Quad

Outcomes

What it pays

Former students earn a median $68,712 ten years after enrolling, more than at 82% of colleges; 76% graduate within six years. Four years of net price is about 2.2 years of that salary.

Earnings

Median earnings vs. every college$68.7K
$68.7K
← $24.8Khigher than 82% of 1,762$108.8K →

Earnings climb with time

6 years after entry$55K
10 years after entry$68.7K

Staying and finishing

79%

Retention

come back for year two

76%

Graduation

graduate within six years

National median graduation rate: 59%

What graduates owe

Median debt at graduation, federal loans only

$21.7K

According to California Lutheran University's most recent Common Data Set, 61% of its Class of 2017 graduates (381 students) borrowed from any source: federal, institutional, state, or private, averaging $34,220 among those who did.

Counts students who started here as first-time students and earned a bachelor's; the federal median counts federal loans only, including students who left without a degree.

Everyone who starts here, 8 years later

Students who entered in fall 2016, including and part-time students. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students and treats a transfer out as not finishing.

76 of 100 students who start here earn a degree or certificate here within 8 years; 17 more are enrolled at another college. (1,103 students)

Earned a credential within 8 years

All entering students, by whether they had a Pell Grant.

Pell Grant recipients76%
Students without a Pell Grant77%
How long it takes

71 of 100 finish within 4 years, 76 within 6, and 76 within 8.

Earned a credential within4 yrs6 yrs8 yrs
All students71%76%76%
Started in college here67%73%73%
Transferred in77%81%81%

Transfer students' clock starts when they arrive here, not when they first started college.

National median: 60% of all entering students earn a credential at the college they started at within 8 years.

Do lower-income students finish?

Pell Grant recipients: 70%, 3 points below students with no need-based federal aid (72%). First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years; entered fall 2018.

  • Pell Grant recipients204 students

    70% · 3 points below students with neither

  • Subsidized loan, no Pell Grant234 students

    67% · 6 points below students with neither

  • Neither Pell nor subsidized loan243 students

    72% · comparison group

All students in this class: 70%

By race and ethnicity

First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years, from the College Scorecard's most recent release. Groups under 30 students aren't shown.

  • White287 students

    70% · the same as all students

  • Asian36 students

    81% · 11 points above all students

  • Hispanic/Latino231 students

    74% · 4 points above all students

  • Black38 students

    50% · 20 points below all students

  • Two or more races52 students

    65% · 4 points below all students

  • International15 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • American Indian/Alaska Native1 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander8 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

All students (IPEDS, entered fall 2018): 70%

Cost vs. earnings

The 300 most-applied-to colleges plus California Lutheran University. Top-left is lower cost and higher earnings.

PublicPrivateDot size = undergrads

↑ Median earnings 10 years after entry (higher = more)

Lower cost, higher earnings$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K$140K$160K$0$10K$20K$30K$40K$50K$60K$70K$80KCalifornia Lutheran University
Average cost per year, all students (est.) → more expensive

Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;California Lutheran University Common Data Set 2017–18, Class of 2017About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)