Public · University
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, California · Large city
- 95.3%
- Admit rate
- $7,000
- Avg net price
- 57%
- Graduation rate
- $61,244
- Median earnings
California State University-Fresno is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Fresno, California (large city setting), enrolling 21,605 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
About Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. The first European to enter the San Joaquin Valley was Pedro Fages in 1772. The county of Fresno was formed in 1856 after the California Gold Rush and was named for the abundant ash trees (Spanish: fresno) lining the San Joaquin River. In the 1970s, the city was the subject of a song, "Walking Into Fresno", written by guitarist Bill Aken and recorded by Bob Gallion of the WWVA Jamboree radio and television show in Wheeling, West Virginia. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 6 miles to Fresno, CA
- To the ocean
- 112 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Fresno Yosemite (FAT) · major hub
How California State University-Fresno compares
More selective than 13% · #92 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 54% · #76 of 122 in California
Higher than 66%
Higher than 70% · #79 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 96% · #9 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 92%
Lower than 6%
Larger than 95%
Percentiles compare California State University-Fresno with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate21,60590%
- Graduate2,47310%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women13,42162%
- Men8,18438%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White14%
- Black3.0%
- Hispanic63%
- Asian11%
- Other or multiracial7.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 21,605
- Graduate enrollment
- 2,473
- Student–faculty ratio
- 22 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 57%
- First-generation students
- 53%
- Students over 25
- 16%
- Median family income
- $27,059
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $103,860
- Endowment
- $241,068,519
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 3,661 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California95%
- Other U.S. states0.6%
- International4.5%
Most first-years stay in state — California State University-Fresno draws overwhelmingly from California.
5% 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
- 95.3%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $7,350
- Out-of-state tuition
- $19,950
- Room & board
- $11,960
- Books & supplies
- $1,062
- Total cost of attendance
- $20,095
- Average net price
- $7,000
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)
- 57%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 28%
- First-year retention
- 82%
- Transferred to another college
- 2%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $44,012
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $61,244
- Median debt at graduation
- $14,505
- Students with federal loans
- 19%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 57%
About 29% 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
- 1,228
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 6%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,764
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,791
- Application fee
- $70
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FBS
- Football conference
- Mountain West Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 517 (206 men · 311 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 4.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 15
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 275
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (24,427 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.
$7,196/year × about 4.8 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: 66% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,189. 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 3,236 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)
- $61,244
- Typical debt at graduation
- $14,505
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 24%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 58%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
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 $11,645 (21%) 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
- 98°F
- Winter low
- 40°F
- Annual rain
- 11″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Fresno Yosemite Intl AP, CA US station (2.6 mi from campus).
What California State University-Fresno 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-Fresno
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare California State University-Fresno side by side →
California State University-Northridge
Northridge, California · Large city · 21 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 32,691
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $7k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $59k
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, California · Large suburb · 24 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 38,546
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $7k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $63k
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, California · Large city · 4 mi to Sacramento
- Students
- 28,350
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $65k
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, California · Small city · 13 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 12,538
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $57k
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, California · Large suburb · 29 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 14,877
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $63k
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon · Large city · < 1 mi to Portland
- Students
- 13,182
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near California State University-Fresno
Milan Institute-Clovis
Clovis, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 560 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Fresno
Fresno, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 223 students
Institute of Technology
Clovis, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,377 students
Lyle's College of Beauty
Fresno, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 90 students
San Joaquin Valley College-Trades Education Center
Fresno, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 364 students
San Joaquin College of Law
Clovis, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
California Health Sciences University
Clovis, CA · Private for-profit · Graduate
UEI College-Fresno
Fresno, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,009 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.











