CSU Fresno vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

California State University-Fresno and California State University-Northridge, both esteemed institutions within the California State University system, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. While they share similarities as comprehensive universities, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. This side-by-side comparison delves into the nuances of each university, highlighting differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Whether you're a high school senior navigating the college application process or a transfer student seeking a new academic home, this comprehensive analysis will equip you with the knowledge to make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	California State University-Fresno	California State University-Northridge
Overview
Location	Fresno, 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	77.0%	82.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	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	15,231	23,656
Total number of admissions given out	14,816	20,842
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,451	4,716
Yield rate	23.3%	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: $28,085 Out of state: $39,965	In state: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737
Average net price	$6,336	$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: $5,433 Meal plan: $4,560	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 $10,314	82.0% Average amount $10,882
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,620	14.0% Average amount $4,779
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $8,114	1.0% Average amount $12,360

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	22,187 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%
Graduate students	2,860 Men 33.8% Women 66.2%	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.1%	1.7%
International students	4.8%	6.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,139	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 Washington Colorado Hawaii	California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	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	56.6%	54.2%
Dropout rate	36.1%	33.7%
Transferred out	1.6%	5.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $134,798 Year 2: $152,201 Year 3: $138,860 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,496 Year 2: $102,409 Year 3: $120,286 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,427 Year 2: $101,964 Year 3: $107,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,988 Year 2: $90,049 Year 3: $93,007 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $83,843 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $92,510 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,004 Year 2: $85,159 Year 3: $89,931 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,885 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $84,934 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,380 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $83,440 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $81,726 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,361 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $79,715	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

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.

CSU Fresno vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

California State University-Fresno

California State University-Northridge

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About