Cal State University, Fresno: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Fresno State University

Nightryder84 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

California State University, Fresno is a public university with an acceptance rate of 58%. Part of the California State University system, Fresno State occupies a 388-acre main campus at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Craig School of Business is popular among students, and Business Administration has the highest undergraduate enrollment of all majors. High achieving students might want to consider the Smittcamp Honors College which offers a variety of scholarships to admitted students. In athletics, the Fresno State Bulldogs compete in the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference.

Considering applying to Fresno State? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, California State University, Fresno had an acceptance rate of 58%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 58 students were admitted, making Fresno State's admissions process competitive.

Admissions Statistics (2018-19)
Number of Applicants 18,123
Percent Admitted 58%
Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 29%

SAT Scores and Requirements

Cal State Fresno requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 97% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

SAT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
ERW 470 570
Math 470 560
ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

This admissions data tells us that most of Fresno State's admitted students fall within the bottom 29% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Cal State Fresno scored between 470 and 570, while 25% scored below 470 and 25% scored above 570. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 470 and 560, while 25% scored below 470 and 25% scored above 560. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1130 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Cal State Fresno.

Requirements

Fresno State does not require the SAT writing section. Note that CSUF will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. SAT Subject test scores are not required, but if the score meets a benchmark, it may be used to fulfill certain core course requirements.

ACT Scores and Requirements

Cal State Fresno requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 30% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

ACT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
English 15 22
Math 16 22
Composite 16 22

This admissions data tells us that most of Cal State Fresno's admitted students fall within the bottom 27% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Fresno State received a composite ACT score between 16 and 22, while 25% scored above 22 and 25% scored below 16.

Requirements

Cal State Fresno does not require the ACT writing section. Unlike many universities, Fresno State superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered.

GPA

In 2019, the average high school GPA for incoming Cal State Fresno freshmen was 3.57, and over 57% of incoming students had average GPAs of 3.5 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Fresno State have primarily high B grades.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

California State University, Fresno Applicants' Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph.
California State University, Fresno Applicants' Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex.

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Cal State Fresno. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Admissions Chances

Cal State Fresno, which accepts just over half of applicants, has a selective admissions process. Unlike the University of California System, the California State University admission process is not holistic. Except for EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) students, applicants do not need to submit letters of recommendation or an application essay, and extracurricular involvement is not part of the standard application. Instead, admissions are based primarily on an eligibility index that combines GPA and test scores. Minimum high school course requirements (A-G college preparatory requirements) include four years of English; three years of math; two years of history and social science; two years of laboratory science; two years of a foreign language other than English; one year of visual or performing arts; and one year of a college preparatory elective. The reasons why an applicant with adequate scores and grades would be rejected tends to come down to factors such as insufficient college preparatory classes, high school classes that weren't challenging, or an incomplete application.

Be aware that California State University, Fresno is designated as impacted for all first time freshmen because it receives more applications than can be accommodated. Due to impaction, the university holds all applicants to a higher standard.

In the graph above, the green and blue dots represent accepted students. The majority of admitted students had GPAs of of about 3.0 or higher, SAT scores (ERW+M) of 900 or higher, and ACT scores of 17 or higher.

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and California State University, Fresno Undergraduate Admissions Office.

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Grove, Allen. "Cal State University, Fresno: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/fresno-state-gpa-sat-act-data-786475. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 28). Cal State University, Fresno: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/fresno-state-gpa-sat-act-data-786475 Grove, Allen. "Cal State University, Fresno: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/fresno-state-gpa-sat-act-data-786475 (accessed March 19, 2024).