CSU Bakersfield vs Chico State

California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB) and California State University-Chico (CSUC) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. CSUB, located in the southern Central Valley, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to CSUC, which is situated in the northern Sacramento Valley and attracts a larger and more diverse student population. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, CSUB is known for its strengths in agriculture, business, and nursing, while CSUC excels in fields such as engineering, computer science, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences between these two esteemed institutions, including graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Bakersfield	California State University-Chico
Overview
Location	Bakersfield, California	Chico, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	81.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	85.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	12,334	19,990
Total number of admissions given out	10,510	17,086
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,165	1,929
Yield rate	11.1%	11.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,783 Out of state: $40,663	In state: $23,984 Out of state: $35,864
Average net price	$7,368	$13,749
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,000 Meal plan: $4,200	Room/dormitory: $8,609 Meal plan: $3,881
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $10,725	63.0% Average amount $8,691
Students receiving federal student loan	16.0% Average amount $4,511	29.0% Average amount $4,637
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,495	1.0% Average amount $11,369

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,367 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%	14,462 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Graduate students	1,605 Men 25.1% Women 74.9%	1,240 Men 33.6% Women 66.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.9%	1.3%
International students	3.7%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	500	2,323
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Arizona Colorado Washington Florida	California Oregon Washington Arizona Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism Business	Liberal Arts Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	22:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.6%	65.4%
Dropout rate	43.9%	27.4%
Transferred out	1.8%	4.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,247 Year 2: $80,521 Year 3: $85,224 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,530 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $79,366 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,597 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $72,066 Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,382 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $64,423 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,342 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $64,084 Natural Resources Management and Policy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,823 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $62,781 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $60,695 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,359 Year 3: $60,583 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $60,474	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,107 Year 2: $95,797 Year 3: $96,478 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,190 Year 2: $83,091 Year 3: $93,961 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,808 Year 2: $74,241 Year 3: $91,563 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,244 Year 2: $70,176 Year 3: $79,499 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,761 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $79,308 Engineering, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,803 Year 2: $66,355 Year 3: $76,389 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,879 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,258 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,880 Year 2: $66,222 Year 3: $74,116 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,298 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $69,321 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,812 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,680

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CSU Bakersfield vs Chico State

California State University-Bakersfield

California State University-Chico

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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