The demand for the high-quality education offered at California State University campuses continues to grow as more than 790,000 applications were submitted by prospective students to the CSU for fall 2015 during the recently concluded priority application period. This is the largest number of applications received by the 23-campus system and an increase of nearly 30,000 applications over last year. Fall 2015 marks the sixth consecutive year that the university has seen record highs in applications.

“The fact that the CSU is the university of choice year-after-year among California’s high school graduates and transfer students demonstrates the power of our campuses to provide a transformative education,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. “Through innovative programs, services and opportunities, the CSU gives students the tools they need to succeed in an ever-changing workforce.”

First-time freshman applications surged to 552,642 from 526,798, while transfer applications also increased from to 238,258 from 234,659. Currently, 96 percent of CSU students come from California and the pool of applicants for fall 2015 continues to reflect the mission of the CSU to serve California high school graduates and community college transfer students.

Additionally, the data demonstrates the CSU’s success in attracting a diverse group of students. The number of Hispanic and Latino applicants continues to increase, with 109,895 undergraduate applicants who self-identified as Hispanic or Latino – up from 104,486 last year. Through systemwide programs such as the Feria de Educación Education Fair, CSU Super Sunday and the Journey to Success program and regional K-16 collaborations involving every CSU campus, the university is working to increase college readiness and access for students from historically underserved communities. As a result of such programs, nearly 50 percent of the bachelor’s degrees earned by African Americans and more than 60 percent of those earned by Latinos in California are awarded by the CSU.

Despite another year of growth in applications, capacity issues persist due to state funding limitations. Under Governor Brown’s proposed multi-year funding plan, the university will be funded for a one percent net enrollment growth (which encompasses first-time freshmen, transfers and returning students). The CSU Board of Trustees has requested additional funding in the Governor’s budget to allow a three percent net enrollment increase for academic year 2015-16. Fully funding CSU’s proposed support budget would allow the university to enroll approximately 12,000 additional students.

The priority application period for fall 2015 closed on November 30. Information about which campuses and programs are still open for applications is available on CSUMentor.

About the California State University

The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, more than 450,000 students and 45,000 faculty and staff. Created in 1961, the CSU awards more than 100,000 exceptional degrees annually and this spring will be celebrating the milestone of reaching 3 Million alumni.