R2 ResearchPublicHSI

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·fresnostate.edu
6-yr Graduation
57%
-5.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
24,427
peer median 23,375
Avg net price
$6,480
-$9.5k vs R2 Research
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About

California State University, Fresno is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 bachelor's degree program, 45 master's degree programs, 3 doctoral degree programs, 12 certificates of advanced study, and 2 different teaching credentials. The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". Fresno is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI).

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
21,521
21,521 candidates competed
Admitted
20,501
95.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
3,591
17.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
57%-5.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
28%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
57%
Full-time retention
82%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
53%
Non-Pell
55%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 148 Title IV programs, 67 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 80 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
148
Passing
67
45.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.7% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.7%
+0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

148programs
  • Passing67 · 45.3%
  • No Data80 · 54.1%
  • Failing1 · 0.7%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
5
Safe
61
No data
80

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

68
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-4.9%
$34,320 vs $36,082
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+6.4%
$38,397 vs $36,082
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.5%
$39,878 vs $36,082
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+14.9%
$71,056 vs $61,854
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+15.7%
$41,734 vs $36,082
Philosophy
Bachelor Degree · Philosophy And Religious Studies
+17.3%
$42,337 vs $36,082
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+24.9%
$45,063 vs $36,082
Chemistry
Bachelor Degree · Physical Sciences
+26.2%
$45,522 vs $36,082

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-4.9%
$1,762

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

56
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
84%
$85,192 debt · $101,929 earn
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies General
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
48%
$23,003 debt · $47,817 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
47%
$33,136 debt · $71,056 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Doctoral Degree · Education
45%
$57,455 debt · $128,028 earn
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
45%
$17,136 debt · $38,397 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
41%
$16,149 debt · $39,878 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
36%
$17,071 debt · $47,223 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
36%
$39,656 debt · $111,334 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1954Next review Feb 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 16

Action history · 19

  1. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
  2. Apr 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  3. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  4. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$4,447
$30–48k$4,858
$48–75k$7,220
$75–110k$11,299
$110k+$16,580

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$6,480
-$9,481vs R2 Research median $15,962
Federal loans
19.8%
In-state tuition
$6,980
Out-of-state
$18,860

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 14,950 students received $88.9M in Pell grants, alongside $40.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
14,950
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$88.9M
$88,881,962 total
Direct Loans
$40.2M
7,540 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

15k
20
15k
21
13k
22
13k
23
15k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$15.1M
3,617 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$13.6M
3,112 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$9.5M
641 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.4M
112 loan awards
Grad PLUS$608K
58 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 3,905 borrowers who entered repayment, 69 (1.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,905
Defaulted
69
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.0%
2017
4.7%
2018
3.2%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Fresnostate

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs104
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

4,658 total completions
01Business
78116.8%
02Psychology
66814.3%
03Social Sciences
65714.1%
04Liberal Arts
48110.3%
05Health Professions
48010.3%
06Agriculture
3958.5%
07Education
3778.1%
08Parks/Recreation
3547.6%
09Biological Sciences
2575.5%
10Visual/Performing Arts
2084.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
24,427
12-mo unduplicated
26,013
Undergraduate
23,193
Graduate
2,820

Gender split

Men
41%10,661
Women
59%15,352

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
62.3%
White
15.0%
Asian
11.8%
Black
3.0%
Unknown
2.6%
Non-resident
2.4%
Two or more
2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
468
199 M · 269 W
Women athletes
57.5%
Athletic aid
$7.8M
Total student aid
Budget
$55.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.6M
$4.2M
Recruiting expense
$594K
$275K
Head-coach salaries
$557K
$129K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
30 M · 114 W
$1.9M
Football
112 M ·
$18.8M
Basketball
16 M · 33 W
$7.3M
Equestrian
· 43 W
$1.5M
Baseball
39 M ·
$2.2M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
· 31 W
$1.4M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
3.54
85 offenses · 23,999 students

3-year trend

0.982 yrs ago1.321 yr ago3.54Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
143
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
42
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
73
Burglary
5
Aggravated assault
4
Rape
1
Arson
1
Fondling
1

By location

85total
  • On campus80
  • Non-campus5

Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

7
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
15
Stalking
22 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons40
Drugs50
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

  • Homan Hall1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $100-$999
  • Sycamore Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999

Data quality: 4 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
22.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
793

Fresnostate vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Fresnostate selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCalifornia State University-Fresno
57%24,427$6,480R2 Research
0%66.7%72,994R2 Research
62%85.5%21,089$15,898R2 Research
59%87.2%27,198$19,182R2 Research
70%90.5%43,662$5,646R2 Research
69%46.3%42,003$8,931R2 Research
55%93.7%18,492$5,918R2 Research
63%89.2%26,940$16,514R2 Research
63%66.1%31,607$8,001R2 Research
55%87.9%27,423$16,531R2 Research
65%88.2%21,546$18,996R2 Research
80%71.5%22,740$21,816R2 Research
52%69.2%47,764$16,972R2 Research
80%75.4%18,838$27,662R2 Research
54%69.1%20,488$12,599R2 Research
65%87.9%23,375$14,159R2 Research
61%89.6%28,467$14,922R2 Research
53%90.9%19,951$12,932R2 Research
67%77.7%21,026$22,185R2 Research
55%90.3%21,039$16,025R2 Research
76%36.2%41,137$16,174R2 Research
50%96.4%22,563$12,882R2 Research
55%89.3%40,674$16,438R2 Research
51%94.2%33,881$6,500R2 Research
69%79.6%31,091$14,745R2 Research
56%88.5%18,012$10,170R2 Research
71%64.2%18,848$19,472R2 Research
72%72.2%17,210$19,899R2 Research
71%78.4%17,171$22,673R2 Research
Peer group median62%86.4%23,375$15,962

Institutions like Fresnostate

Explore the federal data for institutions in Fresnostate's comparison group.

Fresnostate Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Reports to Division of Academic Affairs
Phone
559.278.3906
Address
5200 N. Barton Ave., Fresno, CA 93740

Supporting evidence-based planning, decision-making, and improvement through a comprehensive, integrated program of assessment, planning, and institutional research.

Visit IR office page
Team
9 members
  • Dr. George R. Still III
    Associate Vice President
  • Marie Tongson-Fernandez
    Sr. Survey Specialist
  • Hongtao Yue
    Sr. Research Analyst
  • Christopher Hernandez
    Sr. Survey Research Analyst
  • Cory Cowan
    Sr. Research Analyst
  • Kyle Lyman
    Research Analyst
  • Simran Nagra
    Research Analyst
  • Jonathen Marin
    Research Analyst
  • Celeste DeMonte
    Administrative Support Coordinator

Reports & documents (4)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Fresnostate (16)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Marvin Baxter
    Law
  • Todd Beamer
    Heroic Acts
  • Robert Beltran
    Entertainment
  • Lee P. Brown
    Politics
  • Cruz Bustamante
    Politics
  • Jim Costa
    Politics
  • Zinzi Coogler
    Film Production
  • Manny Mashouf
    Business
  • Brandi Hitt
    Journalism
  • Rick Husband
    Astronautics
  • Charles Poochigian
    Politics
  • Daniel Silva
    Literature
Showing 112 of 16
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about California State University-Fresno

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Fresnostate.

What is the graduation rate at California State University-Fresno?

California State University-Fresno reports a 6-year graduation rate of 57% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend California State University-Fresno?

California State University-Fresno reports a total enrollment of 24,427 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at California State University-Fresno?

The average net price at California State University-Fresno is $6,480 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at California State University-Fresno?

California State University-Fresno's yield rate is 17.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is California State University-Fresno located?

California State University-Fresno is located in Fresno, California 93740.

Who runs Institutional Research at California State University-Fresno?

California State University-Fresno's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, which reports to Division of Academic Affairs.

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