California State University, Los Angeles

California State University, Los Angeles logo
#938 / #274
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#865
Most Desirable School
Public university in Los Angeles, California, United States

California State University, Los Angeles at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#274
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
91%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$7,530
Graduation rate
55%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
19,562

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

California State University, Los Angeles Featured Rankings

About California State University, Los Angeles

According to Wikipedia, California State University, Los Angeles is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 master's degree programs, and 4 doctoral degrees: the Doctor of Philosophy in special education in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles , Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Doctor of Nursing Practice , and Doctor of Audiology . It also offers 22 teaching credentials.

California State University, Los Angeles Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
32,74891%72%55%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does California State University, Los Angeles Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$7,530
Average Net Price by Family Income (2021–22)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$1,364
30K - 48K$1,624
48K - 75K$2,270
75K - 110K$4,495
110K+$13,082

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do California State University, Los Angeles Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former California State University, Los Angeles students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $62,555 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

California State University, Los Angeles's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
27,49323,4584,035

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is California State University, Los Angeles?

California State University, Los Angeles is located at 5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032-8506.

How Safe is California State University, Los Angeles?

Relative to its enrollment, California State University, Los Angeles has a violent crime rate of 0.03% and a property crime rate of 0.12%. Los Angeles has a violent crime rate of 0.73% and a property crime rate of 1.50%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is California State University, Los Angeles Known For?

California State University, Los Angeles is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

California State University, Los Angeles's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much California State University, Los Angeles's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Economics
#836
World Rank
#848
Historical Rank
#180
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #180 in the U.S. and #836 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Philosophy
#626
World Rank
#689
Historical Rank
#187
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #187 in the U.S. and #626 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Sociology
#726
World Rank
#738
Historical Rank
#193
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #193 in the U.S. and #726 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Psychology
#481
World Rank
#503
Historical Rank
#199
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #199 in the U.S. and #481 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Criminal Justice
#399
World Rank
#401
Historical Rank
#227
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #227 in the U.S. and #399 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
Political Science
#1028
World Rank
#1036
Historical Rank
#255
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #255 in the U.S. and #1028 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Literature
#789
World Rank
#570
Historical Rank
#268
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #268 in the U.S. and #789 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Mathematics
#1079
World Rank
#1143
Historical Rank
#269
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #269 in the U.S. and #1079 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Business
#1106
World Rank
#1107
Historical Rank
#320
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #320 in the U.S. and #1106 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
History
#895
World Rank
#907
Historical Rank
#320
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #320 in the U.S. and #895 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Social Work
#814
World Rank
#816
Historical Rank
#331
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #331 in the U.S. and #814 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Anthropology
#1000
World Rank
#1019
Historical Rank
#332
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #332 in the U.S. and #1000 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Communications
#1223
World Rank
#1250
Historical Rank
#335
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #335 in the U.S. and #1223 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Computer Science
#1477
World Rank
#1481
Historical Rank
#335
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #335 in the U.S. and #1477 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Education
#1434
World Rank
#1436
Historical Rank
#338
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #338 in the U.S. and #1434 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Physics
#1578
World Rank
#1608
Historical Rank
#351
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #351 in the U.S. and #1578 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Chemistry
#1912
World Rank
#1932
Historical Rank
#370
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #370 in the U.S. and #1912 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Engineering
#2353
World Rank
#2369
Historical Rank
#383
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #383 in the U.S. and #2353 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Earth Sciences
#1622
World Rank
#1618
Historical Rank
#384
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #384 in the U.S. and #1622 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Medical
#1467
World Rank
#1472
Historical Rank
#402
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #402 in the U.S. and #1467 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Biology
#2103
World Rank
#2130
Historical Rank
#494
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #494 in the U.S. and #2103 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Nursing
#3200
World Rank
#3201
Historical Rank
#1245
USA Rank

California State University, Los Angeles ranks #1245 in the U.S. and #3200 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees

Who Are California State University, Los Angeles's Most Influential Alumni?

California State University, Los Angeles's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Literature. Here are some of California State University, Los Angeles's most famous alumni:

Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams
An American economist, commentator, and academic .
Eugene Landy
Eugene Landy
An American psychologist.
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
An American tennis player .
Charles Plott
An American economist.
Richard E. Ladner
An American computer scientist.
Ralph W. Hood
An American psychologist.
Carolyn See
Carolyn See
An American novelist and journalist.
Octavia E. Butler
Octavia E. Butler
An American science fiction writer .
Leana Wen
Leana Wen
An American physician, academic, author and journalist.
Antonia Darder
Antonia Darder
An American artist.
Lixia Zhang
A Professor of Computer Science.
Samuel T. Durrance
Samuel T. Durrance
An American scientist.

Who Are California State University, Los Angeles's Most Influential Faculty?

Lodovico Pizzati
An Italian politician.