Knowing your chances of obtaining admission into any college or university is crucial in your quest for academic excellence. In this article, we are going to provide vast and comprehensive information about the easiest CSU to get into with other details.
The state of California houses some of the prestigious colleges and universities, not just in the U.S. but around the world. Attending a university in California might just be accomplishing a long-desired dream into a reality.
If you read this article to the end, you will have an insight and a better understanding of California State University schools which are less competitive.
California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a school system that comprises 23 campuses scattered all over the state of California. Most CSU schools are less competitive with an average acceptance rate. Finding a CSU school that is less competitive and easy to get into, is an obligation we aim to fulfil.
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Easiest California State University (CSU) To Get Into
Since the state of California has most of the top-ranked universities in the world, it is quite understandable why there is a huge number of international students applying every year to schools in California.
Below are the easiest California State University schools to get into.
California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Dominguez Hills is one of the 23 campuses in California. The location of the Dominguez Hills campus is in northern Carson, Greater Los Angeles, and the institution was established back in 1960.
Dominguez Hills sits in an urban setting that attracts tens of thousands of students and 15,000 students are enrolled yearly. Dominguez Hills made it to this list of easiest CSU schools for a reason and it is because of its acceptance rate.
The acceptance rate of the institution is estimated above 80% which makes it less competitive for students.
Now, on the aspect of required GPA, SAT, and ACT. What could be the average or minimum requirements? Students applying at Dominguez Hills are required to have an average GPA ranging from 2.64 to 2.9 and this explains how easy the admission process at Dominguez Hills can be.
However, if you are struggling with a low SAT and ACT score in high school, there is a bit of a good as the required SAT and ACT at Dominguez Hills isn’t much. So there you have it, you can make the decision and apply at Dominguez Hills which is arguably one of the easiest CSUs to get into.
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public institution located in the Northridge area of Los Angeles. The institution is regarded as one of the easiest CSUs to get into and it enrolled 38,551 students in the fall of 2021. By statistics, Northridge has the second largest population of undergraduates and it is one of the largest universities in the U.S based on its enrolment size.
With an acceptance rate of 65.8% and a required GPA between 2.71 and 3.14, Northridge proves to be an easy institution to secure admission to.
California State University, Fresno
Another institution to be added to the list of easiest CSUs to get into is the California State University Fresno. The campus is among the 23 campuses of the CSU school system. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California, and in the fall of 2020 had an enrollment of over 25,000 students.
Fresno currently offers a bachelor’s degree in over 50 areas of study. Established in 1911, Fresno State has an iconic 50,000-square-foot recreation centre for students, together with the third-largest library in the CSU system.
Fresno State has an acceptance rate of 90.1%, which shows how less competitive the admission process is. If are a student with the prospect of attending Fresno State, a GPA of 2.8 above and an ACT score between 16 and 22 will set you on the right part to being admitted.
Also Read: UCSD Acceptance Rate In 2024 Admission Requirements
California State University, East Bay
Located in Hayward, California, California State University, East Bay is a public university among the 23 campuses of the CSU system. Found in 1957, CSU East Bay offers 136 undergraduate and 60 post-baccalaureate programs. With an acceptance rate of 73.3%, CSU East Bay has an enrollment of almost 15,000 students from different ethnicities.
The GPA requirements at CSU East Bay fall between 2.71 and 3.14, and the required ACT score is 16 to 22.
California State University, Bakersfield
Another California State University campus that is one of the easiest CSUs to get into is CSU Bakersfield. California State University, Bakersfield is a public university established in 1965 and located in Bakersfield, California. CSU Bakersfield sits on a 375-acre campus and offers 39 different Bachelor’s degrees and 17 different Masters’s degrees.
It is quite reasonable why CSU Bakersfield has more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the university. This is because the university has an acceptance rate of 78.4% making it less competitive and more accommodating.
You are on the verge of procuring admission into CSU Bakersfield if you have a minimum GPA that ranges between 2.64 and 3.14. On ACT scores, you only need an average score between 15 and 22.
California State University, Stanislaus
One of the 23 campuses of California State University that are easy to gain admission into is CSU Stanislaus. Located in Turlock, Stanislaus County, California, and established in 1957, Stanislaus State is a public university that offers 45 Bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s degrees, 6 teaching credentials, and a Doctoral degree.
The acceptance rate at Stanislaus State is 89.3%, a less competitive one, and easy to get into. With a minimum GPA within the range of 2.71 and 3.14, your chances of procuring admission into CSU Stanislaus are guaranteed.
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles is a public institution, located in Los Angeles California. Cal State LA was established back in 1947 and it offers a wide range of degrees for graduates and undergraduates alike. Currently, Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor’s degrees, 122 master’s degrees, and four doctoral degrees.
According to statistics, Cal State LA has an estimated 26,342 students enrolled in the fall of 2020 which explains why the university acceptance is 76.5%.
With an acceptance rate that high, getting into Cal State LA shouldn’t be a problem. Once your GPA falls between 2.64 and 2.97 and your ACT score is between 15 and 22, you have met the requirements of Cal State LA.
The most exciting part of all these is that these universities are located in the state of California where most universities are more competitive to secure admission.
List of Hardest and Easiest CSU to Get Into
Below are the hardest and easiest CSUs to get into. The hardest and easiest California State Universities are determined based on their acceptance rate.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo is one of the 23 campuses of the CSU system.
This institution falls under the category of the hardest CSU to get into, because of its acceptance rate of 38%. In the fall of 2020, the university had an enrollment of 21,477 undergraduate and 840 graduate students.
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is a public polytechnic university located in Pomona, California, and one of three polytechnic universities in the CSU system. Cal Poly Pomona is considered an easy CSU to get into with an acceptance rate of 64.8%.
California State University Maritime Academy, Vallejo, California
California State University, Maritime Academy is a public university located in Vallejo, California, and one of the 23 campuses in the CSU system. Cal Maritime offers six different Bachelor’s degrees and a Master’s degree. It is one of the easiest CSUs to get into because of its acceptance rate of 82.5%.
California State University, Channel Islands, Camarillo, California
California State University, Channel Island is a public university located in Ventura County, California.
CSU Channel Islands is a Hispanic-serving institution that offers 54 different Bachelor’s degrees, 6 different master’s degrees, and 19 teaching credentials. CSU Channel Islands is one of the easiest CSUs to gain admission into because it accepts 79% of its applicants.
California State University, Chico, California
California State University, Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. Chico State was established in 1887 and it’s the second-oldest campus in the CSU system.
The university offers about 126 different bachelor’s degree programs, 35 master’s degree programs, and 4 different teaching credentials. With an acceptance rate of 90%, Chico State had an enrollment of 16,630 students in the fall of 2020.
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California State University, Fullerton, California
One among the 23 campuses in the CSU system, Cal State Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California, and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
The Hispanic-serving institution is less competitive to get into and has over 41,000 enrollment which is the largest student body in the CSU system. Cal State Fullerton has an acceptance rate of 67%.
California State University, Long Beach, California
Located in Long Beach, California, CSULB is a research institution that sits on a 322-acre campus, the second largest in the CSU system.
With an acceptance rate of 42.1%, California State University, Long Beach has an enrollment of 39,435 with 5,830 graduate students which is one of the largest in the CSU system.
California State University, Monterey Bay, California
Cal State Monterey Bay is located in Monterey County, California, and offers 23 different bachelor’s degree programs, 7 master’s degrees, and teaching credentials. The Hispanic-serving institution is one of the easiest CSUs to get into with an acceptance rate of 85.6%.
California State University, Sacramento, California
California State University, Sacramento is the 11th oldest campus in the CSU system. Located in Sacramento, California, Sac State enrols almost 31,500 students every year and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Sac State has an acceptance rate of 83.1%.
California State University, San Bernardino, California
Cal State San Bernardino is one of the 23 campuses in the CSU system located in San Bernardino, California. The University sits on a 441 acre and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Cal State San Bernardino has an enrollment of 19,404 in the fall of 2020 and an acceptance rate of 78.1%.
Humboldt State University, Arcata, California
Cal Poly Humboldt is one of the three polytechnic universities in the CSU system. Located in Arcata, California, Cal Poly Humboldt offers 48 different bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, 61 minors, and 13 credentials. One of the easiest CSUs to get into with an acceptance rate of 85.1%.
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San Diego State University, San Diego, California
San Diego State University is a public research institution located in San Diego, California, and was established in the year 1897. The University is the third-oldest institution in the 23 campuses of the CSU system.
During the fall of 2020, San Diego State University, San Diego had an enrollment of 35,578 students. The University has an acceptance rate of 36.7%.
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
San Francisco State is a research institution located in San Francisco, California, that offers 118 different bachelor’s degrees, 94 different master’s degrees, 5 doctoral degrees, and 26 teaching credentials. As of fall 2021, the university has an enrollment of 23,316 undergraduates and 2,977 graduate students. 84.1 is the acceptance rate of San Francisco State.
San Jose State University, San Jose California
San Jose State University, San Jose is a public university located in San Jose, California, and the oldest public university in the U.S. western region. San Jose State was established in 1857 and it is the founding campus of the CSU system.
As of the fall of 2020, the university has an enrollment of 27,631 undergraduates and 5,394 postgraduate students. San Jose State offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs with an acceptance rate of 67.4%.
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California
Sonoma State is a university located in Rohnert Park, Sonoma County, California, and offers several degree programs for both undergraduates and graduates. Sonoma State is less selective with an acceptance rate of 89.1%.
Other California Colleges and Universities’ Acceptance Rate
Below is the list of colleges and universities in California with a more competitive acceptance rate.
- Stanford University- 5.2%
- California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-6.7%
- Pomona College-9%
- Claremont McKenna College-13%
- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)- 14%
- University of Southern California-16%
- University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)-17%
- Pitzer College-17%
- Harvey Mudd College- 18%
- Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science-25%
- California Institute of the Arts-27%
- University of California Irvine (UC Irvine)-30%
Also Read: UCSD Acceptance Rate By Major 2024
Overview of the Easiest CSU to Get Into
From what we have discussed so far in this article, California State Universities are less selective in their admission process. In the 2020/2021 academic year, it was estimated that public colleges in California had an average acceptance rate of 43.55% and an enrollment rate of 19.25%.
The total number of applications was 1,335,604 and those admitted were 581,652 with 111,989 enrolled in public colleges.
Conclusion
California State University systems provide some of the public colleges and universities with less competitive acceptance rates. All 23 campuses in the CSU system offer various undergraduate and graduate degree programs available for selection. The easiest CSU to get into is within the 23 campuses.
You do not require a very high GPA, SAT, or ACT before you can procure admission into any California State University.
