Cleveland State University

Public · Moderately Selective · OH

Photo: Warren LeMay (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationOH · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads8,969

Student:faculty16:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate33.6%

6-yr grad rate50.6%

Drop-out rate29.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$13k

Out-of-state tuition$19k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity44.1%

Gender diversity53.5%

International6%

Identity—

Overview

Cleveland State is an urban public university anchored in downtown Cleveland, a few blocks from the Playhouse Square theater district, with close working ties to the city's employers, hospitals, and courts. It traces its engineering roots to the former Fenn College, which built a co-op tradition into its DNA well before the merger that created CSU, and co-ops and internships remain a defining part of the undergraduate experience today.

Academics

Engineering, nursing, business, and urban affairs are core strengths — the Washkewicz College of Engineering carries Fenn College's co-op tradition directly into the classroom — and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law carries solid regional recognition, historically known for serving working students through evening programs. Programs generally build structured, workplace-connected experience directly into the degree rather than treating internships as optional extras, a legacy of the Fenn College model that predates the university itself.

Campus & student life

Downtown Cleveland surrounds the campus, giving students walking access to Playhouse Square, sports venues, and the city's employers, though the student population leans heavily commuter and transfer rather than traditionally residential. On-campus housing has grown in recent years to build a more traditional residential core, but the surrounding downtown remains the real center of gravity. Vikings athletics play at the Wolstein Center, and student life is shaped as much by the surrounding city as by campus-centered traditions.

Getting in

Admission is accessible and credentials-based, reflecting the university's role as a broad-access urban public institution rather than a highly selective one; the review leans on coursework and test scores rather than an elaborate essay process. The university draws heavily from Greater Cleveland and northeast Ohio high schools and community colleges, and transfer admission is especially well-worn given how many students arrive after starting elsewhere.

After graduation

Strong regional pipelines exist into Cleveland's hospitals, courts, and corporate employers, aided directly by the co-op and internship culture built into engineering, nursing, and business programs, and Cleveland-Marshall graduates often go on to practice within the region's legal community. Many students secure a full-time offer from a co-op employer well before graduation, a direct return on the university's structured work-experience model.

Worth knowing

The co-op emphasis, inherited from Fenn College's engineering heritage, means many students graduate with substantial real work experience already on their resumes — a practical, structural advantage for students who want career traction built into their four years rather than pursued separately.

csuohio.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate91.3%

Enrolled mid-50%1180

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying