Graduation Rates

California State University, Fresno is one of the 23 campuses that make up the California State University system (CSU). Located throughout the State of California, these regional universities collectively offer undergraduate and graduate academic programs that have made the CSU the largest system of higher education in the world. Freshmen students are drawn from the top one-third of the high school graduates within the state.

More than 2 million degrees have been awarded in the 23-campus system since 1960. This remarkable achievement documents the importance placed by the CSU not only on providing a quality education for its students but also on providing the instructional flexibility required by students in meeting their degree goals. For example, not all students enroll in programs that require just the minimum 124 units for graduation; likewise, many students cannot engage in their studies on a full-time basis. Some students even take periodic breaks for one or more terms.

At California State University, Fresno graduation rates surpass the system average cited above. Based upon figures for the Fall 1996 entering class,

• 44% of our full-time freshmen will graduate within six years,
• of these, the average time-to-degree is 5.0 years
• another 2% of our freshmen will graduate from another CSU campus.

The benefits of completing a degree in the shortest time possible are obvious: reduced total university fees - achieved by taking the maximum number of units per term; avoidance of educational cost inflation; earlier access to a career with better earning power; and earlier entry into graduate education. For many students, however, balancing their time schedules for work, personal, and education purposes will continue to present challenges to the completion of a bachelor's degree in the traditional period of four years. California State University, Fresno remains dedicated to assisting all of these students in achieving their goal of an undergraduate degree.