🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $6,067/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$8,246 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Psychology or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)

🎯 The reality

  • Out-of-state tuition is 2.5× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M1: Master's - Larger Programs
Total enrollment
8,385
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$8,246
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$20,846
+$12,600 vs in-state
Admit rate
97.5%
Accepts the majority
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$63,188
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$47,793
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,188
4-year completion
53%
Median debt (completers)
$13,540
Cost of attendance
$19,739
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
55%

💰 True ROI

26.0× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$24,268
$6,067/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$54,688
vs sticker $78,956
10-yr earnings total
$631,880
$63,188/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
0.4 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At California State University-Stanislaus, the average net price is $6,067/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$3,938/yr
Family income $30-48k
$4,467/yr
Family income $48-75k
$5,947/yr
Family income $75-110k
$9,230/yr
Family income $110k+
$16,810/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use California State University-Stanislaus's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from California State University-Stanislaus →

Opens on California State University-Stanislaus's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at California State University-Stanislaus

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what California State University-Stanislaus actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Psychology
454 degrees · 29.7%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
385 degrees · 25.2%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Social Sciences
241 degrees · 15.8%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
4. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
236 degrees · 15.5%
Typical career outcomes
Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
5. Health Professions
211 degrees · 13.8%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at California State University-Stanislaus

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 125 $119,356 $126,959
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 51 $36,383 $80,630
Chemistry. Bachelor's Degree 17 $39,771 $73,392
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 75 $41,631 $71,601
Economics. Bachelor's Degree 12 $51,815 $69,967
Mathematics. Bachelor's Degree 26 $37,292 $65,184
Agriculture, General. Bachelor's Degree 29 $43,101 $64,669
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 409 $43,872 $63,677
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree 246 $29,148 $59,251
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 83 $34,358 $59,229

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at California State University-Stanislaus

CS degrees (annual)
56
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

California State University-Stanislaus vs. another college

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