Sac State vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

California State University-Sacramento (CSUS) and California State University-Northridge (CSUN) are two of the largest and most popular universities in the California State University system. Both offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a diverse student body. However, there are some key differences between the two schools that prospective students should be aware of. For instance, CSUS has a higher acceptance rate than CSUN, and its student body is slightly more diverse. CSUN, on the other hand, has a higher graduation rate and offers a wider range of popular majors, including business, engineering, and nursing. To help you make an informed decision about which school is the best fit for you, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that highlights the key differences between CSUS and CSUN.
California State University-Northridge logo

California State University-Northridge

California State University-Sacramento logo

California State University-Sacramento

Overview

Location Northridge, California Sacramento, California
Campus setting City: Large City: Large
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 82.0% 81.0%
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 88.1% 93.7%
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 23,656 22,706
Total number of admissions given out 20,842 21,272
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,716 3,581
Yield rate 22.6% 16.8%
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: $31,857

Out of state: $43,737
In state: $31,488

Out of state: $43,368
Average net price $8,708 $7,778
Tuition
In state: $5,742

Out of state: $17,622
In state: $5,742

Out of state: $17,622
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,316

Meal plan: $4,506
Room/dormitory: $7,744

Meal plan: $5,030
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

82.0%
Average amount $10,882
80.0%
Average amount $9,769
Students receiving federal student loan 14.0%
Average amount $4,779
18.0%
Average amount $4,607
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $12,360
0.0%
Average amount $12,368

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 34,496
Men 45.0% Women 55.0%
29,451
Men 42.8% Women 57.2%
Graduate students 5,612
Men 33.0% Women 67.0%
3,047
Men 32.9% Women 67.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 1.7% 1.6%
International students 6.0% 4.0%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Large
Dormitory capacity 4,029 2,173
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas California Washington Arizona Hawaii Alaska

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Education
  • Social Sciences
  • Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio 26:1 25:1
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 54.2% 57.5%
Dropout rate 33.7% 32.1%
Transferred out 5.6% 3.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $95,739
  • Year 3: $108,158
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,831
  • Year 2: $92,124
  • Year 3: $98,535
Taxation (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,745
  • Year 2: $86,867
  • Year 3: $97,852
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,455
  • Year 2: $88,907
  • Year 3: $96,626
Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $79,863
  • Year 2: $75,204
  • Year 3: $92,559
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $80,493
  • Year 3: $92,252
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,281
  • Year 2: $83,669
  • Year 3: $89,964
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,782
  • Year 2: $75,047
  • Year 3: $84,221
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,859
  • Year 2: $73,070
  • Year 3: $82,977
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,180
  • Year 2: $76,863
  • Year 3: $82,194
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,852
  • Year 2: $108,495
  • Year 3: $114,088
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,797
  • Year 2: $90,412
  • Year 3: $101,346
Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $81,148
  • Year 2: $80,779
  • Year 3: $91,338
Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,787
  • Year 2: $80,022
  • Year 3: $90,507
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,004
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $89,399
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,951
  • Year 2: $78,343
  • Year 3: $85,246
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,130
  • Year 2: $70,596
  • Year 3: $82,173
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,865
  • Year 2: $73,739
  • Year 3: $81,304
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,510
  • Year 2: $67,240
  • Year 3: $80,353
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,158
  • Year 2: $64,406
  • Year 3: $73,910

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.