California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fresno is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 bachelor's degree program, 45 master's degree programs, 3 doctoral degree programs, 12 certificates of advanced study, and 2 different teaching credentials. The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". Fresno is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.
The university's facilities include an on-campus planetarium, on-campus raisin and wine grape vineyards, and a commercial winery where student-made wines have won over 300 awards since 1997. Members of Fresno State's nationally ranked equestrian team have the option of housing their horses on campus, next to indoor and outdoor arenas. Fresno State has a Student Recreation Center and the third-largest library in the California State University system.

History

California State University, Fresno was founded as the Fresno State Normal School in 1911 with Charles Lourie McLane as its first president. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century.
The original campus was what is now Fresno City College.
In 1956, Fresno State moved its campus to its present location in the northeast part of the city; FCC bought the old campus and moved back in. It became Fresno State College in 1949, when it was authorized to grant bachelor's degrees. It became a charter institution of the State College System of California, forerunner of the California State University System, in 1961. In 1972, the name was officially changed to California State University, Fresno.
Even after changing its official name to "California State University, Fresno", the school has long been called "Fresno State" for short, particularly in athletics. In recent years, "Fresno State" has been accepted as first reference for news stories. The university now recommends use of "Fresno State" in most contexts, stating "California State University, Fresno is the official name, but should only be used for specific audiences or international audiences."

Campus

The greater campus extends from Valley Children's Stadium on the west boundary to Highway 168 on the east side. The University Agricultural Laboratory designates the northern boundary of the campus, while Shaw Avenue designates the southern edge.

Fresno State Library

The Fresno State Library is a main resource for recorded knowledge and information supporting the teaching, research, and service functions of Fresno State.
The library was opened in 2009. It houses 1,000,000 books in its. The shelves amount to over in length. It is currently the third largest library in the CSU system and the largest academic building on the Fresno State campus. The five-story building features seating areas for almost 4,000 people, group study rooms, wireless Internet access and a Starbucks.
The Fresno State Library features a number of special collections such as the Arne Nixon Center, a research center for the study of children's and young adult literature, and the Central Valley Political Archive.
Michael Gorman, the former dean of the Library, was the president of the American Library Association in 2005–2006.

Academics

Fresno State was the first of all 23 CSU campuses to offer an individual-campus doctorate. At the graduate level, Fresno State also offers the following nationally ranked programs: part-time MBA, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Speech-Language Pathology, and Social Work.
A joint doctoral program in collaboration with San Jose State University for a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree is administered through Fresno State.
In May 2019, the university saw the largest graduating class in its history, with over 6,200 graduates.

Accreditation

California State University, Fresno is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The five engineering programs in the Lyles College of Engineering are each accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The Craig School of Business is AACSB accredited. The university is classified by the U.S. Federal government as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and a Hispanic-serving institution because the Hispanic undergraduate full-time-equivalent student enrollment is greater than 25%.

Schools and colleges

Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
College of Arts and Humanities
Craig School of Business
Kremen School of Education and Human Development
Lyles College of Engineering
College of Health and Human Services
College of Science and Mathematics
College of Social Sciences
Smittcamp Family Honors College

The Smittcamp Family Honors College is a program providing top high school graduates a fully paid President's Scholarship, which includes tuition and housing, as well as other amenities for the duration of their studies. Admission to the Smittcamp Family Honors College is highly competitive. Candidates must have a minimum 3.8 GPA, rank in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, or have a combined SAT score of 1200 or an average ACT English and Mathematics score of 27.
Smittcamp Honors Scholars must also complete rigorous academic and community service requirements. Smittcamp Honors College students receive priority registration for all courses, regular interaction with the university president, and special honors recognition at commencement.

Rankings

Top Performers on Social Mobility	31
Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs	44
Top Public Schools	97
Best Colleges for Veterans	124
Nursing	254
Economics	255

In its 2022 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Fresno State 250th out of 443 U.S. national universities and tied for 124th in its ranking of 227 "Top Public Schools".
In its 2022 rankings, U.S. News & World Report also ranked Fresno State tied for 30th in "Top Performers on Social Mobility" among national universities and tied for 49th in the nation in its "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" at schools where doctorates are not offered.
Money magazine ranked Fresno State 62nd in the country out of 739 schools evaluated for its 2020 "Best Colleges for Your Money" edition and 40th in its list of the 50 best public schools in the U.S.
In 2024, Washington Monthly ranked Fresno State 22nd out of 438 schools on its National Universities list, and 9th on the social mobility rankings. Washington Monthly assesses the quality of schools based on social mobility, research, and promoting public service.
In 2025, Forbes magazine's "America's Top Colleges" list ranked Fresno State 185th out of 500 universities, liberal arts colleges, and service academies nationwide. Fresno State was also ranked 82nd among public colleges and 42nd in the west.
In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked Fresno State first in the nation in its list of best public universities in graduation rate performances.
Student life

Student Involvement Center

The Student Involvement Center provides services, programs and co-curricular educational activities. Some key events the Student Involvement Center plan are Convocation, Homecoming Week, and Commencement.

Fraternity and sorority life

Fraternities and sororities has been part of Fresno State for nearly one hundred years and includes 42 single-sex fraternities and sororities consisting of over 1,420 men and women. The Student Involvement Center is charged with advising the four Greek Councils at Fresno State: the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Association, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and the United Sorority & Fraternity Council.
Associated Students, Inc. (ASI)

ASI is the recognized student body government at Fresno State. Twenty students are elected each year and serve annual terms. ASI provides funding for student-related projects on campus and grants for graduate and undergraduate student research and projects.

Student Recreation Center

In February 2006, the Student Recreation Center opened. Construction costs were paid for and operating funds are derived from a semester student-use fee. While an Association entity, the Student Recreation Center is under the direction of the Division of Student Affairs. The Student Recreation Center is adjacent to the Save Mart Center arena. The center has four full-size basketball courts, dance and fitness studios.

University Student Union

The original student union was opened in 1968; it was built to accommodate a studenty body of 10,000 students. The building is 52,000 square feet and has three levels.

Athletics

Fresno State is a member of the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference. The university's 22 varsity sports teams are known as the Bulldogs, and the school's colors are cardinal red and blue. Fresno State has made several runs at NCAA tournaments in basketball, football, soccer, tennis, baseball, softball, and volleyball.
In 2017, Fresno State resurrected its wrestling program after an 11-year hiatus. joining the Big 12 Conference. The Bulldogs added equestrianism, recognized as a women-only sport in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, to their Big 12 membership in 2019. Fresno State dropped three sports at the end of the 2020–21 school year—women's lacrosse, men's tennis, and wrestling for a second time. The equestrian program remains in the Big 12.
The Fresno State–San Diego State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Fresno State Bulldogs football team of Fresno and San Diego State Aztecs football team of San Diego State University. The winner of the game receives the "Old Oil Can" trophy.

NCAA Division I National Champions, baseball, in 2008
NCAA Division I National Champions, softball, in 1998.