Cleveland State University
Public Research University in Cleveland, OH. Six-year graduation rate 51%. Median 10-year earnings $52,131.
Ten years after entry, the median Cleveland State University student earns $52,131 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 51% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $21,797, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Admission is not the constraint here: 91% of applicants are accepted. The applicant pool is large — 11,050 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. A 16% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class.
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 Cleveland State University →Academics
51% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 70% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Transfer-out runs to 27% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 38% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 9,186 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $16,230 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $11,958 at the $0–30k band to $20,378 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 71% of students at an average of $9,298. Borrowing is widespread: 76% take federal loans.
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 · 1,570 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 | $11,958 |
| $30–48k | $13,561 |
| $48–75k | $14,727 |
| $75–110k | $15,690 |
| $110k+ | $20,378 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 6,966 of these 9,186 students, totalling $52,672,437 — an average of $7,561 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cuyahoga 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)