California State University - Chico, USA - Ranking, Reviews, Courses, Tuition Fees

Overview

About California State University - Chico

Established in 1887, California State University, Chico – more popular as Chico State – boasts a rich history and heritage going back well over a century. Chico State happens to be the second oldest university within the California State University system with its 23 campuses, and the sixth oldest public institution of higher education in the State of California. The university consistently features in the list of top 10 public universities in the West.

Chico State offers students nearly 400 high-value programs, delivered by engaging and inspiring faculty who empower students to take charge of their academic and professional journeys. Chico State’s award-winning faculty work alongside students on key projects that impact the globe, such as designing robotics, formulating sustainable farming practices, pushing the boundaries of ultracold atom research, and researching innovative cancer treatments using phytochemicals in plant foods.

The vibrant and stimulating campus culture pushes students to explore their passions and stand by what they care for through their undergraduate and graduate studies.

Academics aside, students have plenty to do and get involved in during their time at Chico State. The campus is located in the heart of charming downtown Chico with avenues for retail and dining, along with farmers markets that exude a welcoming community atmosphere. Students will find a thriving arts, events, and music scene in a community with among the lowest living costs in the state, just a few hours from the San Francisco Bay Area. Chico also offers endless outdoor recreation possibilities, being home to Bidwell Park’s 3,500-plus acres of biking, hiking, and walking trails.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates of Chico State enjoy notable success whether they choose to enter the employment market and build a career of their own, or continue on to further education.

The university is a fantastic resource which helps to encourage the future career success of its students, by offering a wide array of career services that remain accessible even after graduation. Services provided include:

Career and internship advising
Help with major selection
Career assessments
On-Campus interviews
Mock interviews
Career fairs
Resume and cover letter reviews
Graduate school search and application assistance
No-cost alumni services – a rarity at US universities

Students are equipped with valuable skills and experiences which directly apply to their future careers. Chico State is well known for establishing strong connections with local and regional communities and businesses, and its graduates are well placed to find competitive and fulfilling job roles across the state of California.

The average starting salary after graduation is USD 55,000 per year, and several majors record a 100 percent job-placement rate.

What’s New

Chico State students are taking a long look into the university’s deep and distant past by assisting Russell Shapiro, a professor of paleontology and stratigraphy in the university’s Geological and Environmental Sciences Department, to uncover the fossilized remains of prehistoric animals found at a new excavation site near the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills.

One of the most exciting recent findings is the head of a mastodon, which lived more than 8 million years ago, complete with two perfectly preserved six-foot ivory tusks. It is the first known species of its kind to be discovered in this part of Northern California, and with students by his side, Shapiro continues to lead excavations, and co-ordinate the delicate task of processing samples and storing fossils.

In just a few months, the Chico State team have discovered a rhino skeleton, more than 600 fossilized trees, a giant tortoise, and four tusks from gomphotheres, giant elephant-like creatures which lived during the Miocene epoch.

Shapiro has teamed up with Chico State alumnus Dick Hilton, the first geology student to complete Chico State’s graduate program decades ago, to document and analyze these discoveries more fully.

Looking forward into the future of science, students at Chico State’s Ultracold Atom Lab are using the university’s ultra-cold atom laboratory to cool down atoms to almost absolute zero, placing them in a near-motionless state where their true quantum nature can be observed.

The hyper-cold lab includes a magneto-optical trap, lasers, and vacuum technology, and will provide the foundation for new research to explore whether these gases have special properties which mean they can be used to develop quantum computer technologies, which operate at much faster computational speeds than current machines.

The project will also create new educational and employment opportunities throughout the state, providing workforce training for future generations of technicians and innovators.

Finances

How much will it cost?

Average tuition fees per year

17,70,904 Undergraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

14,63,419 Postgraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

15,30,712 Vocational Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

Scholarships & funding

Chico State is known for its commitment to inclusivity and opportunity, ensuring fair access to its excellent academic programs and services.

There are substantial scholarship options offered by various departments throughout the university to students who meets specific eligibility criteria. The university encourages all students to apply for scholarships, regardless of their academic standing.

Chico State’s Financial Aid & Scholarship Office processes three types of scholarship:

Wildcat Scholarship - Applications are generally available online for around six weeks starting each year from early January, with successful applicants receiving their scholarship award the following academic year.

Departmental - Each major department runs scholarship application opportunities throughout the year, and students are encouraged to check the university website each semester for new openings.

External - There are plenty of excellent privately funded scholarships available, and Chico State’s financial services department will help students to seek these out and make an application.

Overall, 77 percent of students receive some form of financial aid while studying at the university.

In addition, Chico State offers scholarships specifically for international degree-seeking students. Awards vary, but can reduce the total cost of attendance by up to one third. When aid is combined with the low cost of housing in Chico, students benefit greatly from the low total cost of attendance compared to other California and US universities.

Eligibility

Entry requirements

Chico State offers over 200 undergraduate and postgraduate (master’s) programs, and each carries its own set of admission requirements. It's advisable for prospective students to visit the university's official website for comprehensive information on course-specific entry criteria.

Academic admission criteria for international freshmen students includes:

Applicants must have competed a university-preparatory secondary school program with a 3.0 (B in the U.S. system) or "Very Good" GPA
Applicants must have also completed university-preparatory mathematics courses including beginning algebra, geometry, and intermediate algebra. All must have passing grades (Minimum of grade C)
The SAT/ACT tests are not required for admission, however higher-level test scores may allow applicants to be placed into higher-level English and/or mathematics courses

Regardless of the chosen program, all international applicants must satisfy Chico State's English proficiency criteria for admission. There are many different assessment systems which are accepted, however the three most commonly used are IELTS, Duolingo, and TOEFL, which require minimum scores of 6.0, 95, and 61 respectively.

Department and Faculty

Teaching quality

The teaching faculty at Chico State are instrumental in creating the university’s welcoming and supportive learning environment, and motivating students to achieve their fullest academic and personal potential.

The university has an average undergraduate class size of 30 students, and an overall student to faculty ratio of 24 to 1. Students benefit from a significant amount of contact time with their professors, as well as a personalized approach with many opportunities for one-to-one feedback. Tuition is supported by a variety of learning methods and the latest teaching technologies to ensure that students encounter a diverse range of engagement opportunities.

In addition to communicating knowledge and teaching skills, teaching staff drive engagement with the university, the local community and the state of California. They encourage students to ‘Do and Dare’, undertaking purposeful action on a daily basis, and taking ownership of their decisions to build their own life experiences. At Chico State, “Today Decides Tomorrow.”

Department structure

Chico State offers a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs, spanning many different areas of study. All in all, there are more than 385 undergraduate majors and minors, graduate degrees and professional certifications, providing students with a huge selection of qualifications.

The university has more than 75 departments, organized into seven academic colleges and four schools:

College of Agriculture
College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
- School of Social Work
College of Business
College of Communication & Education
- School of Education
College of Engineering, Computer Science, & Construction Management
College of Humanities & Fine Arts
- School of the Arts
College of Natural Sciences
- School of Nursing

The high level of support students receive is consistent across all schools and departments, each of which exist as a community of tutors, lecturers, practitioners and organizational staff who are able to inspire and encourage, and above all, are dedicated to the success of their students.