Systemwide Information: The CSU's Value to Students
Here are some of the important ways in which the public's investment in the California State University system provides exceptional returns.
Affordable Costs
While the cost of a college education is a concern for most students and their families, the California State
University provides a high-quality education that is far less than the cost of the national public university average,
as evidenced below.
| Sticker and "Net" Tuition & Fees* | |
|---|---|
| Average tuition and fee "sticker" charged to public four-year full-time instate undergraduates in AY 2011-12 | $7,897 |
| Average tuition and fee "sticker" charged to private four-year (not-for-profit) full-time undergraduates in AY 2011-12 | $27,252 |
| CSU average tuition and fee "sticker" charged to all full-time undergraduates in AY 2011-12 | $6,519 |
| CSU average tuition and fee "net" paid by full-time undergraduates in AY 2011-12 | $3,108 |
| CSU "Net" percent of "Sticker" Tuition & Fees for full-time undergraduates in AY 2011-12 | 47% |
| Source: CSU Chancellor's Office, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) IPEDS Data Center | |
*The "sticker" price is the university's average tuition and fees charged to full-time undergraduates; the "net" price is the amount actually paid, on average, by a CSU full-time undergraduate after grants and scholarships.
Access to All Students
The CSU is the nation's most diverse university system and the largest recipient of
Pell awards in the country,
with more than 146,000 undergraduate students receiving grants. The CSU's percentage of undergraduate Pell Grant recipients is 42 percent,
compared to the national average of public four-year institutions of 36 percent.
| Economic Diversity: Access & Completion | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Pell Grant Recipients (Fall 2010) | |
| CSU Undergraduates | 349,188 |
| CSU Undergraduate Pell Grant Recipients | 146,302 |
| CSU Pell Percentage of Undergraduates | 42% |
| National Pell Percentage of Public Four-Year Undergraduates | 36% |
| National Pell Percentage of Private Four-Year (Not-for-Profit) Undergraduates | 35% |
| Bachelor's Degree Pell Grant Recipients (2011-12) | |
| CSU Bachelor's Degrees | 76,427 |
| CSU Pell Grant Bachelor's Degree Recipients | 37,403 |
| CSU Pell Percentage of Bachelor's Degrees | 49% |
| Source: CSU Chancellor's Office, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) | |
| BACHELOR'S DEGREE AWARDS 2011-12 | ||
| By Racial and Ethnic Background | CSU | % of State |
|---|---|---|
| African American / Black | 3,402 | 46% |
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 470 | 41% |
| Asian | 12,189 | 35% |
| Hispanic | 18,637 | 57% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 620 | 59% |
| White | 28,018 | 43% |
| Two or More Races | 1,771 | 74% |
| Race and Ethnicity Unknown | 8,458 | 47% |
| Non-Resident Alien | 2,862 | 44% |
| Total | 76,427 | 45% |
Lower Loan Debt
CSU students' loan debt upon graduation is significantly less than the national average, with only 36
percent of CSU students carrying a debt of less than $17,000 at graduation while the national average
stands at 57 percent with an average debt of $30,000.
| Loan Debt of Baccalaureate Recipients | |
|---|---|
| Percent of 2010-11 Baccalaureate Recipients who Started as Freshmen and Assumed Loans | |
| CSU Percentage | 36% |
| State Percentage | 51% |
| National Public Four-Year Percentage | 57% |
| National Private Four-Year (Not-for-Profit) Percentage | 65% |
| Average Loan Debt of 2010-11 Baccalaureate Recipients who Started as Freshmen and Assumed Loans | |
| CSU Average | $16,648 |
| State Average | $18,879 |
| National Public Four-Year Average | $29,059 |
| National Private Four-Year (Not-for-Profit) Average | $23,065 |
| Loan Debt Default Rate | |
| CSU Default Rate | 5.1% |
| National Public Four-Year Default Rate | 6% |
| National Private Four-Year (Not-for-Profit) Default Rate | 5.2% | Source: CSU Chancellor's Office, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), "The Project on Student Debt (.pdf)" of The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), U.S. Department of Education, and The Institute for College Access & Success, College InSight. |
Higher Salaries
| Salaries of Baccalaureate Recipients—PayScale (2012) | |
|---|---|
| National average starting median salary of graduates from public universities | $41,392 |
| CSU graduates' median starting salary | $43,630 |
| National average mid-career median salary of graduates from public universities | $70,407 |
| CSU graduates' mid-career median salary | $78,315 |
| Source: "Top State Universities by Salary Potential", PayScale Inc. | |
Workforce Contributions
The CSU provides California's industries with highly-qualified, well-prepared college graduates. The CSU
awards nearly half of all the bachelor's degrees awarded by all of the universities, public and private,
in the state and nearly one-third of all the master's degrees.
| DEGREES GRANTED 2011-12 | ||
| Total Degree Awards | CSU | % of State |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 76,427 | 45% |
| Master's | 19,517 | 28% |
| Doctoral | 208 | 1% |
| Total | 96,152 | 38% |
| BACHELOR'S DEGREE AWARDS IN HIGH DEMAND FIELDS | ||
| Field | CSU | % of State |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitality and Tourism | 612 | 95% |
| Agriculture | 914 | 72% |
| Criminal Justice | 2,587 | 70% |
| Nursing | 2,575 | 53% |
| Public Administration | 1,429 | 52% |
| Business and Professional Services | 16,119 | 50% |
| Engineering | 4,331 | 47% |
| Media/Culture/Design | 8,691 | 41% |
| Life Science | 8,224 | 39% |
| Information Technology | 1,284 | 28% |
| REGULAR AND INTERNSHIP CREDENTIALS 2010-11 | ||
|---|---|---|
| CSU | % of State |
|
| First-Time/New Type Credentials Issued, Single Subject | 3,093 | 46% |
| First-Time/New Type Credentials Issued, Multiple Subject | 3,538 | 54% |
| First-Time/New Type Credentials Issued, Educ. Specialist | 2,010 | 45% |
| Source: CSU Chancellor's Office, National Center for Educational Statistics(NCES), and Commission on Teacher Credentialing (.pdf) | ||
