Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) and California State University-Northridge (CSUN) are two distinct universities with unique offerings and characteristics. SCSU, located in Minnesota, boasts a higher acceptance rate of 86% compared to CSUN's 48%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. CSUN, situated in California, offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, with 86 majors to choose from compared to SCSU's 68. Both universities have diverse student bodies, with CSUN having a slightly larger population of 38,596 students compared to SCSU's 14,873. While SCSU has a higher graduation rate of 58% compared to CSUN's 49%, CSUN offers a more extensive selection of graduate programs, with 58 master's degrees and 20 doctoral degrees available. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two
California State University-Northridge logo

California State University-Northridge

Saint Cloud State University logo

Saint Cloud State University

Overview

Location Northridge, California Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Campus setting City: Large City: Small
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% 62.0%
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 88.1% 94.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $70
$40
SAT range N/A N/A
ACT range N/A 18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score 39.0%
Total number of applicants 23,656 4,228
Total number of admissions given out 20,842 3,988
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,716 837
Yield rate 22.6% 21.0%
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 Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $31,857

Out of state: $43,737
In state: $22,317

Out of state: $31,157
Average net price $8,708 $13,615
Tuition
In state: $5,742

Out of state: $17,622
In state: $7,839

Out of state: $16,679
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,316

Meal plan: $4,506
Room/dormitory: $6,036

Meal plan: $3,311
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

82.0%
Average amount $10,882
83.0%
Average amount $6,233
Students receiving federal student loan 14.0%
Average amount $4,779
48.0%
Average amount $5,504
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $12,360
12.0%
Average amount $10,683

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 34,496
Men 45.0% Women 55.0%
8,956
Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students 5,612
Men 33.0% Women 67.0%
1,818
Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 1.7% N/A
International students 6.0% 10.2%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Small
Dormitory capacity 4,029 1,642
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio 26:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 54.2% 47.2%
Dropout rate 33.7% 16.2%
Transferred out 5.6% 34.9%
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
Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $80,556
  • Year 3: $94,800
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $79,020
  • Year 2: $75,204
  • Year 3: $92,834
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,563
  • Year 2: $70,009
  • Year 3: $81,117
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,734
  • Year 2: $59,253
  • Year 3: $78,506
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,589
  • Year 2: $63,377
  • Year 3: $74,072
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,404
  • Year 2: $66,377
  • Year 3: $68,544
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $58,522
  • Year 3: $66,211
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,623
  • Year 2: $55,964
  • Year 3: $63,637
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,397
  • Year 2: $62,154
  • Year 3: $62,291
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,276
  • Year 2: $51,273
  • Year 3: $57,748

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