Chico State

Basic Information

Type Public
Geographical Reach Regional
Population 200,000

Weather

Comfortable Days 115 (84%)
Sunshine Hours 3,604 (99% ☀️)
Days Without Precipitation 307 (94% 🏖️)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 13,118
Men / Women 44% / 56%
From State 98%
From Region 0%
Athletes 312 (2.5%)

Racial/Ethnic

White 41%
Hispanic 39%
Mixed 6%
Asian 5%
Black 3%
Native American 1%
International 1%

Schools & Majors

⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
California State University, Chico 3,358 41% 42% 6% 3% 38% 1% $66,397 33 -0.15 76 95% 6.0%
Civil Engineering 52 — 69% 42% 8% 2% 38% 0% $98,823 85 +0.93 97 97% — — — —
Computer Engineering 10 +1 80% 40% 30% 0% 30% 0% $87,480 1 -1.40 93 100% — — — —
Electrical Engineering 18 — 94% 22% 0% 0% 50% 22% $98,396 9 -0.88 97 — — — — —
Engineering 32 +3 78% 53% 3% 0% 34% 0% $85,436 10 -1.00 91 100% — — — —
Mechanical Engineering 45 +4 91% 33% 9% 0% 31% 7% $93,796 23 -0.68 95 99% — — — —
Computer Science 76 — 88% 37% 18% 1% 30% 1% $134,204 71 +0.27 100 98% — — — —
Game and Interactive Media Design 70 — 73% 33% 16% 3% 34% 0% $52,387 9 -1.20 49 94% — — — —
Information Technology 69 +8 88% 41% 19% 7% 22% 6% $93,060 44 -0.25 95 97% — — — —
Chemistry 8 +1 88% 12% 0% 0% 88% 0% $68,344 34 -0.31 79 — — — — —
Geosciences 9 — 33% 33% 0% 0% 33% 0% $61,833 42 -0.29 70 — — — — —
Mathematics 24 +1 46% 54% 8% 0% 29% 4% $66,348 21 -0.72 76 95% — — — —
Physics 5 +1 100% 40% 0% 0% 0% 20% $68,717 11 -1.07 79 — — — — —
Biochemistry 10 — 60% 20% 20% 0% 40% 0% $55,239 5 -1.45 57 100% — — — —
Biology 66 +3 35% 39% 6% 2% 44% 2% $73,759 86 +0.85 84 94% — — — —
Microbiology 22 +3 50% 36% 5% 0% 45% 5% $77,738 85 +1.00 87 97% — — — —
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations 50 +2 56% 56% 0% 0% 34% 0% $66,746 22 -0.66 77 98% — — — —
Agriculture 27 — 19% 74% 0% 0% 26% 0% $56,151 24 -0.49 59 88% — — — —
Agronomy and Crop Science 36 +2 53% 58% 0% 0% 28% 0% $76,165 99 +1.36 86 95% — — — —
Animal Sciences 78 — 17% 33% 3% 4% 51% 0% $51,102 35 -0.39 46 96% — — — —
Environmental Science 19 +1 58% 53% 0% 5% 32% 0% $73,627 97 +1.88 84 91% — — — —
Natural Sciences 3 — 33% 0% 0% 0% 33% 0% $50,421 13 -1.03 44 100% — — — —
Nutrition Sciences 26 — 19% 27% 8% 0% 42% 4% $52,625 9 -1.08 50 100% — — — —
Communication Sciences and Disorders 47 — 4% 45% 11% 2% 26% 0% $69,196 85 +0.92 79 93% — — — —
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 77 +1 44% 39% 8% 3% 47% 0% $51,403 10 -1.21 47 96% — — — —
Health Science 1 — 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% $65,649 46 -0.19 75 96% — — — —
Nursing 107 — 21% 35% 16% 4% 30% 0% $110,802 97 +1.85 99 96% — — — —
Public Health 84 +2 17% 36% 12% 4% 42% 1% $61,385 35 -0.35 69 100% — — — —
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 57 +1 53% 40% 4% 0% 47% 0% $51,403 10 -1.21 47 96% — — — —
Business Management and Administration 537 +12 55% 42% 7% 3% 37% 1% $73,122 53 -0.23 83 94% — — — —
Economics 20 — 80% 55% 5% 0% 25% 0% $64,006 3 -1.28 73 97% — — — —
Engineering Management 4 — 75% 50% 0% 0% 25% 0% $88,417 81 +0.56 93 93% — — — —
Health Services Administration 11 — 27% 27% 27% 0% 45% 0% $61,385 45 -0.26 69 100% — — — —
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies 28 +8 43% 46% 0% 0% 43% 0% $57,857 44 -0.25 62 97% — — — —
Asian Studies/Civilization 2 +2 50% 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% $50,497 23 -0.69 44 89% — — — —
English 52 +2 35% 58% 4% 2% 27% 2% $50,754 46 -0.20 45 84% — — — —
Ethnic Studies 10 +1 30% 50% 10% 10% 30% 0% $50,484 22 -0.70 44 — — — — —
French — — — — — — — — $51,537 27 -0.58 47 79% — — — —
German 2 +1 50% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $52,151 29 -0.53 49 — — — — —
Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies — — — — — — — — $50,899 23 -0.66 45 — — — — —
History 36 +1 69% 50% 0% 0% 33% 0% $46,710 9 -1.00 34 96% — — — —
Latin American Studies 2 +11 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% $50,497 23 -0.69 44 89% — — — —
Philosophy 4 +2 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 0% $49,908 17 -0.87 43 — — — — —
Religious Studies 13 — 38% 69% 8% 0% 23% 0% $50,592 46 -0.03 45 — — — — —
Spanish 13 +5 15% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% $51,537 27 -0.58 47 79% — — — —
Anthropology 23 — 35% 52% 0% 0% 30% 0% $43,173 2 -1.24 25 90% — — — —
Geography 11 +1 55% 64% 0% 0% 27% 0% $67,430 77 +0.61 78 100% — — — —
Humanities/Humanistic Studies 12 — 17% 67% 0% 8% 25% 0% $54,616 47 -0.21 55 94% 7.3% — — —
International Affairs 7 +1 71% 29% 14% 0% 43% 14% $58,533 14 -0.74 64 92% — — — —
Journalism 25 +1 24% 52% 0% 0% 40% 0% $62,104 51 -0.02 70 94% — — — —
Political Science 39 +5 44% 54% 3% 3% 31% 0% $55,942 8 -1.20 58 96% — — — —
Psychology 264 +12 28% 41% 7% 2% 35% 0% $52,403 36 -0.40 49 94% — — — —
Public Administration 7 +2 43% 29% 0% 0% 43% 0% $50,066 2 -1.63 43 100% — — — —
Radio and Television 33 — 58% 55% 12% 0% 30% 3% $58,438 39 -0.32 63 — — — — —
Social Sciences 84 +1 23% 40% 5% 5% 40% 0% $54,668 48 -0.20 55 85% 4.9% — — —
Social Work 92 +1 13% 41% 0% 5% 43% 1% $56,020 66 +0.33 58 94% — — — —
Sociology 198 +3 19% 25% 6% 14% 42% 0% $53,266 40 -0.33 52 95% 4.8% — — —
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 71 — 37% 56% 4% 1% 31% 1% $58,291 39 -0.33 63 95% — — — —
Early Childhood Education 56 +3 7% 38% 4% 2% 48% 2% $51,441 47 -0.13 47 — — — — —
General Education 244 — 7% 45% 2% 3% 40% 0% $54,616 50 -0.05 55 94% 7.3% — — —
Animation 5 — 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 0% $49,867 33 -0.39 43 — — — — —
Art Studio 22 — 27% 41% 5% 0% 41% 0% $41,105 25 -0.61 20 84% — — — —
Design and Visual Communications 22 — 27% 68% 0% 0% 14% 5% $52,387 26 -0.60 49 94% — — — —
Fine Arts 37 +4 11% 46% 8% 0% 41% 0% $41,105 25 -0.61 20 84% — — — —
Music 11 +2 91% 36% 9% 0% 45% 0% $49,131 59 +0.26 41 93% — — — —
Music 25 +3 60% 52% 0% 0% 36% 0% $49,131 59 +0.26 41 93% — — — —
Musical Theatre 8 — 38% 62% 0% 0% 38% 0% $44,709 41 -0.22 29 — — — — —
Theater 10 — 40% 30% 0% 0% 40% 0% $39,763 30 -0.44 17 — — — — —
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician 83 — 89% 51% 0% 2% 37% 1% $120,020 98 +1.74 99 96% — — — —
Criminal Justice 101 +5 41% 34% 3% 0% 56% 1% $59,775 54 -0.02 66 96% — — — —
Engineering Technology — — — — — — — — $88,417 43 -0.03 93 93% — — — —
Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician 6 — 100% 17% 0% 0% 50% 0% $92,886 64 +0.35 95 — — — — —

Financial

In-State Tuition & Fees $8,901
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees $22,418
Est. In-State Cost $11,514
Est. Out-of-State Cost $29,000
ROI Percentile 76th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 82%
4-Year Graduation Rate 36%
6-Year Graduation Rate 63%
Transfer-Out Rate 4%

Earnings by Major Category

Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).

Academics

⇅ % Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn
Social Sciences 25.8% 866 27% 41% 5% 5% 37% 0% $54,363 31 -0.32 54 94% 4.9%
Business & Economics 17.9% 600 55% 43% 7% 2% 37% 0% $71,993 33 -0.26 82 95% —
Health Sciences 11.1% 373 28% 38% 11% 3% 38% 0% $72,971 30 +0.13 83 97% —
Education 8.9% 300 7% 44% 2% 3% 41% 0% $54,023 53 -0.07 54 94% 7.3%
Agriculture & Food Science 7.1% 239 34% 47% 2% 2% 38% 0% $60,668 51 -0.10 68 95% —
Computer Science 6.4% 215 83% 37% 18% 4% 29% 2% $94,362 22 -0.38 95 97% —
Professional 5.7% 190 64% 41% 2% 1% 48% 1% $87,138 87 +0.76 92 96% —
Engineering 4.7% 157 81% 39% 8% 1% 36% 4% $93,882 14 -0.28 95 99% —
Arts 4.2% 140 36% 49% 4% 0% 35% 1% $45,365 21 -0.34 30 89% —
Humanities 4.0% 134 43% 49% 4% 1% 35% 1% $49,696 19 -0.51 42 88% —
Life & Natural Sciences 2.9% 98 41% 37% 7% 1% 44% 2% $72,762 76 +0.65 83 95% —
Physical Sciences & Math 1.4% 46 57% 41% 4% 0% 37% 4% $66,069 15 -0.60 76 95% —

Research R3

⇅ Research $ Rank Federal Industry $ PhDs Rank PhD students Postdocs
Agriculture & Food Science $3.1M #108 17% $0.0M — — — —
Engineering $1.4M #264 31% $0.2M — — — —
Humanities & Social Sciences $1.2M #300 37% $0 — — — —
Education $0.8M #255 99% $0 — — — —
Physical Sciences & Math $0.6M #416 90% $0 — — — —
Life & Natural Sciences $0.6M #386 24% $0 — — — —
Health Sciences $0.5M #285 0% $0 — — — —
Computer Science $0.2M #359 42% $0.1M — — — —
Business & Economics $0.1M #380 0% $0 — — — —
Total $8.5M #319 35% $0.2M — — — —

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Sports NCAA D2

⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (outdoor) 45 $309K $319K -$10K
Baseball 44 $644K $709K -$65K
Soccer 40 $709K $538K $170K
Cross Country 28 $212K $171K $40K
Basketball 15 $696K $677K $19K
Golf 12 $224K $241K -$16K
Total 171 $2.8M $2.7M $139K
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (outdoor) 35 $248K $262K -$14K
Soccer 30 $373K $400K -$26K
Cross Country 26 $240K $169K $71K
Softball 23 $397K $440K -$42K
Volleyball 19 $327K $371K -$43K
Basketball 12 $627K $594K $32K
Golf 10 $240K $196K $43K
Total 141 $2.5M $2.4M $19K
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (outdoor) 80 $557K $582K -$24K
Soccer 70 $1.1M $938K $144K
Cross Country 54 $452K $340K $112K
Baseball 44 $644K $709K -$65K
Basketball 27 $1.3M $1.3M $52K
Softball 23 $397K $440K -$42K
Golf 22 $465K $437K $27K
Volleyball 19 $327K $371K -$43K
Total 312 $7.3M $7.3M $0

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Equity in Athletics Data Analysis. Each team's revenue and expenses are what the college attributes to it. The Total view's totals row is the department's grand total, which also includes money not attributed to any team; the Male and Female totals rows only add up their teams.

Admissions

Uses Common App No
Acceptance Rate 91%
Yield (non-ED) 10%
Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

In-State Out-of-State International
Regular Decision 92% 73% 63%
Unhooked Early Decision 0% 0% —

Hooked: legacy, recruited athletes, and faculty-related

Standardized Tests

Test Policy blind
Submitted Test Scores 4%
SAT Range 940 – 1170
SAT Math Range 430 – 580
SAT RW Range 480 – 610