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Cleveland State University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

113 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
91% Acceptance Rate

Cleveland State University is a public institution in Cleveland, Ohio enrolling 8,969 undergraduates. It accepts 91% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 51%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,088 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 21%), 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.

How Is Cleveland State University Ranked?

Cleveland State University ranks #1,088 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 21%.

#1,088 Best Colleges in Nation
#36 Best Colleges in OH
Cleveland State University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

Cleveland State University was awarded 113 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked Cleveland State University as #1,088 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.

Cleveland State University is also ranked #36 on the Best Colleges in Ohio list.

See all of the rankings for Cleveland State University.

Is It Hard to Get Into Cleveland State University?

91% Acceptance Rate
91% Of Accepted Are Women

Acceptance Rate

Cleveland State University has an acceptance rate of 91%, 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 Cleveland State University.

Learn more about Cleveland State University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Cleveland State University?

16 to 1 Student to Faculty
84% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

With a student to faculty ratio of 16 to 1, Cleveland State University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Cleveland State University is 84%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  84 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Cleveland State University?

70% Freshmen Retention
51% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Cleveland State University is 70%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  70 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Cleveland State University for first-time, full-time students is 51%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  51 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Cleveland State University.

How Diverse Is Cleveland State University?

8,969 Undergraduate Students
36.1% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
53.7% Percent Women

During the most recent academic year, there were 8,969 undergraduates at Cleveland State University.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Cleveland State University.

How Much Does Cleveland State University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
74% Take Out Loans
$30,260 Total Student Loans

The typical net cost at Cleveland State University 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.

Net Price by Income Group for Cleveland State University

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$11,958 $13,561 $14,727 $15,690 $20,378

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 Cleveland State University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Cleveland State University, approximately 74% of students took out student loans averaging $7,565 a year. That adds up to $30,260 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 6.2%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Cleveland State University.

How Much Do Cleveland State University Graduates Earn?

$52,131 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Cleveland State University make around $52,131 per year during the early years of their employment. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for Cleveland State University Graduates

See which majors at Cleveland State University make the most money.

Where Is Cleveland State University Located?

Ohio State
8,969 Undergraduate Students
Large City Campus Setting

Cleveland State University is an public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland is a great location for students who prefer city over country life. Get more details about the location of Cleveland State University.

Location of Cleveland State University

Contact details for Cleveland State University are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
Phone: 2166872000
Website: www.csuohio.edu/
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_State_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clevelandstateuniversity
Twitter: twitter.com/CLE_State

What Majors Does Cleveland State University Offer?

27 Majors With Completions
7,778 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 27 majors graduated from Cleveland State University. 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 3,889 NA
Information Science 258 $52,776
Business Administration & Management 252 $59,503
Computer Science 217 NA
Social Work 209 $38,553
Nursing 198 $58,439
General Psychology 180 $26,208
Mechanical Engineering 173 $65,030
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 142 $34,957
Law 133 $48,944

Learn more about the majors offered at Cleveland State University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does Cleveland State University Offer Online Classes?

59% Take At Least One Class Online
11% Take All Classes Online

5,278 students took at least one online class at Cleveland State University.

Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.

Learn more about online learning at Cleveland State University.

Curious how schools stack up against Cleveland State University? Compare them side by side using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.

Notes and References

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

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