California State University-Northridge: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
San Bernardino, California · Public · Open access · CDS 2025-2026
California State University-Northridge is a public university in San Bernardino, California that admits about 98% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $5,918 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Sociology, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 53% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 1.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
California State University-Northridge is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. For the most recent reporting cycle, California State University-Northridge admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 98%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $5,918 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether California State University-Northridge 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-Northridge?
California State University-Northridge 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-Northridge weight in admissions?
California State University-Northridge reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Geographical residence
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores California State University-Northridge 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.
| 25th percentile | 890 |
| 50th percentile | 1000 |
| 75th percentile | 1130 |
| % submitting SAT | 15% |
| 25th percentile | 17 |
| 50th percentile | 21 |
| 75th percentile | 26 |
| % submitting ACT | 1% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Recommended
How much does California State University-Northridge actually cost?
Published tuition is $7,675 for in-state students and $19,555 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,996 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $5,918 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 57% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $6,450 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $11,778 |
| Room and board | $16,180 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $5,918 |
| Application fee | $70 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for California State University-Northridge
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
Will my child graduate from California State University-Northridge?
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-Northridge
The most popular undergraduate programs at California State University-Northridge, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Sociology. Across all programs, California State University-Northridge confers roughly 2,464 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $58,118 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 686 | $58,118 |
| Psychology, General | 536 | $46,874 |
| Sociology | 277 | $49,287 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 238 | $54,814 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 223 | $55,231 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 205 | $56,489 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 150 | $48,810 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 149 | $37,159 |
Is California State University-Northridge safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), California State University-Northridge disclosed 27 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 1.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 4 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.
What is campus life like at California State University-Northridge?
About 7% of undergraduates at California State University-Northridge live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 2% of men join a fraternity and 2% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
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-Northridge
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like California State University-Northridge 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-Northridge
What GPA do I need for California State University-Northridge?
California State University-Northridge 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-Northridge typically admit?
California State University-Northridge 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-Northridge actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at California State University-Northridge after grants and scholarships is $5,918 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-Northridge 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-Northridge 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-Northridge?
California State University-Northridge accepts about 98% of applicants out of roughly 14,947 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is California State University-Northridge test-optional?
Yes. California State University-Northridge 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-Northridge?
About 53% of students at California State University-Northridge graduate within six years. 80% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does California State University-Northridge look for in applicants?
California State University-Northridge rates GPA 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-Northridge a public or private school, and where is it located?
California State University-Northridge is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California.
What are the most popular majors at California State University-Northridge?
The largest undergraduate majors at California State University-Northridge by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Sociology. The school awards about 2,464 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is California State University-Northridge safe? What is its campus crime rate?
California State University-Northridge reported 27 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 1.8 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at California State University-Northridge?
At California State University-Northridge, 7% of undergraduates live on campus, 2% of men are in fraternities, 2% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by California State University-Northridge, 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.