MSU Denver vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

Metropolitan State University of Denver and California State University-Northridge, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Metropolitan State, located in the vibrant city of Denver, Colorado, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on undergraduate education, with popular majors in business, nursing, and criminal justice. California State University-Northridge, situated in the heart of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California, is known for its comprehensive academic programs, including graduate degrees, and is particularly renowned for its programs in business, engineering, and the arts. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Northridge	Metropolitan State University of Denver
Overview
Location	Northridge, California	Denver, Colorado
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	82.0%	63.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	88.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	910 - 1140
ACT range	N/A	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		32.0%
Students submitting ACT score		8.0%
Total number of applicants	23,656	11,306
Total number of admissions given out	20,842	10,042
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,716	1,832
Yield rate	22.6%	18.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737	In state: $30,721 Out of state: $48,202
Average net price	$8,708	$14,195
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $8,280 Out of state: $25,761
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,316 Meal plan: $4,506
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $10,882	61.0% Average amount $6,912
Students receiving federal student loan	14.0% Average amount $4,779	57.0% Average amount $5,116
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,360	2.0% Average amount $10,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%	16,515 Men 44.1% Women 55.9%
Graduate students	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	1,163 Men 21.6% Women 78.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.7%	2.4%
International students	6.0%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: 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	Colorado California Texas Arizona Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.2%	29.8%
Dropout rate	33.7%	26.8%
Transferred out	5.6%	37.3%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,483 Year 2: $72,790 Year 3: $83,404 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,535 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $70,061 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,241 Year 2: $58,131 Year 3: $68,317 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,003 Year 2: $54,254 Year 3: $66,636 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,686 Year 2: $62,922 Year 3: $64,216 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,437 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $64,125 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,154 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $61,122 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,504 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $58,317 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,409 Year 2: $48,376 Year 3: $55,676 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,189 Year 2: $44,356 Year 3: $54,984

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