Los Angeles Southwest College vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

Los Angeles Southwest College and California State University-Northridge, two esteemed institutions of higher learning in California, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. While both institutions provide quality education, they differ in several key aspects. Los Angeles Southwest College, a community college, boasts an open admissions policy, welcoming students from all backgrounds, while California State University-Northridge, a public research university, has a more selective admissions process. The student body demographics reflect these differences, with Los Angeles Southwest College catering to a larger proportion of Hispanic and African American students, and California State University-Northridge having a more diverse international student population. Furthermore, the two institutions offer a wide range of academic programs, with California State University-Northridge excelling in fields like Business, Engineering, and Health Professions, and Los Angeles Southwest College specializing in vocational and technical programs. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	California State University-Northridge	Los Angeles Southwest College
Overview
Location	Northridge, California	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	82.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	Open Admission
Application fees	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	23,656
Total number of admissions given out	20,842
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,716
Yield rate	22.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737	In state: $24,377 Out of state: $32,151
Average net price	$8,708	$8,651
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $1,196 Out of state: $8,970
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,316 Meal plan: $4,506
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $10,882	85.0% Average amount $5,513
Students receiving federal student loan	14.0% Average amount $4,779
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,360

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%	4,565 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Graduate students	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.7%	7.1%
International students	6.0%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,029	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Liberal Arts Business Family and Consumer Sciences Social Sciences Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.2%	18.5%
Dropout rate	33.7%	54.8%
Transferred out	5.6%	13.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,633 Year 2: $21,781 Year 3: $27,544 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,722 Year 3: N/A

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