Towson vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

Towson University in Maryland and California State University-Northridge are two distinct universities with unique offerings. Towson boasts a higher acceptance rate of 79%, while CSUN's acceptance rate stands at 52%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Towson excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Health Professions, and CSUN excelling in fields like Business, Engineering, and the Arts. Towson's student body is predominantly female, while CSUN's student body is more evenly balanced between genders. In terms of graduation rates, Towson's four-year graduation rate is 39%, while CSUN's four-year graduation rate is 23%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
California State University-Northridge logo

California State University-Northridge

Towson University logo

Towson University

Overview

Location Northridge, California Towson, Maryland
Campus setting City: Large City: Small
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% 85.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 88.1% 87.9%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $70
Undergraduate: $45

Graduate: $45
SAT range N/A 1040 - 1220
ACT range N/A 21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 28.0%
Students submitting ACT score 3.0%
Total number of applicants 23,656 11,616
Total number of admissions given out 20,842 10,213
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,716 2,592
Yield rate 22.6% 25.4%
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 Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $31,857

Out of state: $43,737
In state: $28,126

Out of state: $43,178
Average net price $8,708 $11,076
Tuition
In state: $5,742

Out of state: $17,622
In state: $7,100

Out of state: $22,152
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,316

Meal plan: $4,506
Room/dormitory: $7,632

Meal plan: $6,650
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

82.0%
Average amount $10,882
73.0%
Average amount $9,261
Students receiving federal student loan 14.0%
Average amount $4,779
42.0%
Average amount $5,098
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $12,360
5.0%
Average amount $15,576

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 34,496
Men 45.0% Women 55.0%
17,907
Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Graduate students 5,612
Men 33.0% Women 67.0%
2,949
Men 22.9% Women 77.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 1.7% 10.6%
International students 6.0% 1.7%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Small
Dormitory capacity 4,029 5,351
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 Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Virginia

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Business
Students to faculty ratio 26:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 54.2% 72.3%
Dropout rate 33.7% 6.8%
Transferred out 5.6% 18.9%
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
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $110,447
  • Year 2: $107,906
  • Year 3: $122,885
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $73,340
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $94,047
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,795
  • Year 2: $83,768
  • Year 3: $85,948
Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $85,262
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,242
  • Year 2: $66,821
  • Year 3: $79,355
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,719
  • Year 2: $66,984
  • Year 3: $69,964
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,483
  • Year 2: $63,666
  • Year 3: $68,130
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,907
  • Year 2: $67,156
  • Year 3: $67,633
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $58,402
  • Year 3: $66,692
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,389
  • Year 2: $62,012
  • Year 3: $65,981

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.