by our College Data Analytics TeamCalifornia State University-Northridge is a public institution in Northridge, California enrolling 32,691 undergraduates. It accepts 93% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 57%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #288 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 6%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
California State University-Northridge ranks #288 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 6%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
California State University-Northridge was awarded 1563 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked CSUN as #288 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.
CSUN is also ranked #55 on the Best Colleges in California list.
See all of the rankings for California State University-Northridge.
California State University-Northridge has an acceptance rate of 93%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for CSUN.
Learn more about California State University-Northridge admissions.
At California State University-Northridge, the student to faculty ratio is 25 to 1. Compared to the national average of 15 to 1, this is somewhat high. This could mean that class sizes may be larger than they are at other colleges or universities or that professors may be required to teach more classes.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at California State University-Northridge is 43%. This is comparable to the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 73% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like California State University-Northridge enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At CSUN the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 57%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at California State University-Northridge.
During the most recent academic year, there were 32,691 undergraduates at CSUN.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at California State University-Northridge.
The typical net cost at CSUN is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4,905 | $5,450 | $7,744 | $11,262 | $18,040 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of CSUN, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At CSUN, approximately 21% of students took out student loans averaging $6,712 a year. That adds up to $26,848 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.6%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for California State University-Northridge.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from California State University-Northridge make about $59,115 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is good news for future California State University-Northridge graduates since it is 20% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at California State University-Northridge make the most money.
California State University-Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of California State University-Northridge.
Contact details for California State University-Northridge are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge, CA 91330 |
| Phone: | 8186771200 |
| Website: | www.csun.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_University,_Northridge |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/pages/Northridge-CA/California-State-University-Northridge/6684699242 |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/csunorthridge |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 27 majors graduated from California State University-Northridge. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 10,139 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 1,263 | $41,821 |
| General Psychology | 1,010 | $27,524 |
| Radio, TV & Digital Communication | 464 | $25,896 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 434 | $68,695 |
| Computer Science | 373 | $64,782 |
| Health & Physical Education | 370 | $26,612 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 356 | $23,598 |
| Sociology | 344 | $29,883 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 343 | NA |
19,860 students took at least one online class at California State University-Northridge.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at California State University-Northridge.
Interested in comparing CSUN? Match them up using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References