CSU Bakersfield vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB) and California State University-Northridge (CSUN) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. CSUB, located in the southern Central Valley, boasts a smaller student body and a more intimate learning environment, with an acceptance rate of 86%. CSUN, situated in the San Fernando Valley, has a larger and more diverse student population, with an acceptance rate of 58%. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Psychology, and Engineering. While CSUB has a higher graduation rate of 44%, CSUN offers more research opportunities and a more vibrant campus life. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Bakersfield	California State University-Northridge
Overview
Location	Bakersfield, California	Northridge, 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	75.0%	82.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	88.1%
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	12,334	23,656
Total number of admissions given out	10,510	20,842
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,165	4,716
Yield rate	11.1%	22.6%
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: $28,783 Out of state: $40,663	In state: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737
Average net price	$7,368	$8,708
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,000 Meal plan: $4,200	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)	88.0% Average amount $10,725	82.0% Average amount $10,882
Students receiving federal student loan	16.0% Average amount $4,511	14.0% Average amount $4,779
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,495	1.0% Average amount $12,360

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,367 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%
Graduate students	1,605 Men 25.1% Women 74.9%	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.9%	1.7%
International students	3.7%	6.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	500	4,029
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Arizona Colorado Washington Florida	California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism Business	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	26:1
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	47.6%	54.2%
Dropout rate	43.9%	33.7%
Transferred out	1.8%	5.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,247 Year 2: $80,521 Year 3: $85,224 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,530 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $79,366 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,597 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $72,066 Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,382 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $64,423 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,342 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $64,084 Natural Resources Management and Policy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,823 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $62,781 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $60,695 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,359 Year 3: $60,583 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $60,474	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

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CSU Bakersfield vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

California State University-Bakersfield

California State University-Northridge

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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