California State University-Northridge vs. UWest

Deciding between California State University Northridge and University of the West? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

California State University Northridge

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  • Overview

  • Location
  • California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA
  • UWest Rosemead, CA
  • Setting
  • California State University-Northridge Large City
  • UWest Large Suburban
  • Total enrollment
  • California State University-Northridge 38,313
  • UWest 138
  • Type
  • California State University-Northridge Public 4 Year
  • UWest Private 4 Year
  • National Ranking
  • California State University-Northridge #895
  • UWest
  • Religious Affiliation
  • California State University-Northridge -
  • UWest -
  • Status
  • California State University-Northridge Non-profit
  • UWest Non-profit
  • Team Colors
  • California State University-Northridge
  • UWest
  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • California State University-Northridge $7,458
  • UWest $15,446
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • California State University-Northridge $20,058
  • UWest $15,446
  • Room & Board
  • California State University-Northridge $13,804
  • UWest $14,244
  • Average Net Price
  • California State University-Northridge $7,536
  • UWest $14,713
  • Average Grant Aid
  • California State University-Northridge $12,825
  • UWest $9,445
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • California State University-Northridge 83%
  • UWest 100%
  • Admissions

  • Applied
  • California State University-Northridge 33,005
  • UWest 4
  • Admitted
  • California State University-Northridge 30,842
  • UWest 4
  • Acceptance Rate
  • California State University-Northridge 93.4%
  • UWest 100% Open
  • Enrolled
  • California State University-Northridge 18%
  • UWest 25% Open
  • Typical SAT score
  • California State University-Northridge 1010
  • UWest
  • Typical ACT score
  • California State University-Northridge 19
  • UWest
  • Average High School GPA
  • California State University-Northridge 3.38
  • UWest 2.43
  • Typical High School Grades
  • California State University-Northridge B+
  • UWest C+
  • Admissions Standards
  • California State University-Northridge Extremely Easy
  • UWest Unavailable
  • Applicant Competition
  • California State University-Northridge
  • UWest
  • ACT Range
  • California State University-Northridge 16/22
  • UWest
  • SAT Range
  • California State University-Northridge 900/1110
  • UWest
  • Submit Test Scores
  • California State University-Northridge Test-free
  • UWest Open admission
  • Application Deadline
  • California State University-Northridge Nov 30, 2026
  • UWest Jun 15, 2027
  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • California State University-Northridge 25:1
  • UWest 4:1
  • Popular Majors
  • California State University-Northridge
    • Business (21%)
    • Social Sciences (11%)
    • Psychology (10%)
    • Communication (8%)
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (7%)
  • UWest
    • Business (56%)
    • English and Literature (33%)
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (11%)
  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • California State University-Northridge 46%
  • UWest -
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • California State University-Northridge $47,500
  • UWest N/A
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • California State University-Northridge 59%
  • UWest -
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • California State University-Northridge $14,196
  • UWest N/A
  • Median Loan Payment
  • California State University-Northridge $146
  • UWest N/A
  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • California State University-Northridge 46%
  • UWest 46%
  • % Women
  • California State University-Northridge 54%
  • UWest 54%
  • Racial Diversity
  • California State University-Northridge Very High
  • UWest Very High
  • HBCU
  • California State University-Northridge No
  • UWest No
  • % White
  • California State University-Northridge 23%
  • UWest 9%
  • % Asian
  • California State University-Northridge 11%
  • UWest 9%
  • % Black
  • California State University-Northridge 5%
  • UWest 2%
  • % Hispanic
  • California State University-Northridge 44%
  • UWest 41%
  • % Native American
  • California State University-Northridge 0%
  • UWest 1%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • California State University-Northridge 0%
  • UWest 0%
  • % Two or More Races
  • California State University-Northridge 3%
  • UWest 3%
  • % International
  • California State University-Northridge 9%
  • UWest 34%
  • % Unknown Race
  • California State University-Northridge 4%
  • UWest 0%
  • Students

  • % In-State
  • California State University-Northridge 97%
  • UWest 100%
  • % Out-of-State
  • California State University-Northridge 1%
  • UWest 0%
  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • California State University-Northridge Yes
  • UWest Yes
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • California State University-Northridge No
  • UWest No
  • Meal Plan
  • California State University-Northridge Yes
  • UWest Yes
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • California State University-Northridge No
  • UWest Yes
  • Daycare Facility
  • California State University-Northridge Yes
  • UWest No
  • Learn More
  • California State University-Northridge Details
  • UWest Details

Comparable Facts

Compare California State University Northridge in Northridge, CA with University of the West in Rosemead, CA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

California State University Northridge is larger than UWest based on total student enrollment (38,313 students vs. 138 students)

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • California State University Northridge is located in Northridge, CA (Large City setting); University of the West is in Rosemead, CA (Large Suburban setting).
  • California State University Northridge is a public, non-profit 4-year institution. University of the West is a private, non-profit 4-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: California State University Northridge 25:1; University of the West 4:1.

California State University-Northridge vs. UWest Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, California State University-Northridge or UWest? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at California State University Northridge than UWest ($7,536 vs. $14,713).
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at California State University Northridge are 3.1% lower than at University of the West ($13,804 vs. $14,244).
  • University of the West is 107.1% more expensive for in-state tuition than California State University-Northridge (about $7,988 more per year; $15,446.00 vs. $7,458.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition is 29.9% higher at California State University-Northridge than at University of the West (about $4,612 more per year; $20,058.00 vs. $15,446.00).
  • A larger share of students receive grant aid at University of the West than at California State University Northridge (100% vs. 83%).
  • The average total grant financial aid received by California State University Northridge students is 35.8% larger than aid received by University of the West students ($12,825 vs. $9,445).

California State University-Northridge vs. UWest Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, California State University-Northridge or UWest? Typical SAT and ACT scores (same estimates as in the table above), middle 50% test ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between UWest and California State University-Northridge.

  • University of the West reports an open admissions policy.
  • Reported middle 50% SAT composite range (25th-75th percentile) for admitted students: California State University Northridge 900/1110.
  • Reported middle 50% ACT composite range (25th-75th percentile) for admitted students: California State University Northridge 16/22.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: California State University-Northridge - Test-free; UWest - Open admission.
  • Typical fall application deadline: California State University-Northridge Nov 30, 2026; UWest Jun 15, 2027.
  • Accepted freshman California State University-Northridge students have a 0.95 point higher average high school GPA (3.38) than students at UWest (2.43).
  • UWest has a higher acceptance rate (100%) than California State University-Northridge (93.4%).
  • The share of admitted students who enrolled (yield) is 18% at California State University-Northridge vs. 25% at UWest.

California State University-Northridge vs. UWest Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for California State University-Northridge and UWest? Graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt are common indicators. The bullets below summarize the same federal outcomes fields as the comparison table (College Scorecard / IPEDS where applicable).

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.