Public · University

California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, California · Large city

94.0%
Admit rate
$9,338
Avg net price
56%
Graduation rate
$64,876
Median earnings

California State University-Sacramento is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Sacramento, California (large city setting), enrolling 28,350 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 28,350 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 94% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big Sky Conference

About Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California. Nisenan (Southern Maidu), Modoc, and Plains Miwok American Indians have lived in the area for perhaps thousands of years. Until Spanish settlers arrived in Sacramento, these tribes left little evidence of their existence. Sacramento is home to 32 museums, including several major museums. The Crocker Art Museum is the oldest public art museum west of the Mississippi River. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
32 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Sacramento (SMF) · major hub

How California State University-Sacramento compares

Selectivity94.0%

More selective than 15% · #87 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate56%

Higher than 53% · #79 of 122 in California

First-year retention82%

Higher than 67%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$64,876

Higher than 77% · #65 of 130 in California

Average net price$9,338

Cheaper than 92% · #13 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$15,000

Lower than 90%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment28,350

Larger than 97%

Percentiles compare California State University-Sacramento 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-Sacramento campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

31,473students
  • Undergraduate28,35090%
  • Graduate3,12310%

Undergraduates by gender

28,350undergrads
  • Women16,82359%
  • Men11,52741%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White23%
  • Black6.9%
  • Hispanic38%
  • Asian21%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
28,350
Graduate enrollment
3,123
Student–faculty ratio
24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
49%
First-generation students
49%
Students over 25
21%
Median family income
$27,217
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$105,453
Endowment
$86,290,912

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 3,884 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California97%
  • Other U.S. states1.3%
  • International2.2%

Most first-years stay in state — California State University-Sacramento draws overwhelmingly from California.

2% 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
94.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,018
Out-of-state tuition
$20,618
Room & board
$19,174
Books & supplies
$1,160
Total cost of attendance
$22,945
Average net price
$9,338

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)
56%
Graduated on time (4 years)
28%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,074
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$64,876
Median debt at graduation
$15,000
Students with federal loans
23%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 28% 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)

All students
28%
Low-income (Pell)
58%
First-generation
58%

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
3,280
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
12%
Housing charge (year)
$8,208
Meal plan (year)
$5,696
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big Sky Conference
Varsity athletes
628 (353 men · 275 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)179
Football155
Soccer67
Baseball44
Rowing44
Basketball29
Softball26
Gymnastics20
Tennis17
Volleyball16
Beach Volleyball16
Golf15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
71
Property offenses (2022–2024)
177

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (31,943 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.

83reported offenses a year
24 violent a year59 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
33
Burglary
24
Rape
11
Fondling
9.0
Aggravated assault
2.0
Arson
1.7
Robbery
1.3
Statutory rape
0.7

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.

< $30k
$6,501
$30–48k
$7,001
$48–75k
$9,212
$75–110k
$11,814
$110k+
$18,861

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.

Est. total to a degree
$43,771

$9,212/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.

54%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,904
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 54% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,904. 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 3,804 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)
$64,876
Typical debt at graduation
$15,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

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.

Women
$62,147
Men
$70,207

Men out-earn women by $8,060 (13%) 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
94°F
Winter low
41°F
Annual rain
19.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sacramento 5 Ese, CA US station (0.4 mi from campus).

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-Sacramento

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare California State University-Sacramento side by side →

Colleges near California State University-Sacramento

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.