California State University-Channel Islands: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Northridge, California · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
California State University-Channel Islands is a public university in Northridge, California that admits about 93% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $7,599 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Psychology, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 57% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 4.0 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
California State University-Channel Islands is a public institution located in Northridge, California. For the most recent reporting cycle, California State University-Channel Islands admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 93%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $7,599 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether California State University-Channel Islands is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for California State University-Channel Islands?
California State University-Channel Islands has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does California State University-Channel Islands weight in admissions?
California State University-Channel Islands reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Standardized test scores
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
SAT and ACT scores California State University-Channel Islands typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does California State University-Channel Islands actually cost?
Published tuition is $7,095 for in-state students and $18,975 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,648 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $7,599 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 56% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $6,084 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $18,684 |
| Room and board | $21,350 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $7,599 |
| Application fee | $55 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for California State University-Channel Islands
| Regular deadline | Nov. 30 |
| Notification date | March 1 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from California State University-Channel Islands?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at California State University-Channel Islands
The most popular undergraduate programs at California State University-Channel Islands, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Psychology, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. Across all programs, California State University-Channel Islands confers roughly 4,299 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $52,901 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology, General | 930 | $52,901 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 805 | $66,806 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 469 | $46,521 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 442 | $56,754 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 442 | — |
| Sociology | 417 | $53,371 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 405 | — |
| Marketing | 389 | $69,084 |
Is California State University-Channel Islands safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), California State University-Channel Islands disclosed 130 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 4.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 8 violent offenses and 24 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in California parents ask about
- Stanford University4% acceptance
- University of California-Berkeley12% acceptance
- University of California-Los Angeles9% acceptance
- University of Southern California10% acceptance
- University of California-Davis42% acceptance
- University of California-Irvine26% acceptance
- University of California-San Diego25% acceptance
- University of California-Santa Barbara63% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like California State University-Channel Islands
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like California State University-Channel Islands recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about California State University-Channel Islands
What GPA do I need for California State University-Channel Islands?
California State University-Channel Islands has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does California State University-Channel Islands typically admit?
California State University-Channel Islands does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does California State University-Channel Islands actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at California State University-Channel Islands after grants and scholarships is $7,599 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is California State University-Channel Islands realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, California State University-Channel Islands is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-Channel Islands?
California State University-Channel Islands accepts about 93% of applicants out of roughly 33,350 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is California State University-Channel Islands test-optional?
Yes. California State University-Channel Islands is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at California State University-Channel Islands?
About 57% of students at California State University-Channel Islands graduate within six years, and 28% finish in four years. 73% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does California State University-Channel Islands look for in applicants?
California State University-Channel Islands rates course rigor and test scores as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is California State University-Channel Islands a public or private school, and where is it located?
California State University-Channel Islands is a public institution located in Northridge, California.
What are the most popular majors at California State University-Channel Islands?
The largest undergraduate majors at California State University-Channel Islands by annual graduates are Psychology, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. The school awards about 4,299 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is California State University-Channel Islands safe? What is its campus crime rate?
California State University-Channel Islands reported 130 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 4.0 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by California State University-Channel Islands, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.