California State University-Northridge

Public · Moderately Selective · CA

Photo: CSU Northridge (Public Domain)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationCA · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads32,691

Student:faculty25:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate27.8%

6-yr grad rate57%

Drop-out rate26.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$7k

Out-of-state tuition$20k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity82%

Gender diversity52.9%

International2.9%

Identity—

Overview

California State University-Northridge, in the San Fernando Valley, is one of the largest campuses in the Cal State system and one of the most diverse student bodies in the country, with a large share of students commuting in from across greater Los Angeles. It combines that scale with a distinctly practical, career-focused mission rather than a research-university identity, and it has rebuilt itself into a significantly stronger campus in the decades since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which struck close to campus and caused serious damage to several buildings.

Academics

CSUN's film, television, and media programs benefit directly from proximity to the entertainment industry, giving students unusually direct pipelines into production and media careers for a public university. The Nazarian College of Business and Economics is one of the stronger business programs in the Cal State system, and the university is also a recognized national leader in Deaf studies and in services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students through its National Center on Deafness, a specialization few other large universities can match. CSUN's Armenian Studies program is also among the oldest and most established in the country outside Armenia itself, reflecting the significant Armenian-American community in the surrounding Valley.

Campus & student life

Much of student life is shaped by the commuter reality of a huge Los Angeles-area student population, so campus culture is less about dorm life and traditions and more about clubs, internships, and the surrounding city itself. Notably, CSUN does not field a football team — the program was discontinued decades ago — so Matador athletics center on basketball and Olympic sports rather than a Saturday football culture common at many public universities. The Valley setting puts students close to entertainment-industry jobs and studios.

Getting in

Admission is access-oriented and transcript-driven rather than essay- or interview-heavy, consistent with the broader Cal State system, with substantial numbers of students entering through community college transfer. Impacted programs like nursing, film, and business often carry their own additional, more competitive review beyond general university eligibility.

After graduation

Media and entertainment industry placement is a real strength given the location, with graduates working throughout the Los Angeles production ecosystem in both on-screen and behind-the-camera roles. Deaf studies graduates go on to strong outcomes in education, interpreting, and advocacy fields nationally, an unusually well-defined pipeline for a single academic department. Business graduates are well represented in Southern California's finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship sectors.

Worth knowing

Prospective students interested in Deaf studies, American Sign Language, or services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students should know CSUN's program is a genuine national leader, not just a regional offering, drawing students from well outside California specifically for it. The absence of a football program is also worth knowing for students expecting a traditional big-university sports culture.

csun.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate93.5%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Regular decisionMay 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Cal State Apply.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗