California State University-Channel Islands

Public · Moderately Selective · CA

Photo: Dr vulpes (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationCA · West

SettingRural

Undergrads5,013

Student:faculty16:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate29.6%

6-yr grad rate51.3%

Drop-out rate27.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$7k

Out-of-state tuition$20k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity77.7%

Gender diversity66.3%

International0.9%

Identity—

Overview

Cal State Channel Islands, near Camarillo between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, is the youngest campus in the CSU system, housed in a distinctive mission-revival complex that formerly served as a state hospital. It emphasizes small classes and interdisciplinary teaching for a largely first-generation, Hispanic-serving student body, with strengths in biology, business, and nursing.

Academics

The university was designed from its founding around interdisciplinary teaching rather than traditional siloed departments, and biology, business, and nursing are its most established fields. Small class sizes, unusual for a CSU campus, are a deliberate part of its founding model.

Campus & student life

The former-hospital campus architecture gives Channel Islands a visually distinctive, mission-revival look unlike most public university campuses, set in the agricultural Camarillo area with the coast and Los Angeles both within reach.

Getting in

As a CSU campus, admission follows the system's largely formula-driven review based on coursework and grades.

Worth knowing

As the newest CSU campus, Channel Islands was deliberately built around a smaller, more personal model than most of its sister campuses, which shows up in class size and interdisciplinary program structure more than in any single named specialty.

csuci.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate94.8%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Regular decisionNov 30

Applying