt[4]
$13,872
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$13,522

CSUN rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

California State University-Northridge is a public university in Northridge, California, enrolling 32,691 undergraduates. The university sits near the very top of the Azimuth composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its mobility is the strongest of the four.

The university admits 93.5% of applicants, a rate well above the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 73.4% return for a second year and 57.0% finish within six years.

Both figures run below the peer medians of 83.1% and 65.0%. An estimated 44.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes only the first-time, full-time cohort.

The four pillars sit far apart. Mobility is the strongest (99th percentile) and return is the weakest (59th percentile).

Access (96th percentile) and affordability (97th percentile) sit between them, leaving return as the clear outlier.

California State University-Northridge reaches the 99th percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest of its four pillars. The composite rank of #7 across 1,467 institutions reflects that strength.

Affordability lands in the 97th percentile and access in the 96th percentile. The return pillar, at the 59th percentile, is the weakest, though every pillar sits above the median for nonprofit four-year institutions.

At California State University-Northridge, 56.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a federal aid measure of financial access. Those students complete at 64.1%, a rate that sits 7.1 percentage points above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole (57.0%).

In Azimuth's ranking of nonprofit four-year institutions, the university sits at #64 for access. The mobility pillar ranks #4 in Azimuth's ranking of nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $12,735 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

CSUN rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#7
California#6
West#6

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 99
Access & reach
National percentile: 96
Affordability
National percentile: 97
Return on investment
National percentile: 59

Top-ranked majors

  1. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General#3
  2. Public Administration#3
  3. Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions#4

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 / CSUN briefing

CSUN cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at California State University-Northridge is $20,485. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $6,084, required fees of $1,374, and on-campus food and housing of $21,350 for the 2025-26 academic year.

Nonresidents face tuition of $18,684. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $7,021, a savings of $13,464 against the published cost.

That is $8,613 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #46 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

California State University-Northridge publishes a cost of attendance of $20,485. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $4,905.

The for families earning $48,001–$75,000 is $7,744, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $18,040. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,135.

Azimuth ranks the university #46 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $13,464.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $7,021. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, which places California State University-Northridge below by $8,613.

The median federal student loan debt at completion is $13,872, with about 48.0% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $6,204.

For parent borrowers, the median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,522. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $158.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$7,744

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at CSUN

Federal-loan borrowers who complete a degree at California State University-Northridge carry a median debt of $13,872. About 48.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The university's median is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,204. Parent borrowers, a separate population, take on a median Parent PLUS loan of $13,522.

Graduates of California State University-Northridge earn about $12,735 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled show median earnings of $59,664, a level in the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That figure is below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,946. Earnings scenarios from the program mix include a typical outcome of $59,664, a downside scenario of $46,955, and an upside scenario of $86,119.

All three are earnings scenarios, not observed percentiles. The median federal debt among borrowers who complete is $13,872, a balance below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $158.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $13,522. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $158.

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

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$13,872
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$13,522

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$158/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$172/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 / CSUN briefing

CSUN career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

California State University-Northridge reports median earnings of $59,664 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.
+$6,625
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$6,110
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$12,735

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 / CSUN briefing

CSUN acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

California State University-Northridge admits 93.5% of applicants, well above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Admissions
Admission rate
93.4%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / CSUN briefing

What are the largest majors at CSUN?[12]

The largest program records at California State University-Northridge, by reported degrees awarded, are: Psychology, General (930 awards); Business Administration, Management and Operations (805 awards); Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (469 awards); Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (442 awards); Criminal Justice and Corrections (442 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 Psychology, General at $49,792; Business Administration, Management and Operations at $65,760; Radio, Television, and Digital Communication at $49,359. 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
Psychology, General 930 degrees awarded
$49,792
Business Administration, Management and Operations 805 degrees awarded
$65,760
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication 469 degrees awarded
$49,359
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 442 degrees awarded
$50,663
Criminal Justice and Corrections 442 degrees awarded
$54,169
Sociology 417 degrees awarded
$54,500

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 / CSUN briefing

How does CSUN serve students from different backgrounds?

Azimuth ranks California State University-Northridge #4 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the mobility pillar in the 99th percentile.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 57.0%, while Pell recipients complete at a rate of 64.1% — a figure that sits above the overall rate by 7.1 percentage points. Graduates earn about $12,735 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that lands in the 88th percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar of California State University-Northridge in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 93.5% of applicants, well above the peer median of 78.1%, and enrolls 32,691 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients make up 56.1% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 44.6% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students.

06 / CSUN briefing

What colleges are similar to CSUN?[15]

The comparisons for California State University-Northridge cover 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 CSUN.

Admissions peerCalifornia State University-San Bernardino93.7% admitted
Comparison with CSUN
MeasureCSUNCalifornia State University-San Bernardino
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,664$55,441-$4,223 vs CSUN
Average annual net price$7,021$4,564-$2,457 vs CSUN · lower cost
Admission rate93.4%93.7%
Explore California State University-San Bernardino →
Nearby alternativeCalifornia State University-Los AngelesNearby option · CA
Comparison with CSUN
MeasureCSUNCalifornia State University-Los Angeles
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,664$59,756+$92 vs CSUN
Average annual net price$7,021$3,967-$3,054 vs CSUN · lower cost
Admission rate93.4%91.3%
Explore California State University-Los Angeles →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Maine at Fort Kent$74,979 earnings
Comparison with CSUN
MeasureCSUNUniversity of Maine at Fort Kent
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,664$74,979+$15,315 vs CSUN
Average annual net price$7,021$7,482+$461 vs CSUN · higher cost
Admission rate93.4%97.9%
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Los Angeles$3,967 average net price
Comparison with CSUN
MeasureCSUNCalifornia State University-Los Angeles
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,664$59,756+$92 vs CSUN
Average annual net price$7,021$3,967-$3,054 vs CSUN · lower cost
Admission rate93.4%91.3%
Explore California State University-Los Angeles →
Similar profileCalifornia State University-Long BeachMatched across several measures
Comparison with CSUN
MeasureCSUNCalifornia State University-Long Beach
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,664$63,140+$3,476 vs CSUN
Average annual net price$7,021$10,440+$3,419 vs CSUN · higher cost
Admission rate93.4%46.3%
Explore California State University-Long Beach →

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