Public · University
California State University-Chico
Chico, California · Midsize city
- 92.7%
- Admit rate
- $14,480
- Avg net price
- 63%
- Graduation rate
- $64,172
- Median earnings
California State University-Chico is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Chico, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 13,631 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
About Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Within the boundaries of modern day Chico, there existed a Maidu village, whose name was recorded as Bah-hahp'-ke, meaning "straight tree". The Chico Museum first opened in February 1986 in the former Carnegie Library building in downtown Chico. It currently features a World War I exhibit. The museum has two main galleries, which host a variety of temporary and traveling exhibits. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 82 miles to Sacramento, CA
- To the ocean
- 103 miles
- Nearest airport
- 59 miles to Redding (RDD)
How California State University-Chico compares
More selective than 18% · #80 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 65% · #60 of 122 in California
Higher than 66%
Higher than 76% · #70 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 75% · #33 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 88%
Lower than 5%
Larger than 92%
Percentiles compare California State University-Chico with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
California State University-Chico campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate13,63190%
- Graduate1,46510%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women7,83257%
- Men5,79943%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White41%
- Black3.0%
- Hispanic39%
- Asian5.4%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 13,631
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,465
- Student–faculty ratio
- 23 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 43%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 17%
- Median family income
- $30,780
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $104,976
- Endowment
- $100,204,970
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 2,171 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California98%
- Other U.S. states1.9%
- International0.6%
Most first-years stay in state — California State University-Chico draws overwhelmingly from California.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 92.7%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $8,472
- Out-of-state tuition
- $21,072
- Room & board
- $16,500
- Books & supplies
- $1,096
- Total cost of attendance
- $26,283
- Average net price
- $14,480
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 63%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 82%
- Transferred to another college
- 4%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $50,493
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $64,172
- Median debt at graduation
- $16,552
- Students with federal loans
- 32%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 65%
About 27% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,758
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 13%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,609
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,881
- Application fee
- $70
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 339 (184 men · 155 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 21
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 18
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (15,257 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$12,961/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 41% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,920. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,970 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $64,172
- Typical debt at graduation
- $16,552
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 26%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 66%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $10,108 (17%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 95°F
- Winter low
- 36°F
- Annual rain
- 27.4″
- Annual snow
- 0.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chico Univ Farm, CA US station (3 mi from campus).
What California State University-Chico graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to California State University-Chico
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare California State University-Chico side by side →
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
Fargo, North Dakota · Midsize city · 1 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 9,471
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $62k
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey · Large suburb · 14 mi to New York
- Students
- 18,376
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1070
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $61k
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California · Large city · 5 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 18,639
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $68k
University of California-Merced
Merced, California · Midsize suburb · 56 mi to Fresno
- Students
- 8,372
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $64k
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas · Small city · 37 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 21,217
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $62k
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington · Distant town · 65 mi to Spokane
- Students
- 21,099
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $69k
Colleges near California State University-Chico
Butte County Regional Occupational Program
Chico, CA · Public · Certificate · 41 students
Cal Northern School of Law
Chico, CA · Private for-profit · Graduate
Butte College
Oroville, CA · Public · Associate · 8,890 students
Sutter County Career Training Center
Yuba City, CA · Public · Certificate · 54 students
Yuba College
Marysville, CA · Public · Associate · 4,779 students
Feather River Community College District
Quincy, CA · Public · Associate · 1,828 students
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School
Redding, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 21 students
Simpson University
Redding, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 809 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.















