Cleveland State University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 91%, Cleveland State University is an accessible public university in Ohio. Because it admits most qualified applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Cleveland State University weighs, where it ranks among Ohio schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1150, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Cleveland State University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Cleveland State University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Cleveland State University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Cleveland State University?
Cleveland State University admits most qualified applicants (around 91%), but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Cleveland State University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Cleveland State University hard to get into?
Cleveland State University is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 91% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Cleveland State University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Cleveland State University, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. Cleveland State University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for Cleveland State University?
Cleveland State University does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1150. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at Cleveland State University.
Your chances at Cleveland State University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Cleveland State University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Cleveland State University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1090 SAT?
About 98% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1090 SAT, the middle of Cleveland State University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1150 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/cleveland-state-university.
How to get into Cleveland State University
Built from Cleveland State University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into Cleveland State University, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Cleveland State University carries about a 3.00 core GPA and a 1100 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
Cleveland State University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by Cleveland State University's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.csuohio.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to Cleveland State University, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Cleveland State University received 10,274 applications and admitted 9,810, an acceptance rate of 95.5%. 1,593 enrolled. Only about 16% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Cleveland State University enrolls about 8,969 undergraduates in total, 54% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Cleveland State University?
Cleveland State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Cleveland State University looks for
What Cleveland State University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Cleveland State University leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Cleveland State University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Cleveland State University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Cleveland State University cost after financial aid?
Cleveland State University's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $27,159 per year. Tuition and fees are $12,988 for OH residents and $18,510 for out-of-state students, a $5,522 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $14,764 a year, and it ranges from $11,958 for families earning under $30,000 to $20,378 for families earning over $110,000. 41% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Cleveland State University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Cleveland State University student who received federal aid earns $52,131 a year, up from $44,625 at six years. 51% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 70% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $21,797; 74% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Cleveland State University compares in Ohio
Cleveland State University ranks #41 most selective of 45 schools in Ohio in our database.
Among the 45 Ohio schools we track, Cleveland State University ranks #41 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Denison University (17%) and Kenyon College (31%) sit nearby, which makes Ohio a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to Cleveland State University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Cleveland State University with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Cal State Fullerton, Eastern Washington University, and Missouri State University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cleveland State University's acceptance rate?
Cleveland State University admitted 9,810 of 10,274 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 95.5% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 16% of admitted students enrolled.
Is Cleveland State University test-optional?
Cleveland State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does Cleveland State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Cleveland State University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $14,764 a year against a sticker price of about $27,159. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $11,958 on average.
What do Cleveland State University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Cleveland State University are $52,131 a year among students who received federal aid, and 51% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Cleveland State University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Cleveland State University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Cleveland State University favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, Cleveland State University generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at Cleveland State University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Cleveland State University specifically.
How does residency affect admission to Cleveland State University?
As a public university, Cleveland State University typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
What are the admission requirements for Cleveland State University?
Cleveland State University reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.