Nestled between downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains, California State University, Los Angeles attracts students who want to excel in the areas of business, nursing, engineering and the solar system. (The school is a regular recipient of NASA grants aimed at boosting student involvement in the agency’s research and interest in STEM-related careers.)
Cal State LA is also home to the first-ever Chicano studies program in the U.S., founded in 1968. And for go-getters, the Early Entrance Program in the CSULA Honors College allows promising middle and high school students to enroll in a full-time college course load (accepted students are as young as 11). The school has plenty to offer outside the classroom, too, including robust cultural offerings — the Luckman Fine Arts Complex provides a venue for theater, dance, music and other performances, and it features one of the biggest stages in the Los Angeles area. So far this year, performers have included Broadway legend Bernadette Peters and "Queen of Funk" Chaka Khan.
While the university's six-year graduation rate is just shy of 68%, that rate is significantly higher than expected based on the student population. Where Cal State LA really stands out, though, is helping students from low-income families climb up the socioeconomic ladder; the university is in the highest tier of think tank Third Way's Economic Mobility Index.
