California State University, Fresno Admission
California State University, Fresno Undergraduate Program
California State University, Fresno Application

The Facts

California State University, Fresno is part of the larger state-supported system of 22 universities throughout the state. CSU Fresno is located in the city of Fresno, California, which is about 300 miles south of San Francisco, and as one of the larger branches, is home to over 15,000 undergraduate students and approximately 8,000 graduate and part-time professional students. CSU Fresno is divided up into several smaller schools, with specializations in agriculture, technology, liberal arts and sciences, business administration, education, engineering, health fields, and several areas of preprofessional training. These schools offer programs within agriculture, biological science, business (which includes a unique recreational facilities management program), communications and the arts, computer and physical science, education (home to an interesting agricultural education center), engineering and environmental design, health professions, and social science (which includes a renowned Chicano/Mexican American studies program). Some of the most popular majors are in the areas of business, liberal arts, psychology, education, and nursing.

Admission to CSU Fresno is not as competitive as many of the other CSU schools; however, the number of qualified in-state students that have been applying has been increasing dramatically with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 13,000 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 10,000 of those students were admitted; of those, about 3,700 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1010 to 1090, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 20 to 27. Additionally, more than 68% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.52.

CSU Fresno has a student to faculty ratio of 21:1, which is understandable considering the school’s size. There are about 681 full time and adjunct faculty, and in general, students give them high marks for being accessible and willing to answer questions. Some of the introductory classes are quite large, but as the classes become more advanced, they also become less sizable.

The Social Scene

The city of Fresno itself is gorgeous, but quite suburban, and doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment. Outdoor activities are popular with students, and there are several clubs at school for activities such as rock climbing, camping, and hiking. Many students own cars as well, and we hear that weekend road trips up to San Francisco are quite popular for those students who don’t mind a six hour drive. CSU Fresno is home to a whopping 32 fraternities and sororities, and the Greeks definitely govern the on-campus social life. Their weekend parties are very popular with the majority of students, and drinking is certainly one of the most prevalent forms of social interaction at these soirees...

The dating scene is as active and vibrant as the party scene; just be prepared to do a lot of less-than-romantic party-hopping and tending to the hung-over hotties...

What’s Good

“Even though the school is quite big, most of the classes manage to stay quite small, which is wonderful.”

“The professors are really really dedicated here, and they don’t seem selfish or overly interested in their own careers.”

“The dorms are surprisingly nice. When I came, I wasn’t expecting nearly as much room as I got.”

What’s Bad

“You feel kind of isolated in Fresno, because we’re relatively far from any major cities. San Francisco is not as close as it seems; trust me.”

“The Greeks are extremely obnoxious, and although they throw good parties, they won’t really talk to you unless you’re another Greek.”

“There are a lot of stereotypical Southern California girls here that just get very very annoying. End of story.”

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