California State University facts for kids

"California State" redirects here. For the U.S. state, see California.

Quick facts for kids
California State University

Motto	Vox Veritas Vita (Latin)
Motto in English	"Voice, Truth, Life" (Speak the truth as a way of life.)
Type	Public university system
Established	1857; 168 years ago (1857)
Endowment	$2.3 billion (2021–22)
Budget	$7.72 billion (2022–23)
Chancellor	Mildred García
Undergraduates	404,820 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates	53,172 (Fall 2022)
Location	Long Beach , California , United States
Campus	23 campuses
Colors	Red & White
Affiliations	State of California

The California State University (often called Cal State or CSU) is a huge public university system in California. It's the biggest public university system in the United States. CSU has 23 main campuses and several smaller centers. More than 450,000 students attend these campuses. Over 56,000 teachers and staff work there.

In California, CSU is one of three main public higher education systems. The others are the University of California (UC) and the California Community Colleges. The main office for the CSU system is in Long Beach, California.

CSU started in 1960 as part of a big plan for education in California. But its roots go back to schools that trained teachers in 1857. CSU gives out more bachelor's degrees than any other university system in the country. Over 110,000 students graduate from CSU every year. This system also helps California's economy. It supports more than 209,000 jobs across the state.

CSU helps train many important workers for California. In 2015–16, CSU awarded 52% of new teaching certificates. It also gave out 33% of the state's computer science degrees. CSU graduates more students in areas like business, engineering, and agriculture. They graduate more students in these fields than all other California colleges combined. About half of all bachelor's degrees in California come from CSU. Many students from diverse backgrounds also earn their degrees here.

CSU is a top producer of graduates who go on to earn advanced degrees. Since 1961, over four million people have graduated from CSU. The system offers more than 1,800 degree programs. These programs cover about 240 different subjects.

How Did CSU Start?

Early Teacher Training Schools

The California State Normal School, founded in 1862 in San Jose, (today's San Jose State University) is the oldest campus of the CSU system.

The California State University system we know today began with a school in San Francisco. It was called the Minns Evening Normal School. This school was started in 1857 by George W. Minns. A "normal school" was a place that trained future teachers. It was the first school of its kind in California.

In 1862, the state took over the school. It moved to San Jose and was renamed the California State Normal School. This school eventually became San Jose State University. Later, in 1882, a branch of this school opened in Los Angeles. In 1887, the state removed "California" from the names of these schools. They became simply "State Normal Schools."

The Northern Branch of the State Normal School, founded 1887, became California State University, Chico.

More normal schools were started later. These included schools in Chico (1887) and San Diego (1897). At first, these schools were independent. They each had their own leaders. By the late 1800s, the San Jose school was graduating about 130 teachers each year. It was known as one of the best normal schools in the West.

In 1919, the Los Angeles normal school became part of the University of California. It was later renamed the University of California at Los Angeles in 1927.

Becoming Teacher Colleges

The California Polytechnic School, established in 1901, eventually became today's California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

In 1921, a big change happened for the state's education system. The State Normal Schools were renamed State Teachers Colleges. Their old leadership groups were removed. They were then overseen by the new California Department of Education in Sacramento. This meant they were managed by state officials.

Over time, these schools started to offer more than just teacher training. They began to offer a full range of college courses. This meant students could get a broader education. They would be ready to teach all grades from kindergarten to high school. Leaders like Charles McLane at Fresno State pushed for this idea. He believed teachers needed a wide education.

San Diego State Normal School, founded 1897, became San Diego State Teacher's College in 1923 (and eventually San Diego State University).

The colleges gained more freedom in their daily work. However, their budgets were still controlled by the state government. This was different from the University of California. This financial control was a challenge for the colleges.

Becoming State Colleges

Founded in 1938, the southern campus of the California State Polytechnic School became the independent California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1966.

In 1932, a study suggested that the State Teachers Colleges should join the University of California. But the colleges fought to stay independent. In 1935, the state legislature officially upgraded them to State Colleges. They were allowed to offer four-year degrees in many subjects. However, they still remained under the Department of Education.

California State University Maritime Academy was founded in 1929 as the California Nautical School.

After World War II, many new state colleges were opened. More were established in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Long Beach. Between 1957 and 1960, seven more were approved. Six more were founded after a new education law in 1960. This brought the total number of campuses to 23.

The California State University System is Born

California State University, Los Angeles was founded in 1947.

Aerial view of the future campus of California State University, Sacramento, founded in 1947.

In the 1950s, the state colleges wanted more control over their own operations. They felt too controlled by the state government. Several college presidents pushed for a system-wide board. They wanted to be independent. They also wanted to offer more advanced degrees and get funding for research.

In April 1960, the California Master Plan for Higher Education was created. This plan gave the state colleges more independence. It merged all the state colleges into one system. It also created a system-wide board of trustees and a chancellor. This new system was first called the "State College System of California." In 1961, it was renamed the California State Colleges (CSC).

The Master Plan also set clear roles for UC and CSU. UC was to focus on research and doctoral degrees. CSU would focus on teaching and master's degrees. This plan aimed to make sure each system had a clear purpose. It prevented all universities from trying to be like Harvard or Berkeley.

California State University, Fullerton was established in 1957.

The first chancellor of the California State Colleges was Buell G. Gallagher. He served for a short time. Glenn Dumke became the second chancellor in 1962. He helped guide the system. The main office for the system moved to Long Beach in 1976.

Robert F. Kennedy addresses the crowd at San Fernando Valley State College (modern day California State University, Northridge) in 1968.

California State University, San Bernardino was founded in 1965.

Renaming to California State University

The first purpose-built headquarters of the California State University, built in 1976 in Long Beach.

In 1971, the system's name changed again. It became the California State University and Colleges. Then, in 1982, the word "colleges" was dropped. The system officially became the California State University. This is the name it still uses today.

Established in 2002, California State University, Channel Islands, in Camarillo, is the newest CSU campus.

Founded in 1913, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in Arcata, became the third Cal Poly campus in the CSU system in 2022.

Today, the CSU system includes many types of universities. There are general universities and polytechnic universities. Polytechnic schools focus on science and technology. CSU also has the only maritime academy in the western United States. This academy trains students for careers at sea.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, all 23 CSU campuses moved most classes online. This helped keep students safe. Recently, CSU faculty went on strike in January 2024. They wanted better pay and benefits. The strike ended quickly with an agreement.

How CSU is Run

The California State University system is managed by a group of 25 people called the Board of Trustees. These trustees choose the Chancellor of the CSU system. The Chancellor is like the main boss for all the campuses. The trustees also pick the president for each individual campus.

Teachers from each campus also have a voice. They elect representatives to the Academic Senate. This group suggests academic rules to the Board of Trustees.

Who are the Trustees?

The Board of Trustees has 25 members. Here's who they are:

The governor of California is the president of the board.
Sixteen members are chosen by the governor and approved by the state Senate.
Two students from CSU are chosen by the governor.
One tenured faculty member (a professor with a permanent job) is chosen by the governor.
One person who represents CSU graduates (alumni) is chosen.
Four other important state officials are also on the board. These include the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the Assembly. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the CSU Chancellor are also members.

The Board meets six times a year. Their meetings happen at the Chancellor's Office in Long Beach.

The Chancellor's Role

The Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach.

The Chancellor is the main leader of the entire CSU system. All the campus presidents report to the Chancellor.

Here are some of the people who have been Chancellor:

Buell Gallagher (1961–1962)
Glenn S. Dumke (1962–1982)
W. Ann Reynolds (1982–1990)
Ellis E. McCune (interim) (1990–1991)
Barry Munitz (1991–1998)
Charles B. Reed (1998–2012)
Timothy P. White (2012–2020)
Joseph I. Castro (2021–2022)
Steve Relyea (Acting) (2022)
Jolene Koester (interim) (2022–2023)
Mildred García (2023–present)

Student Government

Every CSU campus has its own student government. These groups help students have a say in campus life. All 23 student governments are part of the California State Student Association (CSSA). This organization helps students from all CSU campuses work together. It makes sure students have activities that are important for their college experience.

CSU Campuses

The CSU system has 23 campuses. Eleven are in Northern California and twelve are in Southern California. Here's a list of the campuses, ordered by when they were founded:

Campus	School Name	Founded	Enrollment (Fall 2023)	Endowment (Fiscal year 2022–23) (millions)	Athletic affiliation	Athletic Nickname (Conference)	U.S. News Rank (West, 2024)	Washington Monthly Rank (Master's, 2023)	Forbes Rank (National, 2023)
San José	San Jose State University	1857	32,229	$182.65	NCAA D-I (FBS)	Spartans (MW)	4	49	87
Chico	California State University, Chico	1887	13,999	$86.65	NCAA D-II	Wildcats (CCAA)	16	6	158
San Diego	San Diego State University	1897	37,538	$415.70	NCAA D-I (FBS)	Aztecs (MW)	105 (Nat. Univ.)*	94 (Nat. Univ.)*	32
San Francisco	San Francisco State University	1899	23,700	$161.36	NCAA D-II	Gators (CCAA)	178 (Nat. Univ.)*	66 (Nat. Univ.)*	188
San Luis Obispo	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo	1901	22,279	$265.26	NCAA D-I (FCS)	Mustangs (Big West)	1	37	83
Fresno	California State University, Fresno (Fresno State)	1911	23,832	$229.05	NCAA D-I (FBS)	Bulldogs (MW)	185 (Nat. Univ.)*	26 (Nat. Univ.)*	166
Humboldt	California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt	1913	5,976	$40.84	NCAA D-II	Lumberjacks (CCAA)	32	15	N/A
Maritime Vallejo	California State University Maritime Academy	1929	761	$14.03	NAIA	Keelhaulers (Cal Pac)	2 (Reg. Coll.)^	3 (Bach. Coll.)*	236
Pomona	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	1938	26,415	$165.26	NCAA D-II	Broncos (CCAA)	14	14	116
Los Angeles	California State University, Los Angeles	1947	24,673	$58.11	NCAA D-II	Golden Eagles (CCAA)	21	2	155
Sacramento	California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State)	1947	30,193	$76.61	NCAA D-I (FCS)	Hornets (Big Sky)	18	5	151
Long Beach	California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State)	1949	39,530	$115.40	NCAA D-I (non-football)	The Beach (Big West)	105 (Nat. Univ.)*	49 (Nat. Univ.)*	103
Fullerton	California State University, Fullerton	1957	41,326	$135.85	NCAA D-I (non-football)	Titans (Big West)	133 (Nat. Univ.)*	65 (Nat. Univ.)*	90
Stanislaus	California State University, Stanislaus	1957	9,440	$18.61	NCAA D-II	Warriors (CCAA)	10	9	213
East Bay Hayward	California State University, East Bay	1957	11,771	$20.79	NCAA D-II	Pioneers (CCAA)	280 (Nat. Univ.)*	154 (Nat. Univ.)*	186
Northridge	California State University, Northridge	1958	36,368	$205.19	NCAA D-I (non-football)	Matadors (Big West)	25	3	164
Dominguez Hills	California State University, Dominguez Hills	1960	14,299	$22.39	NCAA D-II	Toros (CCAA)	38	10	291
Sonoma	Sonoma State University	1960	5,865	$65.20	NCAA D-II	Seawolves (CCAA)	27	101	174
San Bernardino	California State University, San Bernardino	1965	18,510	$51.10	NCAA D-II	Coyotes (CCAA)	170 (Nat. Univ.)*	29 (Nat. Univ.)*	229
Bakersfield	California State University, Bakersfield	1965	9,399	$37.16	NCAA D-I (non-football)	Roadrunners (Big West)	60	11	315
San Marcos	California State University, San Marcos	1989	13,932	$33.55	NCAA D-II	Cougars (CCAA)	28 (tie)	41	234
Monterey Bay Marina/Seaside	California State University, Monterey Bay	1994	6,271	$35.48	NCAA D-II	Otters (CCAA)	14	35	131
Channel Islands Camarillo	California State University, Channel Islands	2002	5,127	$34.65	None	Dolphins (N/A)	28 (tie)	74	233

* U.S. News & World Report ranks some CSU universities in the National Universities group. This is because they offer several Ph.D. programs. Other universities are ranked in the Regional Universities (West) group. This is because they offer few or no Ph.D. programs.

^ Cal Maritime only gives out undergraduate degrees. So it is ranked separately from other CSU campuses. It is ranked in the "Regional Colleges" group.

Smaller Branches

The TS Golden Bear is the training ship of CSU Maritime Academy, based at Vallejo in the Bay Area.

Some CSU universities have smaller branches away from their main campus. These branches make education easier to reach for more students. They offer full degree programs. Students at these branches have the same standing as students at the main campus. For example, California State University, Channel Islands, used to be a branch of CSU Northridge.

CSU San Bernardino's Palm Desert campus in the Coachella Valley.

Sacramento State Aquatic Center at Lake Natoma, in Gold River.

In Fall 2005, about 9,163 students were enrolled at these off-campus branches. This was about 2.2 percent of all CSU students.

Here are some schools and their off-campus branches:

California State University, Bakersfield: Antelope Valley
California State University, Chico: Redding
California State University, Fullerton: Garden Grove, Irvine
California State University, East Bay: Concord, Oakland
California State University, Fresno: Visalia
California State University, Los Angeles: Downtown Los Angeles
California State University, Monterey Bay: Salinas
California State University, San Bernardino: Palm Desert
California State University, San Marcos: Temecula/Murrieta
San Diego State University: Imperial Valley, SDSU-Georgia
San Francisco State University: Downtown Campus, Sierra Nevada Field Campus, Romberg Tiburon Campus
California State University, Stanislaus: Stockton
CSU Maritime Academy: T.S. Golden Bear (a training ship)

Research Centers

The Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx.

Mount Laguna Observatory in the Laguna Mountains.

CSU also has special research facilities. These are owned and run by different CSU campuses:

Desert Studies Center: A research site managed by California State University, Fullerton.
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories: An oceanographic lab managed by San Jose State University.
Murillo Family Observatory: A research observatory managed by California State University, San Bernardino.
Southern California Marine Institute: An oceanographic lab in the Los Angeles area.
Mount Laguna Observatory: An astronomy observatory part of San Diego State University.
Telonicher Marine Laboratory: A marine research lab at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Who Attends CSU?

Percentage of students and comparisons statewide nationwide
	Campuses (2022)	Undergraduate (2022)	Graduate & Post-Bac (2022)	California (2022)	United States (2022)
American Indians or Alaskan Natives	(<1%)	(<1%)	(<1%)	2%	1%
Asian	16%	16%	14%	16%	6%
Black or African American	4%	3%	4%	7%	14%
Hispanic and Latino Americans (Includes Chicanos, Other Latino and White Hispanics)	48%	49%	38%	40%	19%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	(<1%)	(<1%)	(<1%)	1%	(<1%)
Non-Hispanic White	21%	20%	25%	35%	59%
Two or More Races	4%	4%	3%	4%	3%
Unknown	3%	3%	4%	N/A	N/A
International Students	3%	2%	12%	N/A	N/A

CSU serves a very diverse group of students. In 2016, a study found that about one in ten CSU students faced homelessness.

CSU vs. UC: What's the Difference?

Trinity Hall at Chico.

Both CSU and UC are public universities in California. They both get money from the state. Even though UC has fewer students, its biggest campus, UCLA, has a budget almost as large as the entire CSU system. This is because UC focuses a lot on research and has large medical centers.

Teachers at CSU spend more time teaching and advising students. UC faculty spend more time on research. The main plan for California higher education says UC is for research and PhDs. CSU is for teaching and master's degrees. This difference can make some people think UC is more famous than CSU.

Julia Morgan House at Sacramento.

UC is the only system that can give out PhDs (Doctor of Philosophy degrees). They also give degrees in law, medicine, and dentistry. However, CSU can now offer doctoral degrees in Education and Physical Therapy. CSU can also offer PhDs as part of a joint program with UC or other universities.

There are 23 CSU campuses and 10 UC campuses. CSU has about 437,000 students, and UC has about 237,000. CSU tuition costs about half as much as UC tuition.

Walter Pyramid at Long Beach.

CSU and UC use the terms "president" and "chancellor" differently. At CSU, each campus has a president. These presidents report to the system-wide chancellor. At UC, each campus has a chancellor. These chancellors report to the system-wide president.

CSU has traditionally been more welcoming to older students. They offer more evening and online classes. Many CSU schools, especially in cities, have also served students who live nearby and commute. This is changing as CSU campuses grow and attract students from further away.

Most CSU campuses use the semester system for their academic year. UC campuses mostly use the quarter system. However, some CSU campuses are changing to the semester system.

How to Get In

Enrollment for all CSU campuses, 2001–11.

Enrollment for the CSU system, 1970–2023.

Historically, it has been a bit easier to get into CSU than UC. Both systems require students to complete specific high school courses. CSU tries to accept students from the top one-third of California high school graduates. UC tries to accept students from the top one-eighth. Both systems also give priority to students who transfer from California community colleges. This helps encourage students to start at a community college.

Some CSU campuses and programs are very popular. They have higher admission standards because so many qualified students apply. This means getting into these schools or programs is more competitive.

Bakersfield (all nursing programs)
Channel Islands (pre-licensure nursing)
Chico (recording arts option within music, plus pre-licensure nursing)
East Bay (nursing)
Fullerton
Humboldt (RN-to-BSN nursing only)
Long Beach
Los Angeles
Northridge (accounting, certain business administration options, cinema and television arts, music)
Pomona
Sacramento (business administration, criminal justice, graphic design, pre-licensure nursing, psychology)
San Bernardino (criminal justice, kinesiology, pre-licensure nursing, psychology, social work)
San Diego
San Francisco (nursing, social work, and undeclared majors expressing an interest in nursing)
San Jose
San Luis Obispo
San Marcos (biological sciences, business administration, electrical engineering, pre-licensure nursing, software engineering)
Sonoma (criminology/criminal justice, human development, all nursing programs, psychology, sociology)
Stanislaus (pre-licensure nursing, pre-nursing)

Six CSU campuses are "fully impacted." This means it's hard to get into the school itself and also into all of its majors. These campuses are Los Angeles, Fullerton, Long Beach, San Diego, San Jose, and San Luis Obispo.

Some CSU campuses are not impacted at all. This means it's generally easier to get into them. These include Dominguez Hills, Fresno, the Maritime Academy, and Monterey Bay.

Research and Learning at CSU

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, at San José, is the largest library in the Western United States.

The California State University and most of its campuses are part of important university groups. These include the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

CSU is also a founding member of CENIC. This group provides very fast internet to schools and researchers in California.

Cain Library at Domínguez Hills.

The California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) helps train people for jobs in biotechnology. This program offers grants and holds events. It also helps connect CSU with businesses and government. It involves students and teachers from many different science and engineering fields.

The Hospitality Management Education Initiative (HMEI) started in 2008. It helps train leaders for the hotel and tourism industry in California. CSU awarded 95% of hospitality bachelor's degrees in the state in 2011.

Kellogg Library at San Marcos.

ABET is a group that checks the quality of college programs. It makes sure programs in science, computing, and engineering meet high standards. CSU has 18 colleges with ABET-approved engineering programs.

The CSU Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology (CSU COAST) helps with ocean and coastal research. It supports new research and teaching. It also provides funding to students and teachers.

CSU's Impact on California

César Chávez Student Center at San Francisco.

CSU gives out over 110,000 degrees every year. This is almost half of all bachelor's degrees in California. It also awards one-fourth of the state's master's degrees. The entire CSU system supports over 209,000 jobs across California. It also generates $1.6 billion in tax money. The total money spent related to CSU is about $26.9 billion.

CSU trains many of California's workers. It produces 62% of bachelor's degrees in agriculture. It also produces 54% in business and 45% in engineering. More than half of California's new teachers come from CSU. This adds almost 12,500 teachers to the state each year.

CSU has worked hard to help students who might not have many opportunities. For example, 56% of bachelor's degrees given to Latino students in California are from CSU. In Fall 2008, 42% of new CSU students came from California Community Colleges.

How Campuses Are Named

The UC system names its campuses in a consistent way. It uses "University of California" followed by the city name. Most CSU campuses follow a similar pattern. But some are just named after their city or county. Examples include San Francisco State University and San Jose State University.

Some campuses, like Fresno and Sacramento, use their formal names. But they often call themselves "Fresno State" or "Sacramento State" for marketing and sports. Chico, Long Beach, and Stanislaus also use "Location State" for their sports teams. Northridge uses "CSUN" for its sports and marketing.

The California Maritime Academy is the only campus not named after a city. Channel Islands, Maritime, and San Marcos are the only ones without a comma in their names. Some people think that CSU's different naming styles make it seem less unified than UC.

Cal Poly campuses of the California State University
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly Humboldt

The three polytechnic universities in the system have unique names. They include the word "polytechnic." These are California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. CSU's style guide uses their full names. It also uses shorter names like "Cal Poly San Luis Obispo."

Images for kids

The Northern Branch of the State Normal School, founded 1887, became California State University, Chico.
The California Polytechnic School, established in 1901, eventually became today's California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
San Diego State Normal School, founded 1897, became San Diego State Teacher's College in 1923 (and eventually San Diego State University).
Founded in 1938, the southern campus of the California State Polytechnic School became the independent California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1966.
California State University Maritime Academy was founded in 1929 as the California Nautical School.
California State University, Los Angeles was founded in 1947.
Aerial view of the future campus of California State University, Sacramento, founded in 1947.
California State University, Fullerton was established in 1957.
Robert F. Kennedy addresses the crowd at San Fernando Valley State College (modern day California State University, Northridge) in 1968.
Robert F. Kennedy addresses the crowd at San Fernando Valley State College (modern day California State University, Northridge) in 1968.
California State University, San Bernardino was founded in 1965.
The first purpose-built headquarters of the California State University, built in 1976 in Long Beach, California.
Established in 2002, California State University, Channel Islands, in Camarillo, California, is the newest CSU campus.
Founded in 1913, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in Arcata, California, became the third Cal Poly campus in the CSU system in 2022.
The Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach.
The TS Golden Bear is the training ship of CSU Maritime Academy, based at Vallejo, California in the Bay Area.
CSU San Bernardino's Palm Desert, California campus in the Coachella Valley.
Sacramento State Aquatic Center at Lake Natoma, in Gold River, California.
The Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx, California.
Mount Laguna Observatory in the Laguna Mountains.
Trinity Hall at Chico.
Julia Morgan House at Sacramento.
Walter Pyramid at Long Beach.
Enrollment for all CSU campuses, 2001–11.
Enrollment for the CSU system, 1970–2023.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, at San José, is the largest library in the Western United States.
Cain Library at Domínguez Hills.
Kellogg Library at San Marcos.
César Chávez Student Center at San Francisco.