Metro State vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

Metropolitan State University and California State University-Northridge, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Metropolitan State University, located in the heart of Denver, Colorado, boasts an acceptance rate of 99%, welcoming a diverse student body of over 20,000 students. In contrast, California State University-Northridge, situated in the vibrant San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, has a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 52%, attracting a student population of approximately 38,000. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Metropolitan State University is known for its strengths in business, education, and nursing, while California State University-Northridge excels in engineering, computer science, and the arts. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Northridge	Metropolitan State University
Overview
Location	Northridge, California	Saint Paul, Minnesota
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%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	66.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	$20
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	650
Total number of admissions given out	20,842	433
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,716	133
Yield rate	22.6%	30.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737	$33,727
Average net price	$8,708	$16,830
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	$8,282
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,316 Meal plan: $4,506
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $10,882	97.0% Average amount $6,790
Students receiving federal student loan	14.0% Average amount $4,779	29.0% Average amount $4,675
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,360	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%	6,000 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	914 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.7%	N/A
International students	6.0%	3.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,029	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.2%	38.4%
Dropout rate	33.7%	28.8%
Transferred out	5.6%	30.1%
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: $65,050 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $82,901 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,701 Year 2: $68,821 Year 3: $77,450 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,045 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $73,235 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,528 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $69,642 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,630 Year 2: $65,131 Year 3: $69,109 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,220 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $64,626 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,103 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,483 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,095 Year 2: $49,784 Year 3: $53,451 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,903 Year 2: $51,077 Year 3: $53,162 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,058 Year 2: $45,816 Year 3: $50,804

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