undergradly.
Public College

California State
University-Channel Islands

Public College in Camarillo, CA. Six-year graduation rate 51%. Median 10-year earnings $62,152.

Verdict Solid outcomes
California State University-Channel Islands · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$62,152
Median debt at grad
$15,000
Mobility score
1.6
% bottom→top quintile
Graduation rate
51.3%
Federal loan default
0%

A decade after enrolling, the median California State University-Channel Islands student earns $62,152 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. Six-year completion sits at 51%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $15,000, a light load against those earnings.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • Debt-to-income ratio 0.24 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Admissions

Acceptance rate
95%
Applicants
8,810
Yield rate
6.2%

California State University-Channel Islands admits 95% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool runs to 8,810, typical for a school of this reach. Only 6% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.

Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)

These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.

Test 25th–75th percentile Submitted
SAT Evidence-Based Reading
SAT Math
ACT Composite

IPEDS Admissions · 2024

Apply at California State University-Channel Islands →

Academics

Full-time retention
72%
Transfer-out rate
5%
Student:faculty
16:1

Six-year completion sits at 51%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. 72% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in four are gone before sophomore year. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. Retention drops to 23% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. At 16:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$10,632
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
71%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
24%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,230 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Students pay an average of $10,632 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $6,857 while those at $110k+ pay $20,473. About 71% get grants averaging $11,546, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 24% of students.

Entering first-year students

A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.

% receiving grants
79%
Average grant
$12,528

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 555 students

Net price by family income

The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.

Family income band Average net price
$0–30k $6,857
$30–48k $7,083
$48–75k $9,083
$75–110k $12,286
$110k+ $20,473

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 1,267 of these 5,230 students, totalling $8,912,869 — an average of $7,035 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (Ventura County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$1,998/mo
1 bedroom
$2,250/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$2,693/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
219
Yellow Ribbon
No
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare California State University-Channel Islands with peer institutions

How we evaluate California State University-Channel Islands

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →