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California State University-Fresno

CA · Public · Large city · 20,201 applicants 2023

R2 Research
96% admit rate $7K–$20K/yr in-state — aid decides

A parent's read

  • The major moves the money more than the admit letter. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing grads from here earn about $111,278 four years out; drama grads about $34,320 — a 3.2× spread on the same diploma. Have the major conversation before you deposit, not after.
  • The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 8× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$20,095/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$61,244/yr) still runs about 8× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

Get your child's odds at California State University-Fresno Free Family Decision Report — Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely + your real net price. California State University-Fresno starts already on the list. Start →
Odds at California State University-Fresno

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Most families report the weighted one — it's the higher number, with honors and AP credit in it.

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Live odds from each college's own published admissions data.

Parent/student verdict

Accessible

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable — net price averages ~$7,000/yr among aid recipients. Major value play for in-state residents.

Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$7,350 — major value play)
  • Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)

The reality

  • Out-of-state tuition is 2.7× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price with aid and at full price, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

What are your child's odds here?

Enter their numbers once — this and every college page shows their verdict, and the UC campus cards on California school pages light up with it too. Free, no email.

Weighted is the higher GPA, with honors/AP credit in it — pick whichever your school reports. PSAT scores work in the SAT box.

Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R2: Doctoral - High Research Activity
Undergraduates
21,605
20,000 and above including graduate students
In-state tuitionThe published full price before any aid. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid at a given college pay this, minus any merit scholarships — whether you qualify depends on the college's price and policies, not on any fixed income line.
$7,350
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$19,950
+$12,600 vs in-state
Admit rateThe share of applicants a college accepts. Useful context, but your student's odds depend on their own grades and scores, not the average.
96.4%
Accepts the majority
Test policyScores aren't considered at all, even if sent — the UCs are the big example. Grades and course rigor carry the weight.
Test-blind
2023
10-yr earningsMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$61,244
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

Admitted-student GPA

3.34 average

unstated — the Common Data Set does not state whether its GPA is weighted or unweighted, so a family's own GPA cannot be aligned to it, enrolled first-year students (Fall 2024). Fresno State is broadly accessible; this is the typical profile of enrolling students. Cal State is test-blind (no SAT/ACT in admissions), so the a–g GPA is the key academic signal. Source ↗

CSU first-year GPA — verified 2026-06-15 against the campus's official Common Data Set / admissions data. The GPA basis (a–g vs. weighted vs. 4.0-scale) differs from the unweighted GPA shown for private colleges.

Admit rate by major — Fall 2025

The headline admit rate hides a wide spread by program.

First-time freshman applications and admits by major, from the CSU Chancellor's Office. Campus overall: 96%.

Major Applicants Admitted Admit rate
Fall 2025		 Earlier year
for comparison
Business Administration 3,354 3,200 95.4% Fall 2021: 95.8%
Biology impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 1,184 1,150 97.1% Fall 2021: 98.5% ↓
Animal Science impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 1,152 1,098 95.3% Fall 2021: 96.9% ↓
Psychology 1,082 1,052 97.2% Fall 2021: 97.7%
Kinesiology/Physical Education 780 755 96.8% Fall 2021: 96.8%
Criminal Justice 779 744 95.5% Fall 2021: 96.7% ↓
Computer Science 599 557 93.0% Fall 2021: 94.8% ↓
Mechanical Engineering impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 566 531 93.8% Fall 2021: 97.5% ↓
Liberal Studies impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 486 470 96.7% Fall 2021: 98.7% ↓
Civil Engineering impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 369 356 96.5% Fall 2021: 98.8% ↓
Forensic Psychology 367 357 97.3% Fall 2021: 97.5%
Criminology 343 328 95.6% Fall 2021: 97.8% ↓
Biochemistry 318 310 97.5% Fall 2021: 97.3%
Agricultural Business impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 309 299 96.8% Fall 2021: 98.5% ↓
Electrical Engineering impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 287 267 93.0% Fall 2021: 98.2% ↓
Art 278 270 97.1% Fall 2021: 97.2%
Political Science/Government 277 266 96.0% Fall 2021: 98.7% ↓
Health Care Management/Administration 250 241 96.4% Fall 2021: 98.2% ↓
Journalism 218 208 95.4% Fall 2021: 96.2%
Construction Engineering Technology/Management 198 184 92.9% Fall 2021: 96.6% ↓
Child Development/Early Childhood Education 190 182 95.8% Fall 2021: 96.5%
Biomedical Physics 177 169 95.5% Fall 2021: 97.5% ↓
Architecture 176 170 96.6% Fall 2021: 99.3% ↓
Computer Engineering impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 168 153 91.1% Fall 2021: 97.0% ↓
Mathematics 161 159 98.8% Fall 2021: 97.8%
Interior Design 153 141 92.2% Fall 2021: 94.5% ↓
Agricultural Science and Education 143 138 96.5% Fall 2021: 96.1%
Graphic Design 140 136 97.1% Fall 2021: 99.1% ↓
Chemistry 131 129 98.5% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Sociology 126 123 97.6% Fall 2021: 98.0%
Theatre Arts 122 114 93.4% Fall 2021: 93.2%
History 114 109 95.6% Fall 2021: 95.1%
Music (Professional Performance) 109 105 96.3% Fall 2023: 94.8% ↑
Environmental Science 106 106 100.0% Fall 2021: 100.0%
Philosophy 99 94 94.9% Fall 2021: 97.6% ↓
Economics 97 93 95.9% Fall 2021: 93.3% ↑
Communications 95 85 89.5% Fall 2021: 90.9% ↓
Corrections 91 86 94.5% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Food Science impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 85 82 96.5% Fall 2021: 96.3%
Recreation Administration 75 71 94.7% Fall 2021: 94.8%
Creative Writing 71 68 95.8% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Environmental and Occupational Health 69 68 98.6% Fall 2021: 97.6%
Physics 55 53 96.4% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Agricultural Biology and Plant Science impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 54 54 100.0% Fall 2021: 99.0%
Agricultural Systems Management 53 53 100.0% Fall 2021: 91.7% ↑
English Literature 48 47 97.9% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Industrial Technology 42 42 100.0% Fall 2021: 89.5% ↑
Spanish 42 40 95.2% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Dietetics & Food Administration/Nutritional Science 41 39 95.1% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Physical Science 41 40 97.6% Fall 2021: 94.6% ↑
Viticulture impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 39 38 97.4% Fall 2021: 97.0%
Dance 39 37 94.9% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
English Education 38 37 97.4% Fall 2022: 87.1% ↑
Deaf Studies 36 34 94.4% Fall 2022: 93.9%
Linguistics 35 34 97.1% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Anthropology 31 31 100.0% Fall 2021: 100.0%
Music Education 25 24 96.0% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Mexican-American/Chicano/Chicana Studies 23 23 100.0% Fall 2021: 96.7% ↑
Art History 21 19 90.5% Fall 2023: 100.0% ↓
Surveying Engineering 20 20 100.0% Fall 2021: 100.0%
City and Regional Planning 17 16 94.1% Fall 2022: 94.7%
Health Science 14 13 92.9% Fall 2023: 100.0% ↓
African-American Studies 13 10 76.9% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓
Geology 12 11 91.7% Fall 2021: 100.0% ↓

Majors reported by transfer path only — Fall 2025

CSU reported no first-year admit row for these majors. At most campuses that means a freshman is not admitted straight into the program: they enter a pre-major (pre-nursing, for example) and apply into it later, while transfer applicants apply to the program directly. The transfer numbers below are the only published gate, and at a program like nursing they are the number a family should plan around.

Major Transfer applicants Admitted Admit rate
Fall 2025, transfer		 Earlier year
for comparison
Nursing Pre-Licensure transfer path impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 310 51 16.5% Fall 2021: 11.9% ↑
Public Health transfer path 191 171 89.5% Fall 2024: 84.7% ↑
Exercise Physiology transfer path 126 102 81.0% Fall 2021: 72.2% ↑
Social Work transfer path impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 100 78 78.0% Fall 2021: 75.9% ↑
Communicative Disorders transfer path 86 67 77.9% Fall 2021: 70.2% ↑
Social Science/Social and Behavioral Sciences transfer path 52 44 84.6% Fall 2023: 58.6% ↑
Nursing (RN-to-Nursing Degree) transfer path impactedA CSU term: the program gets more qualified applicants than it has seats, so the campus adds admission requirements beyond the CSU minimum — a higher GPA bar, specific courses, or priority for local students. Treat impacted majors as more competitive than the campus's overall admit rate suggests. 51 34 66.7% Fall 2021: 48.9% ↑

Source: CSU Chancellor's Office ↗, applications & admissions by discipline and major (Fall 2021–2025); impaction status from the CSU impacted-programs list (2027-28 cycle). Groups smaller than 10 are suppressed by CSU. A rising admit rate usually means fewer applications, not lower standards.

Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$44,012
Earnings, 10 yrs after entryMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$61,244
Graduate within 6 yrsThe share of students who start here and finish a bachelor's within six years — the standard federal measure, and the one College Scorecard publishes. It is not a four-year rate. Read it as the odds of finishing at all: nationally about a third of students who start never do, and an unfinished degree is the most expensive outcome in this decision.
57%
Median debt (completers)The federal-loan balance of the typical graduating borrower. Families who pay cash aren't counted, so read it as "among those who borrowed."
$14,505

The real cost

What California State University-Fresno actually costs

If you qualify for need aidGrant money based on your family's finances (via FAFSA and the college's own forms), not your student's stats.
$7,000/yr
average among aid-receiving families, all incomes — your number depends on your finances
If you don't
$20,095/yr
the full published price for in-state students — out-of-state runs higher

Which side your family lands on isn't set by any national income line — it's set by California State University-Fresno's own aid decision: the gap between its price and your family's finances.

Get your family's number — California State University-Fresno's Net Price Calculator ↗ 10–15 minutes; have a tax return handy. It's still an estimate — but it's this college's own, built from your family's numbers, not anyone's average.
Start your Family Decision Report →

Your odds + estimated cost across your whole college list, side by side.

The payoffTen years of typical graduate pay minus four years of cost — how many dollars ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten. Check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you; median pay reflects who a college admits and what they study as much as the college itself., both ways

+$532K ahead at full price +$584K with aid
Full price, no aidThe all-in yearly price — tuition, housing, food, books, fees — before any aid. This is the real "full price," not just the tuition line. (4 yrs, in-state)
$80,380
~$20,095/yr all-in (out-of-state runs higher)
Aid recipients pay (4 yrs)
$28,000
$7,000/yr average
10-yr earnings total
$612,440
$61,244/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup the cost
1.3 yrs
at full price (0.5 with aid), at the median earnings rate

Source: College Scorecard (average net price among Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates who received aid) and each college's published cost of attendance. We don't show the federal net-price-by-income brackets: their categories were fixed in 2008 and never adjusted, and none of the averages is your family's own number — the full story. Payoff = (10-yr median earnings × 10) − (4 years of cost), in dollars — how far ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten; medians travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose as much as with the college itself. Full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.

What students study here

Most popular majors at California State University-Fresno

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what California State University-Fresno actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Psychology
632 degrees · 23.0%
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
596 degrees · 21.7%
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Social Sciences
595 degrees · 21.7%
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
4. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
529 degrees · 19.3%
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
5. Health Professions
390 degrees · 14.2%
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

What those majors earn here

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — California State University-Fresno's own graduates, not national averages.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 177 $96,890 $111,278
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 29 $59,672 $108,038
Computer Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 30 $75,101 $103,896
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. Bachelor's Degree 36 $78,716 $95,072
Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians. Bachelor's Degree 7 $78,518 $90,353
Mechanical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 79 $65,938 $88,002
Civil Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 70 $71,093 $87,627
Plant Sciences. Bachelor's Degree 63 $60,443 $77,034
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 149 $43,134 $76,268
Nutrition Sciences. Bachelor's Degree 2 $23,211 $73,522

Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →

Student body & economic mobility

Who attends here — and what the campus adds.

Opportunity Insights data. It measures two things at once: how many lower-income students a college enrols, and how many of them reach the top earnings quintile later. A high rate says the college does both — it does not establish that the campus caused the earnings, because the students it admits differ from the students it doesn't. Read it as a signal about access and destination, not as proof of value added.

Top-1% access
0.8%
from top-1% households
Mobility rateThe share of ALL students who arrived from the bottom 20% of family incomes AND reached the top 20% themselves by their early 30s — access and lift in one number, and a sign the campus itself adds earnings power.
4.2%
bottom 20% → top 20% by age 32
Upward rate
26.2%
of lower-income students who reach the top 20%
Pell recipientsStudents receiving federal Pell grants, which go to lower- and middle-income families — the standard shorthand for a college's economic mix.
57%
on federal need grants — context for these numbers

Full leaderboards: /college-mobility →

AI program signal

AI + computing education at California State University-Fresno

CS degrees (annual)
79
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

Alternatives to California State University-Fresno

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools publish merit scholarships your family can plan around — your kid’s stats could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
17 stats-based + 2 competitive scholarships
University of Mississippi
MS · Public
14 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
University of Kentucky
KY · Public
8 stats-based + 5 competitive scholarships
Lower full price
Similar selectivity, but a meaningfully lower full sticker price — the comparison that matters most for families who won't qualify for much need-based aid.
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$11,837/yr full price (in-state) · $8,258 less before aid for IN residents
Gordon State College
GA · Public
$14,771/yr full price (in-state) · $5,324 less before aid for GA residents
More students move up here
Per Opportunity Insights, a larger share of these campuses' lower-income students reach the top earnings quintile than at California State University-Fresno. That reflects who they admit as well as what they do, so read it as a destination signal rather than proof of value added.
California State University-Los Angeles
CA · Public
9.9% mobility rate (vs 4.2% here)
MCPHS University
MA · Private nonprofit
9.3% mobility rate (vs 4.2% here)
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
TX · Public
7.7% mobility rate (vs 4.2% here)

Or compare any college side-by-side

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Related reading

Nursing at NYU is harder to get into than Brown

College admissions · August 21, 2026

The Admit Rate You Looked Up Isn't the One Your Student Is Facing

CSU admissions · August 11, 2026

All stories from the data →

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At a glance

JSON · Using this page with an AI assistant

California State University-Fresno is a public four-year college in CA. It admitted 96% of applicants (20,201 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-blind.

Cost: about $7,000 a year on average with aid, $20,095 a year at full price for in-state students.

Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,244 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $584,440 ahead with aid, $532,060 ahead at full price.

Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($111,278); Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($108,038); Computer Engineering ($103,896).

First-year admit rate by major, Fall 2025: lowest Computer Engineering 91.1% (168 applied); highest Environmental Science 100.0% (106 applied). 7 majors are reported on the transfer side only (freshmen enter as a pre-major): Nursing Pre-Licensure 16.5%, Public Health 89.5%, Exercise Physiology 81.0%, Social Work 78.0%, and more.

Economic mobility (Opportunity Insights): 16% of students came from families in the bottom fifth of income, and 26% of those reached the top fifth as adults.

Nursing: freshmen enter as pre-nursing and apply into the program later; NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate 94.7% (2024/2025, California Board of Registered Nursing).

Machine-readable version of this page: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/california-state-university-fresno.json

By major: AccountingAnimal ScienceAnthropologyArchitectureArt (Studio)Art HistoryBiochemistryBiologyBusiness AdministrationChemistryChild DevelopmentCivil EngineeringCognitive ScienceCommunicationComputer EngineeringComputer ScienceConstruction ManagementCriminal Justice and CriminologyDesign (graphic, interior, industrial)EconomicsElectrical EngineeringEnglishEnvironmental ScienceFinanceHealth ScienceHistoryInformation SystemsJournalismKinesiologyLiberal Studies (teacher preparation)LinguisticsMarketingMathematicsMechanical EngineeringMusicNursing (BSN)Nutrition and DieteticsPhilosophyPhysicsPolitical SciencePsychologyPublic HealthSocial WorkSociologyTheatre
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What families ask next

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