+18%
Median federal debt at exit
Median federal debt at exit at California State University-Fullerton rose 18% between 2007 and 2010 ($8.9k → $10.5k).
California · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Cal State Fullerton
Fullerton, California. 36,956 undergraduate students. 133 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Cal State Fullerton
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at California State University-Fullerton fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.8% → 0.0%).
+35%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at California State University-Fullerton rose 35% between 2021 and 2024 (29.0% → 39.0%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. California
Each tile compares this institution to the California median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$62,951+30% · 6→10y
California median $42,588$48,558
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry69.2%+74% · '97→'24
California median 61.3%$12,000+70% · '97→'10
At program completion36,956+49% · '96→'10
latest IPEDS85.0%+2% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time86.7%+31% · '01→'24
latest cohort$7,073+313% · '00→'24
out-of-state $18,953SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
2.5%Median federal debt $12,000 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $62,951 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+74%
Cal State Fullerton · completion · 150% rose
40.3% → 70.2%
+425%
Cal State Fullerton · completion · 100% rose
7.4% → 39.0%
+49%
Cal State Fullerton · undergrad enrollment rose
20,090 → 29,876
+313%
Cal State Fullerton · in-state tuition rose
$1,810 → $7,470
+118%
Cal State Fullerton · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,190 → $20,070
+70%
Cal State Fullerton · median debt rose
$6,185 → $10,500
-100%
Cal State Fullerton · cohort default rate fell
6.2% → 0.0%
+93%
Cal State Fullerton · pell share rose
24.9% → 48.1%
+20%
Cal State Fullerton · earnings_median_8yr rose
$47,300 → $56,954
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$210,792Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$176,728Educational Administration and Supervision.$134,881Computer Engineering.$133,374Computer Science.$118,312Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$116,259Business Administration, Management and Operations.$115,490Computer Engineering.$113,278Accounting and Related Services.$111,024Computer Science.$108,989Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering.$108,624Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering.$106,631Civil Engineering.$102,350Taxation.$102,210Natural Resources Conservation and Research.$98,811Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other.$98,116Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering.$95,011Civil Engineering.$93,096Mechanical Engineering.$93,073Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$92,111Special Education and Teaching.$88,354Communication and Media Studies.$87,316Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.$87,239Economics.$86,084
Showing top 24 of 67 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
67 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
Educational Administration and Supervision.$134,881Educational Administration and Supervision.$71,729Special Education and Teaching.$88,354Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$78,465Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$73,048Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$92,111
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
Mechanical Engineering.$93,073Civil Engineering.$93,096Computer Engineering.$133,374Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering.$95,011Computer Engineering.$113,278Civil Engineering.$102,350Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering.$106,631Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering.$108,624
FOREIGN LANGUAGES · CIP 16
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PHYSICAL SCIENCES · CIP 40
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$116,259Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General.$58,041Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.$65,573Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$176,728Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.$87,239Public Health.$70,232Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions.$74,109Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$210,792
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
AREA, ETHNIC & CULTURAL STUDIES · CIP 05
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in California
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Cal State Fullerton graduates earn $X” — not “Cal State Fullerton makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Cal State Fullerton caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.