California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Public · Moderately Selective · CA

Photo: Ajay Tallam (CC BY-SA 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationCA · West

SettingRural

Undergrads5,612

Student:faculty16:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate25.7%

6-yr grad rate48.5%

Drop-out rate24%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$8k

Out-of-state tuition$21k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity48.4%

Gender diversity54.4%

International0.3%

Identity—

Overview

Cal Poly Humboldt sits in Arcata on California's far north coast, surrounded by redwood forest and just inland from the Pacific. It carries a strong environmental identity, both academically and culturally, and became the California State University system's third polytechnic designation in 2022, a shift meant to broaden its STEM and applied-science offerings beyond its historic natural-resources focus.

Academics

Forestry, wildlife, fisheries biology, oceanography, and environmental science are the university's signature strengths, often taught with direct access to old-growth forest, coastline, and the Humboldt Bay estuary as living laboratories. The polytechnic redesignation has added engineering and applied-computing programs, and the existing natural-science majors are known for hands-on fieldwork rather than lecture-heavy instruction.

Campus & student life

Arcata is a small, isolated college town hours from any major city, which makes campus and town life closely intertwined. Outdoor recreation — hiking among redwoods, kayaking the bay, surfing nearby beaches — is a dominant part of student culture, and sustainability shows up in dining, housing, and student activism alike.

Getting in

Admission follows the standard CSU formula based primarily on GPA and completed coursework, with an application less essay-driven than a private school's process. Environmental and natural-resource majors sometimes draw applicants specifically for those programs rather than for the university's broader name.

Worth knowing

The 2022 polytechnic transition brought new funding, new majors, and campus construction, so the university is actively expanding beyond its traditional identity — relevant for a student choosing it for a newer engineering or computing program rather than its legacy strengths. The remote setting suits students drawn to outdoor life more than those wanting a city nearby.

humboldt.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate98.2%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Regular decisionNov 30

Applying