Graduates of California State University-Northridge earn median 4-year earnings of $59,664, placing California State University-Northridge in the 44.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,438 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 90.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California State University-Northridge #615 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 930 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,792, ranked #115 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 805 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $65,760, ranked #118 nationally in its major. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication reports 469 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,359, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Criminal Justice and Corrections reports 442 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $54,169, ranked #64 nationally in its major.
Graduates of California State University-Northridge earn median 4-year earnings of $59,664, placing California State University-Northridge in the 44.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,438 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 90.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California State University-Northridge #615 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 930 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,792, ranked #115 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 805 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $65,760, ranked #118 nationally in its major. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication reports 469 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,359, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Criminal Justice and Corrections reports 442 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $54,169, ranked #64 nationally in its major.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of California State University-Northridge earn median 4-year earnings of $59,664, placing California State University-Northridge in the 44.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,438 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 90.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California State University-Northridge #615 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 930 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,792, ranked #115 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 805 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $65,760, ranked #118 nationally in its major. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication reports 469 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,359, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Criminal Justice and Corrections reports 442 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $54,169, ranked #64 nationally in its major.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
California State University-Northridge's program mix is anchored in Business, with substantial enrollment across health, social sciences, and liberal arts — a broad applied-professional portfolio characteristic of a large comprehensive public university in the Los Angeles metro. Business accounts for 19% of degree output, followed by Social Sciences at 9% and Arts at 5%. Business Administration is the program that combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings, making it a central driver of the institution's overall financial outcomes. Across 51 programs serving roughly 9,359 students annually, 45 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. The highest four-year earnings belong to Business Administration, where 805 graduates earn median earnings of $65,760 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #135 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Digital Marketing follows with median earnings of $64,373 and a cohort of 389 graduates, while The Communication and Media Studies program graduates 351 students with median earnings of $57,138. Among the largest programs by enrollment, Psychology, General program graduates 930 students with median earnings of $49,792, and the The Business Administration program graduates 805 students with median earnings of $65,760. Azimuth ranks Radio, Television, and Digital Communication #20 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 469 graduates earning $49,359 — how Azimuth evaluates programs provides the full methodology. Several of California State University-Northridge's strongest programs feed directly into high-demand sectors across Southern California. Business Administration and Digital Marketing are high-mobility pathways where four-year earnings reflect direct labor-market outcomes, while Kinesiology and Criminal Justice — with 442 and 442 graduates respectively — include pathways where a share of graduates continue to graduate or professional study, meaning four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory. The institution's research infrastructure, which includes the Center for Social and Technology Entrepreneurship and the Bookstein Institute for Higher Education in Taxation per the department's research page, supports applied learning across business and finance fields. The framework provides additional context for how these program families align with national wage trends. ```
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of California State University-Northridge earn median 4-year earnings of $59,664, placing California State University-Northridge in the 44.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,438 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 90.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California State University-Northridge #615 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 930 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,792, ranked #115 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 805 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $65,760, ranked #118 nationally in its major. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication reports 469 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,359, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Criminal Justice and Corrections reports 442 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $54,169, ranked #64 nationally in its major.
