Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University logo
#881 / #256
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#415
Most Desirable School
Public research university in Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland State University at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#256
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
91%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$13,262
Graduation rate
51%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
8,969

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

Cleveland State University Featured Rankings

About Cleveland State University

According to Wikipedia, Cleveland State University is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. CSU absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law in 1969. Today it is part of the University System of Ohio, has more than 120,000 alumni, and offers over 200 academic programs amongst eight colleges. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

Cleveland State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian ACT Score
10,27491%70%51%21

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2023; 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 Cleveland State University Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$13,262
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$10,230
30K - 48K$13,389
48K - 75K$19,883
75K - 110K$17,297
110K+$16,567

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 Cleveland State University Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Cleveland State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $56,979 a year, and 91% 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.

Cleveland State University's Demographics

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

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
16,74210,9815,761

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

Where is Cleveland State University?

Cleveland State University is located at 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-2214.

How Safe is Cleveland State University?

Like every college that receives federal student aid, Cleveland State University publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Cleveland State University has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property crime rate of 0.27%. Cleveland has a violent crime rate of 1.58% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 4.53%. 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 Cleveland State University Known For?

Cleveland State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Cleveland State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Cleveland State University'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

Physics
#730
World Rank
#770
Historical Rank
#176
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #176 in the U.S. and #730 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Economics
#891
World Rank
#904
Historical Rank
#189
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #189 in the U.S. and #891 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Nursing
#536
World Rank
#536
Historical Rank
#205
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #205 in the U.S. and #536 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Law
#637
World Rank
#646
Historical Rank
#207
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #207 in the U.S. and #637 worldwide for influence in Law.

Sociology
#767
World Rank
#780
Historical Rank
#207
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #207 in the U.S. and #767 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Engineering
#1177
World Rank
#1201
Historical Rank
#208
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #208 in the U.S. and #1177 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Political Science
#871
World Rank
#878
Historical Rank
#221
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #221 in the U.S. and #871 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Computer Science
#918
World Rank
#920
Historical Rank
#231
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #231 in the U.S. and #918 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Business
#829
World Rank
#829
Historical Rank
#253
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #253 in the U.S. and #829 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Education
#1031
World Rank
#1032
Historical Rank
#253
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #253 in the U.S. and #1031 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Medical
#909
World Rank
#904
Historical Rank
#254
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #254 in the U.S. and #909 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
History
#793
World Rank
#811
Historical Rank
#282
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #282 in the U.S. and #793 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Communications
#1024
World Rank
#1052
Historical Rank
#286
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #286 in the U.S. and #1024 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Mathematics
#1216
World Rank
#1270
Historical Rank
#307
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #307 in the U.S. and #1216 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Anthropology
#1127
World Rank
#1143
Historical Rank
#366
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #366 in the U.S. and #1127 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Literature
#1181
World Rank
#1236
Historical Rank
#394
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #394 in the U.S. and #1181 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Philosophy
#1360
World Rank
#1419
Historical Rank
#410
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #410 in the U.S. and #1360 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Psychology
#1288
World Rank
#1305
Historical Rank
#502
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #502 in the U.S. and #1288 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Social Work
#1243
World Rank
#1244
Historical Rank
#511
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #511 in the U.S. and #1243 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Religious Studies
#2336
World Rank
#2360
Historical Rank
#534
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #534 in the U.S. and #2336 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Earth Sciences
#2276
World Rank
#2286
Historical Rank
#560
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #560 in the U.S. and #2276 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Biology
#2495
World Rank
#2524
Historical Rank
#577
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #577 in the U.S. and #2495 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Chemistry
#3115
World Rank
#3128
Historical Rank
#661
USA Rank

Cleveland State University ranks #661 in the U.S. and #3115 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees

Who Are Cleveland State University's Most Influential Alumni?

Cleveland State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Nursing, and Law. Here are some of Cleveland State University's most famous alumni:

Annie Easley
Annie Easley
An American mathematician and rocket scientist.
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
An American politician in Ohio .
Mitchell Silver
An American urban planner.
Nina Turner
An American politician from Ohio.
James Harris
An American communist.
Bryn Forbes
Bryn Forbes
An American basketball player.
Danielle Ripich
A .
George Nader
A Lebanese-American businessman and convicted sex offender.
Tim Murphy
Tim Murphy
An American politician, Pennsylvania.
Vlado Dimovski
A Slovene economist, philosopher, politician, university professor.
Karen Kovacik
An American poet.
Max Miller
An American politician .

Who Are Cleveland State University's Most Influential Faculty?

Cleveland State University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Nursing, and Law. Here are some of Cleveland State University's most famous faculty:

Claire Van Ummersen
An American academic.
Wendy Kellogg
An American psychologist.
Michael Dumanis
An American writer.
Stephen Nicholls
An Australian cardiologist.
Dennis Gates
An American basketball coach.
Peter Boyer
Peter Boyer
An American composer.