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California State University-Fresno

Students comparing California State University-Fresno on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Fresno, California21,605 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 22Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

California State University-Fresno: U.S. News ranks it #183 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #192 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #11 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #51 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #449 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars. It enrolls 21,605 undergraduates, admits 95.3% of applicants, and posts a 57.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $19,950; aid recipients pay $7,000 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,244.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
95.3%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$7,000

78% below the $31,910 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$61,244

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
57.0%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$14,505

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedCalifornia State University-Fresno reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where California State ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#183of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#192of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#11of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#51of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#449of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: California State's position moves 41 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About California State

California State University-Fresno is a public institution in Fresno, California. Federal data show 81.6% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $7,000 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $31,910 sticker cost against $7,000 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing California State University-Fresno on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$7,350

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$19,950

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,960

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $31,910 a year, but the average family pays $7,000 — a 78% difference. 57.0% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run California State's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    81.6%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    21,605

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    California State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $19,950 and on-campus room and board is $11,960, for a published total of $31,910 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $7,000.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 95.3%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
    91.3%
    Average net price
    $3,967
    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    6-yr graduation rate
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
    89.9%
    Average net price
    $14,967
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $62,668
    6-yr graduation rate
    68.0%
    US News · National universities#117 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#111 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#30 of 1,504+4 more on profile

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    California State University-Sacramento: U.S. News ranks it #27 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Forbes ranks it #280 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #16 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #72 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #238 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 28,350 undergraduates, admits 94.0% of applicants, and posts a 56.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,618; aid recipients pay $9,338 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $64,876.

    Acceptance rate
    94.0%
    Average net price
    $9,338
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $64,876
    6-yr graduation rate
    56.3%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#27 of 118Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#280 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#16 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    28,350 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 21 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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