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Cleveland, OH · Public · 8,969 undergraduates · urban

Cleveland State University

Less selective

Cleveland State uses a downtown campus to connect professional majors directly with hospitals, engineering firms, businesses, and public institutions.

Campus image / Cleveland State University

Institutional profile

Established Solid in mobility, and solid in affordability.
Academic Emerging Affordability Solid Career Steady Mobility Solid Experience Steady
Academic standing Emerging
Affordability Solid
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Solid
Student experience Steady
Admission
95.5% admitted

10,274 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
55.7%

$52,131 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Cleveland State University apart

Academic design

Engineering, business, nursing, health sciences, urban affairs, and liberal arts are major undergraduate areas.

Campus pattern

Campus occupies downtown Cleveland's eastern edge rather than a separate college town.

Career & value signal

Structured co-op and internship options use the surrounding medical, manufacturing, government, and corporate sectors.

Can I get in?

95.5% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

10,274

About 95 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 95.5%
Entering class

Academic range

ACT middle 50%17–25
1230

Of admitted students, 0% submitted an SAT, and 33% submitted an ACT. Because SAT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA18%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Cleveland State University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Cleveland State University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Engineering, business, nursing, health sciences, urban affairs, and liberal arts are major undergraduate areas.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Cleveland State uses a downtown campus to connect professional majors directly with hospitals, engineering firms, businesses, and public institutions.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Regular Decisionrolling
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Check eligibility for a fee waiver

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

Computer scienceAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

EngineeringAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$39,488
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$15,000
Affordability profileSolid

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Cleveland State University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years55.7%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one69.7%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$52,131

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Psychology, General

Recent graduates210
Median earnings$46,090

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions

Recent graduates142
Median earnings$55,038

Admits separately

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

Recent graduates99
Median earnings$55,174

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates91
Median earnings$58,930

Admits separately

What is campus life like?

Cleveland State University beyond the classroom

Campus occupies downtown Cleveland's eastern edge rather than a separate college town.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Engineering, business, nursing, health sciences, urban affairs, and liberal arts are major undergraduate areas.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Campus occupies downtown Cleveland's eastern edge rather than a separate college town.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Structured co-op and internship options use the surrounding medical, manufacturing, government, and corporate sectors.

8,969 undergraduatesMidwesturban settingCampus housing available