Cal State University, Sacramento: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

California State University, Sacramento is a public university with an acceptance rate of 82%. Sacramento State's 300-acre campus provides students with easy access to trails along the American River Parkway as well as Folsom Lake and Old Sacramento recreation areas. Applicants can choose from 60 undergraduate degree programs. High achieving students should look into the Sac State Honors Program. In athletics, the Sacramento State Hornets compete in the NCAA Division I Big Sky Conference.

Considering applying to CSUS? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Sacramento State had an acceptance rate of 82%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 82 students were admitted, making CSUS's admissions process somewhat competitive.

SAT Scores and Requirements

California State University, Sacramento requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 94% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

This admissions data tells us the most of CSUS's admitted students fall within the bottom 29% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Sacramento State scored between 470 and 570, while 25% scored below 470 and 25% scored above 570. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 470 and 570, while 25% scored below 470 and 25% scored above 570. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1140 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at CSUS.

Requirements

Cal State Sacramento does not require the optional SAT essay section. Note that CSUS will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. SAT Subject test scores are not required, but if the score meets a benchmark, it may be used to fulfill certain core course requirements.

ACT Scores and Requirements

Cal State Sacramento requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 26% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of CSUS's admitted students fall within the bottom 27% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to CSUS received a composite ACT score between 16 and 22, while 25% scored above 22 and 25% scored below 16.

Requirements

Cal State Sacramento does not require the optional ACT writing section. Note that CSUS does not superscore ACT results; your highest composite ACT score will be considered. 

GPA

In 2019, the average high school GPA for incoming Sacramento State freshmen was 3.39, and over 42% of incoming students had average GPAs of 3.5 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to CSUS have primarily B grades.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Sacramento State University. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Admissions Chances

Cal State Sacramento, which accepts over three-quarters of applicants, has a somewhat selective admissions process. What makes the difference between an acceptance and a rejection? Unlike the University of California System, the California State University admission process is not holistic. Except for EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) students, applicants do not need to submit letters of recommendation or an application essay, and extracurricular involvement is not part of the standard application. Instead, admissions are based primarily on an eligibility index that combines GPA and test scores. Minimum high school course requirements include two years of history and social science, four years of college prep English, three years of math, two years of laboratory science, one year of visual or performing arts, and one year of a college preparatory elective. The reasons why an applicant with adequate scores and grades would be rejected tends to come down to factors such as insufficient college preparatory classes, high school classes that weren't challenging, or an incomplete application.

Be aware that California State University, Sacramento is designated as impacted because it receives more applications than can be accommodated. Due to impaction, the university holds all applicants to a higher standard. In addition, particularly competitive majors such as Nursing, Psychology, Biological Science, Business, and Graphic Design have additional requirements for eligibility.

The green and blue dots in the above graph represent accepted students. The majority of successful applicants had "B" averages or higher, SAT scores (ERW+M) of 900 or higher, and ACT scores of 17 or higher.

If You Like Sacrament State University, You May Also Like These Schools

• Fullerton
• Long Beach
• Los Angeles
• Pomona (Cal Poly)
• San Diego
• San Jose State
• San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly)

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and California State University, Sacramento Undergraduate Admissions Office.