Cal State LA vs California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB)

California State University-Los Angeles (CSULA) and California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. CSULA, located in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while CSUMB, situated in the scenic Monterey Bay area, emphasizes sustainability and environmental studies. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, ensuring you make an informed decision that sets you on the path to success.

	California State University-Los Angeles	California State University-Monterey Bay
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Seaside, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.5%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	29,223	10,026
Total number of admissions given out	26,459	9,305
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,095	779
Yield rate	15.5%	8.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $32,619 Out of state: $44,499	In state: $26,430 Out of state: $38,310
Average net price	$2,695	$6,085
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,712 Meal plan: $4,500	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $4,558
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,909	69.0% Average amount $9,097
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,458	25.0% Average amount $3,379
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $8,862	2.0% Average amount $11,953

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,536 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	6,692 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Graduate students	3,977 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%	811 Men 29.8% Women 70.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.1%	2.4%
International students	5.9%	4.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,565	3,565
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Illinois Minnesota Hawaii Maryland	California Colorado Hawaii Arizona Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Engineering Psychology Public Administration and Social Service	Business Psychology Liberal Arts Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	23:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	51.9%	60.2%
Dropout rate	39.4%	30.1%
Transferred out	3.1%	7.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,257 Year 2: $103,746 Year 3: $117,496 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,475 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $103,691 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,250 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $99,815 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $90,684 Year 2: $87,548 Year 3: $93,771 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,852 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $83,310 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $82,904 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,004 Year 2: $74,367 Year 3: $80,425 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,165 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $77,214 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,370 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $72,371 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,775 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,643	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,260 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $110,683 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,700 Year 2: $79,389 Year 3: $83,389 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,186 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $75,206 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,031 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,691 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,187 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $65,124 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,008 Year 2: $60,049 Year 3: $63,971 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,999 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,338 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,158 Year 2: $36,533 Year 3: $43,406 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,259 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $40,471 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,318 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,347

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Cal State LA vs California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB)

California State University-Los Angeles

California State University-Monterey Bay

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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