CSU Global by the Numbers

A public university ahead of its time

When CSU Global launched in 2007, online college was still considered nontraditional. The CSU System recognized the need for a new kind of public university built entirely online for adults who were working, raising families, serving in the military, or balancing college with a busy life.

Today, more than 6.2 million college students in the U.S. are 25 or older. Among undergraduates age 25 and older, 63% studied fully online in fall 2023. And in fall 2024, 53.8% of U.S. postsecondary students took at least one class online.

What was once considered nontraditional is now simply how college is often done. CSU Global was created as the nation’s first independent, fully online state university, built for that change from the start. Nearly 20 years later, the numbers show who we serve and what that approach has delivered.

Sources: NCES, 2023–24; Encoura/Validated Insights, 2023

Outcomes after graduation

A degree is an investment of time and money. CSU Global tracks what happens after students complete their programs, including employment, salary growth, and how closely their work aligns with what they studied.

• 89% of undergraduate completers surveyed are employed
• 92% of graduate completers surveyed are employed
• $31,500 median annual salary increase for undergraduate completers three to five years after completion
• $39,000 median annual salary increase for graduate completers three to five years after completion
• 71% of undergraduate and 74% of graduate completers three to five years out report working in their field or a related field

Source: 2026 CSU Global Learner Return on Investment Report