California State University-Chico

Chico, CA · Public

Official website

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Admission rate

California State University-Chico admitted 92.7% of applicants university-wide (21,623 of 23,322).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide92.7%21,62323,322
Men92.2%8,7569,501
Women93.1%12,86713,821

Of 21,623 admitted students, 2,197 enrolled (10.2% yield).

California State University-Chico Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
940–1170
ACT (mid-50%)
19–26
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.003.99

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

California State University-Chico Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $42,864/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$19,552
Fees, housing, food, books & other$23,312
Sticker cost of attendance$42,864/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$9,902
$30k–48k$10,099
$48k–75k$12,961
$75k–110k$16,506
Over $110k$23,566

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

California State University-Chico Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Official High School Transcript
  • AP/IB Scores (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Official High School Transcript
  • AP/IB Scores (optional)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

California State University-Chico · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

California State University-Chico requires no supplemental essays.

Prompts from the Cal State Apply member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$64,172
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
62.8%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
81.5%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$16,552
At graduation

California State University-Chico · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • WSJ: #59
  • Forbes: #222
  • Niche: #586

Deadlines

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (16%), Social sciences (11%), Psychology (8%).

Student–faculty ratio: 22:1 · 24% of class sections have under 20 students.

California State University-Chico Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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