Students use racquetball, tennis and volleyball courts, playing fields, a running track and a par course. Numerous hiking trails to East Bay regional parks originate on the Hayward campus. Proximity to San Francisco, San Jose, and other Bay Area cities affords students at both campuses easy access to the area's many cultural, social, and entertainment venues. There is ample parking for students on each campus. While the Hayward campus is designed to accommodate the needs of students from their freshman year through the graduate level, the Contra Costa Campus in Concord provides instructional and student life support for upper division and graduate students.
Undergraduate students have the opportunity to interact daily with full professors.
Cal State Hayward is one of a handful of California state universities that operates on a year-round schedule with four quarters, each approximately 11 weeks long. CSUH continues to make its offerings relevant to today's economy and society. It was the first university in the nation to offer a master's degree in multimedia and, in 1997, opened a new degree program in engineering. The School of Science began an extensive upgrade of its facilities in 1997. Faculty and students are involved in research and study in a multicultural and multinational environment.