Cleveland State University

In the US News rankings, Cleveland State University was ranked 342 in 2027, continuing a downward trajectory over recent years. Gaining admission to the university is relatively easy, as the school accepts a large portion of its applicant pool. For the 2025 admissions cycle, the undergraduate acceptance rate reached 91.3%, which was higher than 77% of peer schools in its comparison group of public comprehensive universities with similar rankings. However, the university experiences significant difficulty in attracting accepted students to actually register for classes. Its yield rate for 2025 was 15.7%, showing that a modest fraction of admitted applicants chose to enroll. For families and prospective students, these trends indicate that while securing an offer of admission from Cleveland State requires relatively little competitive pressure, the institution does not serve as the final destination for most students who are admitted.

Cleveland State University operates under a test-blind admissions policy, meaning standardized test scores are not considered during the evaluation process even if applicants submit them. Because the university does not use these exams, there are no published SAT or ACT score ranges for incoming classes in recent years. Applicant submission patterns had already shifted substantially prior to this policy taking full effect. In 2023, 21% of entering students submitted SAT scores, down slightly from 22% in 2014. ACT participation dropped far more dramatically over the same period, with 33% of students submitting ACT scores in 2024 compared to 91% back in 2015. For prospective students planning their applications, this policy means testing metrics will carry no weight in your admissions decision. Rather than allocating time to exam preparation, applicants should concentrate on maintaining a strong high school academic record, taking rigorous coursework, and fulfilling general curriculum requirements.

Academic offerings at Cleveland State University emphasize professional preparation, with undergraduate enrollments spread across practical fields rather than concentrated in a few disciplines. In 2025, the university's top three undergraduate majors accounted for 23.7% of all bachelor's degrees, indicating a relatively distributed academic community. The largest undergraduate program was Registered Nursing, graduating 180 students, followed closely by general psychology and clinical laboratory science. The school's highest nationally recognized strengths lie at the graduate level rather than in its largest undergraduate programs: U.S. News ranked its graduate urban planning and policy program 3rd and its local government management program 10th in 2026 within public affairs. For post-graduation outcomes, technical fields offer the strongest compensation. According to 2023 data, bachelor's graduates in computer engineering earned the highest median salary one year after graduation at $75,587, followed closely by electrical engineering and nursing. For applicants, this indicates strong professional returns in engineering and healthcare disciplines alongside nationally distinguished graduate training in civic administration.

Cleveland State University enrolls a primarily domestic undergraduate population, while its international enrollment is concentrated heavily within its graduate schools. In 2025, the university enrolled 1302 international graduate students, who accounted for 28.4% of the entire graduate student population. By comparison, undergraduate cohorts feature a much smaller international footprint. Asian students also represent a modest proportion across degree programs, making up 4.4% of continuing undergraduates and 1.9% of graduate students. Instead, domestic White and Black students constitute the university's largest racial and ethnic groups across both undergraduate and graduate divisions. For prospective applicants and families comparing institutions, these enrollment patterns indicate that undergraduates will study in an environment shaped largely by local and regional domestic peers, whereas those entering master's or doctoral programs will encounter a substantially higher concentration of international classmates.

Undergraduate education at Cleveland State University primarily serves young adults, while graduate programs accommodate early-career professionals. In 2025, out of 9,461 undergraduates, 29.9% were aged 20 to 21, and 27.5% were aged 18 to 19, meaning more than half of undergraduates are within the standard early-college age range. Another 20.9% were aged 22 to 24. Among the 4,653 graduate students, the largest cohort was aged 22 to 24 at 34.5%, followed closely by those aged 25 to 29 at 31.9%. These distributions indicate an undergraduate environment dominated by traditional college-age students.

International student representation at Cleveland State University shows clear divergence between undergraduate and graduate divisions. At the undergraduate level, international students comprised 6.3% of the student body in 2025. This proportion is higher than 93% of peer schools in a comparison group of 30 similarly ranked public comprehensive universities, demonstrating an undergraduate international share that is relatively elevated for its institutional peers. At the graduate level, international enrollment has expanded even more prominently, reaching 28.4% of all graduate students in 2025. This concentration is particularly evident in degree completions: while international students earned a small percentage of bachelor's degrees, they accounted for over four in ten master's degrees awarded that year. Advanced international students concentrate overwhelmingly in technical and engineering fields. In disciplines like information science and computer science, nearly all master's degree recipients are international students, whereas professional degrees like social work remain domestic. For international candidates, these trends highlight established graduate communities in computational fields.

Applicants exploring higher education options near Cleveland State University have several diverse institutions within driving distance. Just 3.4 kilometers away, Case Western Reserve University is a leading national university ranked 44th in the 2027 U.S. News rankings. Located 30 kilometers south, Kent State University at Kent offers a large public option, ranking 236th among national universities. Students interested in traditional liberal arts colleges can consider Oberlin College, situated 31.6 kilometers from campus and holding the 59th spot on the liberal arts college list, or The College of Wooster, located 49.7 kilometers away with a ranking of 91st among liberal arts colleges.

Campus safety reports at Cleveland State University indicate that property-related offenses and disciplinary citations make up the primary volume of campus incidents. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 6.9. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, vehicle theft constituted the largest single category of crime on campus, with 104 total incidents documented. Campus disciplinary enforcement also addressed substance infractions, resulting in 74 alcohol-related disciplinary referrals over the same timeframe. Other offenses reported during this multi-year window occurred in smaller numbers, including drug-related referrals, robberies, burglaries, and aggravated assaults. For families evaluating campus safety, these patterns demonstrate that vehicular security and urban property preservation require vigilance, while institutional monitoring actively tracks and addresses campus misconduct.