Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH · Public · Horizon League

Official website

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Admission rate

Cleveland State University admitted 91.3% of applicants university-wide (10,089 of 11,050).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide91.3%10,08911,050
In-state80.0%6,4008,000
Out-of-state80.0%1,2001,500
International applicants66.7%200300
Men91.1%3,8034,175
Women91.4%6,2866,875

Also offers Early Action (closes Nov 15) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 10,089 admitted students, 1,580 enrolled (15.7% yield).

Cleveland State University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C1–C2 · 2023Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1010–1210
ACT (mid-50%)
20–26
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.003.74

Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)

Cleveland State University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C9–C12 · 2023Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $40,114/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$18,510
Fees, housing, food, books & other$21,604
Sticker cost of attendance$40,114/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$11,958
$30k–48k$13,561
$48k–75k$14,727
$75k–110k$15,690
Over $110k$20,378

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • President's Scholarship$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • Dean's Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • University Scholarship$3,000 per year (Merit)
  • Cleveland PromiseFull tuition and fees (Full Tuition)
  • Cleveland State University Merit ScholarshipVaries by GPA and test scores (Automatic)
  • Trustee ScholarshipFull tuition (Full Tuition)

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

  • President's Scholarship$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • International Student ScholarshipUp to $6,000 per year (International Aid)
  • Dean's Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • International Freshman Scholarship$4,000 per year (International Aid)
  • University Scholarship$3,000 per year (Merit)
  • CSU Global Scholarship$2,000 one-time (Merit)
  • International Transfer Scholarship$2,000 per year (International Aid)
  • Cleveland State University Merit ScholarshipVaries by GPA and test scores (Automatic)
  • Trustee ScholarshipFull tuition (Full Tuition)

Cleveland State University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections G–H · 2023

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Application (CSU Application or Common Application)
  • Official high school transcript
  • ACT/SAT scores (recommended)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Application (CSU Application or Common Application)
  • Official high school transcript
  • ACT/SAT scores (recommended)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Cleveland State University · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Cleveland State University requires no supplemental essays.

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$52,131
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
50.6%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
70%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$21,797
At graduation

Cleveland State University · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News National: #343
  • WSJ: #400
  • Niche: #627
  • QS: #1401

Deadlines

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (23%), Engineering (9%), Psychology (8%).

Student–faculty ratio: 16:1 · 50% of class sections have under 20 students.

Cleveland State University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections E, F, I · 2023Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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