California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State, or Sac State) admitted 93.57% of first-time freshman applicants for Fall 2025: 24,648 of 26,342, according to the university’s Common Data Set 2025-26. That is the Sacramento State acceptance rate most guides round to 94%, and it covers admission to the university, not to a major. Nursing is a separate gate: across ten BSN cohorts from Fall 2021 to Spring 2026, the School of Nursing reported 2,706 applicants and 770 enrolled students (28.46%), and in the latest four cohorts, 316 of 948 applicants enrolled, about 1 in 3.
You may also see it searched as the CSUS acceptance rate or the CSU Sacramento acceptance rate; it is the same number, and the CSU’s own census for the same class shows a slightly lower official figure (explained below). Sac State is part of the California State University system, and SAT and ACT scores play no part in its admission decisions. The nursing share is our calculation from the School’s published applicant pool statistics (enrolled divided by applicants), not an official Sac State rate.
Sacramento State at a Glance
Key Sacramento State University acceptance rate facts, with the source for each:
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman acceptance rate, Fall 2025 | 93.57% (24,648 of 26,342) | CDS 2025-26 |
| CSU census rate, Fall 2025 | 93.15% (25,077 of 26,922) | CSU census |
| Transfer acceptance rate, Fall 2025 | 89.95% (11,218 of 12,472) | CDS 2025-26 |
| Average HS GPA of enrolled freshmen, Fall 2025 | 3.38 | CDS 2025-26 |
| Minimum eligibility index | 2,500 California, 3,000 non-resident | csus.edu |
| SAT/ACT | Not used for admission | csus.edu |
| Fall 2027 application window | Aug 1 to Dec 15, 2026 | csus.edu |
| Application fee | $70 | CDS 2025-26 |
| Tuition and fees, 2024-25 | $8,018 in-state, $20,618 out-of-state | NCES College Navigator |
| Average net price, 2023-24 (students receiving grant or scholarship aid) | $10,110 | NCES College Navigator |
| Impacted programs (csus.edu, checked Oct 17, 2026) | Business Administration, Graphic Design, Nursing, Psychology | csus.edu |
| Nursing BSN, last four cohorts | 316 of 948 enrolled (about 33%) | School of Nursing, our calculation |
| Total enrollment, Fall 2025 | 31,307 students | Sac State Newsroom |
Source: Sacramento State Common Data Set 2025-26, CSU census, csus.edu admissions and School of Nursing pages, and NCES College Navigator, checked October 17, 2026.
The 31,307 figure covers every student on campus, not just freshmen. Sac State called it the largest fall enrollment post-COVID in October 2025.
Sacramento State Acceptance Rate by Year (Fall 2014–2025)
From Fall 2014 to Fall 2018, the rate moved between 63.86% and 72.65%, an average of 68.69%. From Fall 2021 to Fall 2025, it stayed between 92.25% and 93.75%, an average of 93.32%.
| Fall | Source | Applied | Admitted | Rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | IPEDS | 21,550 | 15,656 | 72.65% | 3,695 | 23.60% |
| 2015 | IPEDS | 22,863 | 15,376 | 67.25% | 3,781 | 24.59% |
| 2016 | IPEDS | 23,942 | 17,224 | 71.94% | 3,760 | 21.83% |
| 2017 | IPEDS | 24,132 | 16,352 | 67.76% | 3,590 | 21.95% |
| 2018 | IPEDS | 27,108 | 17,312 | 63.86% | 3,757 | 21.70% |
| 2019 | IPEDS | 27,576 | 22,685 | 82.26% | 4,175 | 18.40% |
| 2020 | CDS 2020-21 | 25,709 | 21,363 | 83.10% | 3,607 | 16.88% |
| 2021 | CDS 2021-22 | 22,653 | 21,238 | 93.75% | 3,450 | 16.24% |
| 2022 | CDS 2022-23 | 25,443 | 23,471 | 92.25% | 4,019 | 17.12% |
| 2023 | IPEDS | 25,994 | 24,336 | 93.62% | 3,884 | 15.96% |
| 2024 | CDS 2024-25 | 27,868 | 26,036 | 93.43% | 3,988 | 15.32% |
| 2025 | CDS 2025-26 | 26,342 | 24,648 | 93.57% | 3,742 | 15.18% |
Source: Sacramento State Common Data Set 2020-21 to 2025-26 (section C1) and IPEDS (unitid 110617); rate and yield are our calculation.
Yield, the share of admitted students who enroll, fell from 24.59% in Fall 2015 to 15.18% in Fall 2025.
How we built this table: each Common Data Set covers the fall that opens its academic year, so CDS 2025-26 is the Fall 2025 class. CDS 2020-21 through 2025-26 come from the Sac State Office of Institutional Research data center, and Fall 2014 to 2019 come from federal IPEDS data. Rate is admitted divided by applied, yield is enrolled divided by admitted, and both were computed in October 2026.
The admitted count is blank in the CDS 2023-24 file, so Fall 2023 uses IPEDS. Where both sources cover the same fall, the CDS rate differs from IPEDS by +0.01 (2020), +0.07 (2021), −0.96 (2022) and −0.56 (2024) percentage points.
The CSU publishes its own census for the same class, so the Cal State Sacramento acceptance rate has a second official figure: 26,922 completed applications, 25,077 offers and 3,854 enrolled, or 93.15% with a yield of 15.37%. That is 0.42 percentage points below the CDS rate, with 580 more applicants counted. The two counts use different dates and definitions, so this is a second official number, not a conflict.
What About Fall 2026?
No official Fall 2026 figures were on csus.edu as of October 17, 2026; the Institutional Research dashboard says its data is “refreshed after term census files are finalized.” Sacramento State officials shared figures with The Sacramento Bee, which reported them on August 4, 2026: 93% for freshmen, 86% for transfers and about 91% combined.
The 40,000-plus applications in that report count freshman and transfer applicants together. Treat all three percentages as preliminary until the census update.
Why Did Sac State’s Acceptance Rate Jump From 64% to 94%?
The rate rose 29.89 percentage points, from 63.86% in Fall 2018 to 93.75% in Fall 2021, and it happened in two steps. Neither step has a proven cause; each only coincides with an event on the record.
Fall 2018 to Fall 2019 added 18.40 points, or 61.56% of the total jump. Fall 2020 to Fall 2021 added 10.65 points (35.63%), and the year in between added just 0.84.
| Fall | Rate | Change (points) | What coincided (source) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 to 2019 | 63.86% to 82.26% | +18.40 | Waitlisted students invited to Admitted Students Day (The State Hornet, 2019) |
| 2019 to 2020 | 82.26% to 83.10% | +0.84 | No event identified |
| 2020 to 2021 | 83.10% to 93.75% | +10.65 | First CSU cycle without ACT/SAT (CSU memo, April 9, 2020) |
| 2023 to 2024 | 93.62% to 93.43% | −0.19 (IPEDS→CDS; +0.37 IPEDS only) | Campus-wide impaction lifted (csus.edu) |
Source: IPEDS and Sacramento State Common Data Set; changes are our calculation.
In Fall 2019, admits grew by 5,373 (17,312 to 22,685) while applicants grew by only 468. That same cycle, the student paper The State Hornet reported on September 12, 2019 that Sac State mistakenly invited 3,500 waitlisted students to Admitted Students Day and did not rescind the invitations; about 700 of them enrolled. The paper also noted that Sac State was considered an impacted campus at the time.
“We would have likely admitted that many students anyway,” said Sac State Vice President Ed Mills, as quoted by The State Hornet.
So the Fall 2019 jump coincides with the waitlist episode. The article does not say whether those students are part of the federal admit count.
Fall 2021 was the first cycle in which the CSU did not use ACT or SAT scores. A CSU Office of the Chancellor memo dated April 9, 2020, suspended them temporarily, for the fall 2021, winter 2022 and spring 2022 cycles only. Under that memo, Californians were eligible with an a-g GPA of 2.50 or higher, those between 2.00 and 2.49 could be evaluated on supplemental factors, and non-California applicants needed 3.00.
Applicants fell by 3,056 that year, from 25,709 to 22,653, while the rate climbed. Again, the timing lines up, but nothing in the record measures the effect.
Here’s the part most people miss. A common explanation is that Sac State dropped campus-wide impaction, yet that impaction, in place since fall 2011 according to The State Hornet, was lifted for the Fall 2024 application period. The rate then barely moved: −0.19 points in the table above (IPEDS for 2023, CDS for 2024), or +0.37 points (93.62% to 93.99%) with IPEDS for both years.
In other words, Sac State was already admitting about 93% of freshmen in Fall 2021 to 2023, while it was still an impacted campus.
Does Residency Change Your Odds? In-State vs. Out-of-State
Here’s what the data actually shows. The Sac State admission rate for Fall 2025 was 94.33% for California residents, 88.80% for out-of-state applicants and 72.73% for international applicants.
| Group | Applied | Admitted | Rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 in-state | 24,429 | 23,043 | 94.33% | 3,672 | 15.94% |
| Fall 2025 out-of-state | 1,330 | 1,181 | 88.80% | 46 | 3.90% |
| Fall 2025 international | 583 | 424 | 72.73% | 24 | 5.66% |
| Fall 2024 in-state | 25,573 | 24,145 | 94.42% | 3,868 | 16.02% |
| Fall 2024 out-of-state | 1,289 | 1,136 | 88.13% | 47 | 4.14% |
| Fall 2024 international | 1,006 | 755 | 75.05% | 73 | 9.67% |
Source: Sacramento State Common Data Set 2024-25 and 2025-26 (C1); rates and yields are our calculation.
The gap between in-state and out-of-state applicants was 5.53 percentage points in Fall 2025 and 6.29 in Fall 2024. In both years, the three groups add up exactly to the campus totals.
Few admitted out-of-state students enroll: 46 of 1,181 in Fall 2025, a yield of 3.90%. The Common Data Set lists state residency as “Considered” in admission decisions, and out-of-state applicants face a higher minimum index (see the next section).
What GPA Do You Need for Sac State?
Sac State GPA requirements come down to one number, an eligibility index equal to your a-g GPA times 1,000. The First-Year Admission Process page sets the floor this way:
- California applicants: a minimum index of 2,500.
- Non-residents (Category 2): a minimum index of 3,000.
- Multi-factor review: it can go down to 2,000, depending on space, so it is not a promise.
The Sac State average GPA of enrolled first-year students barely moved while the rate rose. It ranged from 3.38 to 3.42 between Fall 2020 and Fall 2025.
| Fall | Average HS GPA of enrolled first-year students |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.41 |
| 2021 | 3.42 |
| 2022 | 3.39 |
| 2023 | 3.40 |
| 2024 | 3.41 |
| 2025 | 3.38 |
Source: Sacramento State Common Data Set 2020-21 to 2025-26 (C12).
So the higher admit rate did not change the academic profile of the class that enrolled. In the CDS list of admission factors, academic GPA is the only item marked “Very important.” Demonstrated interest is marked “Not considered.”
Does Sac State Use SAT or ACT Scores?
No. Sac State does not use SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions, only for placement.
Is Sac State Hard to Get Into? Impacted Majors and the Nursing Gate
Getting into the university is not hard, given the rate above. The competition lives in four impacted programs and, above all, in Nursing.
As of October 17, 2026, the csus.edu impaction page lists these impacted programs:
- Business Administration
- Graphic Design
- Nursing
- Psychology
Supplemental criteria apply to impacted programs, and our sources do not publish the thresholds. Check each program page for its current requirements.
Sac State Nursing Acceptance Rate: What the Applicant Pool Shows
The School of Nursing admits up to 80 traditional pre-licensure students each semester and publishes applicant pool statistics for every cohort. Across ten cohorts, Fall 2021 to Spring 2026, 770 of 2,706 applicants enrolled, or 28.46%; the four most recent cohorts came to 316 of 948, or 33.33%.
| Term | Applicants | Enrolled | Share enrolled | Point cut-off | Avg TEAS of enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 215 | 78 | 36.28% | 71 | 92.44% |
| Fall 2025 | 249 | 80 | 32.13% | 71 | 93.22% |
| Spring 2025 | 233 | 79 | 33.91% | 71 | 92.67% |
| Fall 2024 | 251 | 79 | 31.47% | 71 | 91.11% |
| Spring 2024 | 222 | 74 | 33.33% | 71 | 93.10% |
| Fall 2023 | 264 | 76 | 28.79% | 70 | 92.24% |
| Spring 2023 | 238 | 74 | 31.09% | 70 | 90.86% |
| Fall 2022 | 353 | 75 | 21.25% | 71 | 92.29% |
| Spring 2022 | 273 | 77 | 28.21% | 71 | 92.07% |
| Fall 2021 | 408 | 78 | 19.12% | 71 | 92.37% |
| All ten cohorts | 2,706 | 770 | 28.46% | 70 to 71 | 90.86% to 93.22% |
| Last four cohorts | 948 | 316 | 33.33% | 71 | see rows above |
Source: School of Nursing applicant pool statistics, csus.edu, accessed October 17, 2026; share enrolled is our calculation.
How we calculated this: the page’s categories do not add up to the applicant count; in Spring 2026 they sum to 244 against 215 applicants. So the table uses only enrolled divided by applicants. That share is our calculation, not an official Sac State nursing acceptance rate.
The applicant count also includes ineligible applicants (20 of 215 in Spring 2026), and someone who reapplies is counted again, so the share for an eligible first-time applicant may differ.
Applicants fell from 408 in Fall 2021 to 215 in Spring 2026. The share that enrolled ranged from 19.12% to 36.28% across the ten cohorts.
So why does this matter? A student who picks Sac State for nursing clears the university gate first and then faces a second one, where about two in three applicants in recent cohorts did not start the program. The enrolled students also set a high bar, with an average non-adjusted nursing GPA between 3.905 and 3.947 in every cohort.
The point cut-off was 70 or 71 in each cohort. The School of Nursing selection criteria add up to 84 points (its cohort tables cite 88): up to 30 from the TEAS and up to 40 from the adjusted nursing GPA, with at least 60 points and a TEAS score of 75% needed to apply.
How Nursing Admission Works
The catalog calls nursing admission “a two-step process,” and there is no direct entry into the BSN.
- Get admitted to Sacramento State first, for example as a Health Science major.
- Complete at least six of the eight pre-clinical courses before you apply (one science and one non-science course may still be in progress), finish all eight by June for fall entry or December for spring, and ideally the four corequisites too.
- Submit the supplemental nursing application (Fall entry: February 1 to March 1; Spring entry: September 1 to October 1) and take the TEAS by March 1 or October 1.
The 2026-27 catalog sets a minimum science GPA of 3.3 on the pre-clinical science courses and a minimum GPA of 3.5 on the pre-clinical and corequisite courses, and it adds that “a minimum admission point total is required.” The School of Nursing page still shows 3.0 and 3.3, so confirm the current minimums with the School of Nursing before you apply.
With enrolled students averaging about 3.9, the difference between those minimums rarely decides the outcome. Because the second gate is selective, a plan B makes sense: Health Science, another campus, or an associate degree in nursing (ADN) at a community college.
How to Get Into Sacramento State: Fall 2027 Deadlines and the Local Area
First-year and transfer applicants share the same application windows for the 2027 terms.
| Step | Date | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 application window | Jul 1 to Nov 1, 2026 | First-year and transfer |
| Fall 2027 application window | Aug 1 to Dec 15, 2026 | First-year and transfer |
| Admission notification | Mar 1, 2027 | First-year (CSU campus page) |
| Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) | May 1, 2027 | First-year (CSU campus page) |
| Application fee | $70 | CDS 2025-26 (confirm on Cal State Apply) |
Source: csus.edu first-year and transfer admission pages, CSU Sacramento admissions page and CDS 2025-26 (C13), checked October 17, 2026.
- Check that your a-g GPA meets the index for your residency (see the GPA section above).
- Apply on Cal State Apply between August 1 and December 15, 2026; the first-year page lists August 30 as the fee-waiver deadline.
- If you plan on an impacted major, read that program’s supplemental criteria.
- Watch for a decision around March 1 and submit your SIR by May 1, 2027. The CSU lists no waitlist.
Some sites list February 28 as the deadline. In Sac State’s Common Data Set, the freshman closing date was November 30 for Fall 2023; for Fall 2024 the priority date was November 30 and the closing date May 1; for Fall 2025 the priority date was December 15 and the closing date February 28 (the field mapping is our reading of the CDS layout). No extension past December 15 is promised for Fall 2027, so plan on December 15.
The Nursing page still lists an older university window, “Fall – October 1 – due November 30,” which is outdated; the first-year admission page governs.
Sac State’s local admission area for first-year applicants covers eight counties:
- Sacramento
- El Dorado
- Nevada
- Placer
- San Joaquin
- Sierra
- Solano
- Yolo
Sac State Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements
The Sac State transfer acceptance rate was 89.95% for Fall 2025: 11,218 admitted out of 12,472 applicants, with 4,145 enrolling. That is 3.62 percentage points below the freshman rate, and from Fall 2020 to Fall 2025 the transfer rate stayed between 88.82% and 92.63%.
| Fall | Applied | Admitted | Rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 13,610 | 12,129 | 89.12% | 4,242 |
| 2021 | 13,697 | 12,364 | 90.27% | 4,352 |
| 2022 | 11,728 | 10,417 | 88.82% | 5,039 |
| 2023 | 10,387 | 9,429 | 90.78% | 3,255 |
| 2024 | 12,124 | 11,230 | 92.63% | 4,254 |
| 2025 | 12,472 | 11,218 | 89.95% | 4,145 |
Source: Sacramento State Common Data Set 2020-21 to 2025-26 (D2); rates are our calculation.
The transfer admission page sets these requirements:
- At least 60 transferable semester units, or 90 quarter units.
- All Golden Four courses completed with a “C-” or better.
- A minimum GPA of 2.0 if you are within the local admission area.
- Outside that area, “the academic characteristics of the transfer applicant pool will determine the GPA minimum.”
The CDS 2025-26 lists the same 2.0 minimum college GPA. For transfers, the local admission area means earning most of your transferable units at one of these ten community colleges:
- American River
- Cosumnes River
- Folsom Lake
- Lake Tahoe
- Sacramento City
- Sierra
- San Joaquin Delta
- Solano
- Woodland
- Yuba
The CDS 2025-26 shows a Spring transfer closing date of September 15, but that was the previous cycle. Sac State now lists the Spring 2027 window, shown in the deadline table above.
Should Sacramento State Be on Your List?
The Sacramento State acceptance rate makes the university a likely admit for most applicants who meet the eligibility index. The harder question is the major, especially if it is Nursing or another impacted program.
Our take: treat Sac State as a likely admit for the university, and treat Nursing like a selective program, with a backup plan ready before you apply.
If you are comparing campuses, look at UC Davis, Chico State, SF State and Sonoma State the same way. Check the year, the source and the major you actually want.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sac State acceptance rate 2025?
For Fall 2025, Sac State admitted about 94 of every 100 first-year applicants, according to its Common Data Set. The CSU’s own census count for the same class is a little lower because it uses a different count date. Either way, most applicants who meet the eligibility index get in. Nursing and the other impacted majors are judged separately.
Does Sac State require the SAT or ACT?
No. Sac State does not use SAT or ACT scores to decide admission. Scores matter only for course placement. Your a-g GPA, turned into an eligibility index, carries the decision instead.
Can you get into Sac State with a 2.0 GPA?
It is possible, but you should not count on it. The multi-factor review can reach down to an eligibility index of 2,000 only when space allows. In Fall 2025, 3.11% of enrolled first-year students had a high school GPA between 2.00 and 2.49 (Common Data Set 2025-26, C11). If your GPA sits near that floor, apply to more than one campus.
Is it harder to get into Sac State from out of state?
Yes, somewhat. Non-residents need an eligibility index of at least 3,000, compared with a lower floor for Californians. Out-of-state applicants were also admitted at a lower rate in recent years. Very few of those admitted chose to enroll.
What GPA do Sac State nursing students have?
Students who enrolled in the traditional BSN averaged around 3.9 in non-adjusted nursing GPA, according to the School of Nursing. That average sits well above the catalog minimums. TEAS scores matter too, since the test feeds the admission point total. Plan your prerequisite grades with that bar in mind.
Does Sac State have a waitlist?
No. The CSU’s Sacramento admissions page says the campus does not currently use a waitlist. You get a decision instead. If you are admitted, you confirm your spot by submitting a Statement of Intent to Register.
Sources
- Sacramento State Office of Institutional Research. “Common Data Set 2020-21 to 2025-26.” csus.edu.
- The California State University. “Sacramento State: Admissions.” calstate.edu, 2026.
- Sacramento State School of Nursing. “Traditional BSN: Applicant Pool Statistics.” csus.edu, 2026.
- Sacramento State. “Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Pre-licensure).” 2026-2027 University Catalog.
- Sacramento State Admissions. “Transfer Admission Process.” csus.edu, 2026.
- CSU Office of the Chancellor. “COVID-19 Interim Impacts on CSU Undergraduate Admissions Policies and Practices.” April 9, 2020.
