Cal State LA vs Cal Poly Humboldt

California State University-Los Angeles (CSULA) and California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. CSULA, located in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while Cal Poly Humboldt, nestled in the scenic redwood forests of Arcata, emphasizes hands-on learning and environmental stewardship. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	California State University-Los Angeles	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Arcata, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
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	73.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.5%	91.5%
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	29,223	7,013
Total number of admissions given out	26,459	6,414
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,095	629
Yield rate	15.5%	9.8%
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: $32,619 Out of state: $44,499	In state: $25,668 Out of state: $37,548
Average net price	$2,695	$13,904
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,712 Meal plan: $4,500	Room/dormitory: $6,638 Meal plan: $5,600
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,909	75.0% Average amount $9,716
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,458	36.0% Average amount $4,831
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $8,862	1.0% Average amount $12,255

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,536 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	5,354 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	3,977 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%	554 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.1%	7.0%
International students	5.9%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,565	2,069
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Illinois Minnesota Hawaii Maryland	California Oregon Washington Colorado Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Engineering Psychology Public Administration and Social Service	Natural Resources and Conservation Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	16:1
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	51.9%	47.5%
Dropout rate	39.4%	42.0%
Transferred out	3.1%	7.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,257 Year 2: $103,746 Year 3: $117,496 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,475 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $103,691 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,250 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $99,815 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $90,684 Year 2: $87,548 Year 3: $93,771 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,852 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $83,310 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $82,904 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,004 Year 2: $74,367 Year 3: $80,425 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,165 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $77,214 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,370 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $72,371 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,775 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,643	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,497 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $69,150 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,856 Year 2: $48,265 Year 3: $60,145 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $58,243 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,405 Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $57,583 Forestry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,805 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,240 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,362 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $45,717 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,892 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $42,797 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,215 Year 2: $36,294 Year 3: $41,528 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,882 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $39,496 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,867 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $37,639

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