California State University - Fresno

“When I applied to Fresno State, the campus hadMar 19 2014Political Science
When I applied to Fresno State, the campus had a pretty high acceptance rate (under former FS President Welty). However, after a year, Fresno State has become a bit more selective, with an acceptance rate of 58% for the latest figures. Thus, keep these things in mind:

1) SAT/ACT scores: Your SAT's should be at least 1300 if you want a fair shot of being accepted. ACT scores should be around 18-22; obviously, the higher the better.
2) GPA. Fresno State has fairly low GPA requirements. However, do us all a favor and aim for 3.0 or higher. I know people who have been accepted with a lower GPA; however, just think. That doesn't look too great on Fresno State as a whole.
3) Extracurricular activities would look good on your transcript. Aim to join relevant organizations (i.e. academic, major social organizations, etc.)
4) TAKE AP CLASSES IN HIGH SCHOOL! Save yourself the trouble of going through lower GE classes. Plus, this makes you more competitive.
5) To those that are graduating as Valedictorians in their high school or have a 3.8+ GPA: Apply to the honors program for an opportunity at a full ride scholarship! You'll be exposed to other incredibly gifted and intelligent students.

Should you be accepted into Fresno State, I assure you that you will experience a rewarding and valuable education and college experience. Best of luck to you. Go 'Dogs!
SAT: 1720 Male

“Get good grades in high schoolOct 24 2011Finance
Get good grades in high school. A decent SAT/ACT score is good to have, too.
ACT: 28 Male

“Cal States are pretty standard when it comes toMay 14 2011Psychology
Cal States are pretty standard when it comes to admissions, except a few impacted and more selective campuses. Fresno State can be one of those exceptions. I wouldn't say ALL of the students at FSU (officially CSUF, but Fresno State isn't known as Cal State Fresno like Cal State Fullerton is) are qualified to be there, but thanks to transfer guarantees in the state, these people can go to a university because they just barely met the qualifications. Otherwise, you get a huge chunk of nerds & future millionaires/billionaires at Fresno State. The Smittcamp Honors College has hundreds of applicants yet they only pick about 10-15% of those students from high schools to give a full scholarship to. These students are usually in the top 15 percentile of their class. Don't let the perception that Cal States are the lesser institution in CA because if they were, all your bosses, managers, etc. would be from the UCs. Basically, college is what you make it. You can choose to sulk at the fact that you aren't at a UC (except for UCMerced which is pretty much the black sheep of UCs. Definitely not worth anyone's time.) or you can make the best of everything at a Cal State and not let anybody tell you otherwise about your decision to go there. In the end, when you become that doctor, that lawyer, etc. you can get the satisfaction of knowing that you saved thousands of dollars at Fresno State (during your undergrad) while that sucker right next to you wasted thousands more on going to a UC.
Male

“Admissions were not overly competitiveMar 01 2010Geography and Geosciences
Admissions were not overly competitive. Get a C+ or better average in high school, have solid test scores, and you'll get in.
Male

“Apply for many different colleges online (give your selfFeb 26 2009Music Education
Apply for many different colleges online (give your self options) Apply for the FAFSA online and apply for as many scholarships as possible both government and local. Talk to your high school counselors for advice (they know A LOT!)
Female