Is Cleveland State University Worth It?

Cleveland State gives you a moderate financial return that hinges heavily on your major. At $52,131 median earnings ten years out against a net price near $16,000 a year, the math works if you pick the right program and finish. The problem is finishing: fewer than half of students graduate, and only about seven in ten come back for a second year. Debt lands close to $22,000, which is manageable at the median but only if the degree actually pays.

Engineering is where the money is. Electrical engineering clears $65,000 and mechanical engineering hits nearly $58,000, both well above the school-wide median. Chemical engineering and computer science also pay strongly, though computer science carries the heaviest debt load on the list at over $31,000. These are the programs where your investment returns clearly.

The biggest risk here is the graduation gap. If you enroll and drop out, you carry debt without the earnings that justify it, and the odds of that happening at Cleveland State are real. Borrowing $25,000 for electrical engineering pays off if you graduate. the same debt with no degree is a straight loss.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families. Under $30,000 in household income, you pay around $13,000 a year. over $110,000, that climbs to more than $22,000. The gap between the lowest and highest tiers is about $9,000 annually, so the school stretches further for working-class families than for wealthier ones.

This school fits you if you're committed to engineering or computer science and confident you'll finish. If you're undecided or drawn to lower-earning majors not shown here, weigh the sub-50% graduation rate carefully before you borrow.