California Lutheran University Overview
California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Thousand Oaks, California. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life.
What Is California Lutheran University Known For?
- The student loan default rate at CLU is 3%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
- Although it may not be available for every major, the doctor's degree is the highest award a student can attain at CLU.
- In 2019-2020, 100% of the faculty were full-time.
- A student who earns a bachelor's degree from CLU makes roughly $59,684 a year. This is 46% more than their peers from other colleges and universities.
- It takes the average CLU student 4.1 years to graduate. This is pretty good when compared to the national rate of 4.4 years.
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California Lutheran University Rankings
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at CLU.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards CLU has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#4 | Best Communication & Journalism (Other) Schools | College Factual |
#4 | Best Other Communication, Journalism, & Related Programs Schools | College Factual |
#5 | Best Communication & Journalism (Other) Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans | College Factual |
#45 | Best Counselor Education/School Counseling & Guidance Services Schools | College Factual |
#47 | Best Student Counseling Schools | College Factual |
#70 | Best Teaching Schools | Teaching Degree Search |
Where Is California Lutheran University?

Contact details for CLU are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 60 W Olsen Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-2787 |
Phone: | 805-492-2411 |
Website: | www.callutheran.edu/ |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/callutheran |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/CalLutheran |
How Do I Get Into CLU?
You can apply to CLU online at: www.callutheran.edu/admission/apply.html
Admission Requirements for CLU
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | required |
Recommendations | required |
SAT or ACT Scores | required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into CLU?
Approximately 42% of accepted students are men and 58% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 73%, and the acceptance rate for women is 76%.
Average Test Scores
About 81% of students accepted to CLU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 540 and 620. Math scores were between 530 and 620.
Can I Afford California Lutheran University?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
It's not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At CLU, approximately 59% of students took out student loans averaging $7,088 a year. That adds up to $28,352 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at CLU is 2.7%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
California Lutheran University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 1,223 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 2,714 full-time undergraduates at CLU, 43% are male and 57% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of California Lutheran University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 147 |
Black or African American | 98 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,061 |
White | 1,068 |
International Students | 66 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 274 |
Geographic Diversity
California students aren't the only ones who study at California Lutheran University. At this time, 26 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 52 countries are represented at CLU. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan.
Online Learning at California Lutheran University
The following chart shows how the online learning population at CLU has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 97th most popular in California for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of CLU
During the most recent year for which we have data, the full-time undergraduate tuition at California Lutheran University was $45,982 for both in-state and out-of-state students. The following table shows how CLU is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Entrepreneurial Studies | #24 | #24 |
International Business | #63 | #63 |
Finance & Financial Management | #75 | #75 |
Online Affordability Rankings of CLU Rankings
During the most recent year for which we have data, the full-time undergraduate tuition at California Lutheran University was $45,982 for both in-state and out-of-state students. The following table shows how CLU is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Finance & Financial Management | #54 | #54 |
Online Growth Rankings of CLU
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at California Lutheran University was 904.6%. This is the #117 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at CLU regardless of major.
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at CLU ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at CLU.
Major | Growth Rate Rank | |
---|---|---|
Finance & Financial Management | #1 | |
Business Administration & Management | #19 | |
Business, Management & Marketing | #37 |
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
California Lutheran University Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Niceley under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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