Cal State Fullerton (CSUF): Acceptance Rate, GPA and Cost

Cal State (CSU) guide · Updated September 29, 2026

Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) admitted 88% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025, or 48,716 of 55,289, according to its Common Data Set. Enrolled first-years averaged a 3.45 high school GPA, and SAT and ACT scores are not used. California residents pay $8,516 in tuition and fees for 2026-27, and $36,148 living on campus.

CSUF gets called a lot of things: Fullerton State, Fullerton CSU, CSUF Fullerton. They all point to the same public university, California State University, Fullerton. “UC Fullerton” doesn’t exist, and that mix-up is worth clearing up early, because CSUF is a Cal State campus with Cal State rules and Cal State prices.

Here are the numbers that matter: who gets in, what it costs in 2026-27, how big the campus is and what CSUF is known for.

What Is the Cal State Fullerton Acceptance Rate?

Cal State Fullerton admitted 88% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025: 55,289 students applied, 48,716 were admitted and 6,787 enrolled, according to CSUF’s Common Data Set 2025-26. That makes CSUF one of the more accessible large public universities in Southern California for students who meet the CSU requirements.

Here’s the part the headline number hides: at a Cal State, you apply to a specific major, and demand is not spread evenly. Popular programs can be impacted, meaning they have more qualified applicants than space and use higher standards than the campus overall. A high campus-wide acceptance rate doesn’t guarantee a spot in the major you want, so check your intended program’s requirements before you apply.

How to Get Into CSUF: GPA and Requirements

CSUF follows the CSU admission rules for first-year students. The minimums are a 2.5 GPA in A-G courses for California residents and 3.0 for nonresidents. Enrolled first-year students for Fall 2025 averaged a 3.45 high school GPA.

So what’s the practical takeaway? If you meet the A-G requirements with a GPA around or above 3.45, CSUF is a realistic option. Apply on time, put your strongest grades forward and look up whether your major is impacted, because that, not the campus-wide rate, decides how competitive your application is.

Transferring to CSUF

Transfer applicants follow CSU upper-division transfer rules: at least 60 transferable semester units, the “Golden Four” general education courses (oral communication, written communication, critical thinking and college-level math) and the preparation courses for their major. Community college students who earn an Associate Degree for Transfer in a matching major receive priority consideration across the CSU. See our California community colleges guide for transfer paths, including Orange Coast College nearby.

How Much Does CSUF Cost?

CSUF tuition and campus fees for California residents are $8,516 for 2026-27: $6,838 in CSU tuition and $1,678 in campus fees. The full cost of attendance for a resident living on campus is $36,148. Nonresidents pay an additional $471 per unit, or $12,246 for a standard full-time year, which brings their on-campus budget to $48,394.

Most students pay far less than the full budget. CSUF’s average net price for first-time, full-time students receiving grant aid was $7,064 in 2023-24, according to College Navigator. Cal Grant, the Pell Grant and the CSU’s State University Grant can cover tuition for eligible Californians, and many students commute from home, which removes the biggest cost: housing.

“At CSUF, where you live matters more than tuition. A student living with family has a budget of about $26,800; the same student in an Orange County apartment needs about $37,600. If you can commute, CSUF is one of the lowest-cost ways to earn a four-year degree in Southern California.”

CalChannel Editorial Team

For comparison, San Diego State and Cal State Long Beach charge the same CSU tuition, but campus fees and housing costs differ. Compare every campus in our Cal State guide, or read what cost of attendance includes.

How Many Students Attend CSUF?

CSUF had 45,863 students in Fall 2025, including 40,705 undergraduates and 5,158 graduate students, according to its Common Data Set. That makes it one of the largest universities in the CSU system and in California.

Size shapes the experience. You get a wide choice of majors, a big campus community and Division I athletics. You also get a 27:1 student-to-faculty ratio and large lower-division classes, so students who want small seminars from day one should factor that in.

Is CSUF a Good School?

For many students, yes, especially on value. CSUF’s average net price of about $7,000 for aided students is low for a four-year university, 82% of full-time first-year students return for a second year, and 68% of the 2019 entering class graduated within six years.

Its strongest academic reputation is in business, communications and the arts, and its location gives students access to employers across Orange County and Los Angeles. If you want a large, affordable public university close to home in Southern California, CSUF belongs on your list.

Where Is CSUF Located?

CSUF is in Fullerton, a suburban city in north Orange County, roughly 25 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. College Navigator classifies the setting as a large suburb, which matches the feel: a busy commuter campus surrounded by residential neighborhoods rather than a dense urban core.

The location is practical. Students can reach both Los Angeles and the Orange County coast by car, and the Fullerton Transportation Center, a few miles away, connects to Metrolink and Amtrak trains.

What Is CSUF Known For?

CSUF opened in 1957 and has grown into one of the largest campuses in the Cal State system. It is best known for its College of Business and Economics, one of the largest business programs in the CSU, along with communications, the arts and a wide range of teaching and health programs.

Athletics are part of the identity too. The Titans compete in NCAA Division I, and Cal State Fullerton baseball has won four College World Series titles, in 1979, 1984, 1995 and 2004.

The Bottom Line on CSUF

Cal State Fullerton admitted 88% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025, and its enrolled first-years averaged a 3.45 GPA. It’s a large, accessible Cal State campus in Orange County, known for business, communications, the arts and championship baseball.

On cost, CSUF is one of the better values in Southern California: $8,516 in tuition and fees for residents in 2026-27 and an average net price of about $7,000 for aided students. File the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application, check whether your major is impacted, and compare CSUF with other Cal State campuses before you decide.