California State University-Fullerton
Public Research University in Fullerton, CA. Six-year graduation rate 70%. Median 10-year earnings $62,951.
Students who entered California State University-Fullerton reach a median of $62,951 ten years later, which puts this school in the upper band of undergraduate earnings outcomes. The six-year graduation rate of 70% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates leave owing a median of $13,750 — modest by four-year standards. On economic mobility, 4.8% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.22 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Admission is not the constraint here: 91% of applicants are accepted. 53,559 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Only 14% 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-Fullerton →Academics
A 70% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. Retention is strong at 82%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 59% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The 26:1 student-faculty ratio is high, so large classes and limited faculty contact should be the expectation. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 36,956 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $7,064 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The income table below is the number that matters — $3,315 at $0–30k versus $15,631 at $110k+. About 70% get grants averaging $10,630, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 22% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
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.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 6,628 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 | $3,315 |
| $30–48k | $4,123 |
| $48–75k | $6,090 |
| $75–110k | $8,930 |
| $110k+ | $15,631 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 8,160 of these 36,956 students, totalling $51,849,326 — an average of $6,354 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Orange County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)