California State University-Fresno
Public Research University in Fresno, CA. Six-year graduation rate 57%. Median 10-year earnings $61,244.
Ten-year median earnings of $61,244 are the headline number here, and they are strong ones. 57% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $14,505, a light load against those earnings. It also moves people — 4.2% of students climb from the bottom fifth of the income distribution to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.24 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
California State University-Fresno admits 95% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool is large — 21,521 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. Only 18% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at California State University-Fresno →Academics
Completion is middling: 57% finish inside six years. First-year retention of 82% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Retention drops to 43% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 22:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 21,070 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $7,834 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $5,105 at the $0–30k band to $16,899 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 77% of students at an average of $11,441. Only 19% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 3,413 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $5,105 |
| $30–48k | $5,429 |
| $48–75k | $7,196 |
| $75–110k | $10,291 |
| $110k+ | $16,899 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 4,091 of these 21,070 students, totalling $26,363,166 — an average of $6,444 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Fresno County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)