To assist students in reaching their full potential, the campus has developed a wide range of services for students and financial assistance programs. The campus attracts high caliber students. Students who attend the University come from the top third of their high school graduating classes. One of four entering freshmen has a 3.5 GPA or better. While many students come to CSUS from the 13 counties surrounding the Sacramento area, nearly half of the freshman class each year comes from outside the Northern California region.
Students transferring from community colleges also come in large numbers from around the state.
Additionally, there are nearly 1,000 international students from more than 70 nations. To date more than 130,000 students have graduated, with approximately 4,500 graduating each year in the past few years. Eighty percent of the graduates remain in California and half live in the greater Sacramento region. The majority of classes have fewer than 50 students and are taught by the professor. Adequate classes and course sections are provided so that diligent students will be able to graduate easily within four years.