CC BY-SA 2.0
Edited
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Arcata, CA, USA

Humboldt State University is a 4-year public institution in Arcata, CA, and is the northernmost campus of the California State University system. HSU is an Hispanic-serving institution conferring bachelor’s degrees in 51 academic majors. HSU also houses the largest undergraduate botany program in the US and maintains multiple off-campus facilities, including a mountain-top astronomy observatory, a bay-side aquatics facility, a wildlife care facility, and a marine biology research center. It is the only institution of higher learning in the state to grant degrees in wildland soil science and rangeland resources. For break from campus life, HSU provides easy access to Humboldt Bay, a redwood forest, and the Pacific Ocean. 

Admissions

Key Admissions Stats

Institution Type
Public
  • Not for Profit
  • Coed
  • Hispanic-Serving Institution

Need Aware

This school may consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
4 Year
Campus Setting
Suburb or town
0
100
91%
Acceptance Rate

Admissions Requirements

SAT
SAT is not checked
No
ACT
ACT is not checked
No
Transcript
Transcript is checked
Yes

Important Deadlines

Application Type Application Deadline Reply Deadline
Fall Regular Decision April 30
Spring Regular Decision August 31
Other June 30

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
93%
Out-Of-State Students
6%
25%
Submitting ACT
91%
Submitting SAT
Average ACT Composite: 21
0
36
Average SAT Composite: 1085
0
1600

Academics

Key Academic Stats

Highest Degree Offered
Master's
Total Number of Students
5,908
Total Number of Undergrads
5,354
Academic Calendar

Semester

See your fit
Classroom Sizes

2-19 Students
30%
20-39 Students
46%
40-99 Students
21%
100+ Students
1%
0
100
17%
Graduate in 4 Years US National: 28%
0
100
49%
Graduate in 6 Years US National: 52%
Student:Faculty Ratio
16:1
US National: 21:1

Tuition, Cost & Aid

Key Financial Stats

Average Net Price
$15,015
Calculate your net cost
Tuition
In-State Tuition In-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state's or institution's residency requirements. In-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students residing in the locality in which they attend school and may be a lower rate than in-state tuition if offered by the institution.
$7,864
Out-of-State Tuition Out-of-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements. Out-of-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students not residing in the locality in which they attend school.
$19,744
Additional Costs
Room and Board The weighted average for room and board and other expenses is generated as follows:
  • (amount for on-campus room, board and other expenses * # of students living on-campus.
  • + amount for off-campus (with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus with family
  • + amount for off-campus (not with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus not with family)
divided by the total # of students. Students whose living arrangements are unknown are excluded from the calculation. For some institutions the # of students by living arrangement will be known, but dollar amounts will not be known. In this case the # of students with no corresponding dollar amount will be excluded from the denominator.
$12,540
Books and Supplies
$1090

Aid & Grants

0
100
79%
Need Met
Students Receiving Gift Aid Percent of undergraduate students awarded federal gift aid. Federal gift aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
53%
Average Aid Per Year
$9,476
Students Receiving Grants Percent of undergraduate students awarded grant aid. Grant aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
53%
Average Federal Grant Aid Per Year
$5,374
Average Institution Grant Aid Per Year
$5,179

Student Loans

Students Borrowing Loans Loans to students - Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally- and privately-sponsored loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.
52%
Average Loan Amount Per Year
$5,851
Average Debt at Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who graduated. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
$14,250
Median Monthly Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
$172

Campus Life

Key Campus Stats

Student Gender
Male
Female
42%
58%
Student Organizations
170
Size of Town
Suburb or town
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups is checked
Yes
On Campus Women's Center
On Campus Women's Center is checked
Yes

Housing

0
100
26%
Undergrads Living on Campus
On-campus living required of freshman
No

Athletics

Divisional Sports Nickname
Lumberjacks
School Colors
green and gold
Varsity Athletics Association
NCAA
Varsity Athletics Conference Primary
Great Northwest Athletic Conference

Campus Safety

24-HR security patrol
24-HR security patrol is checked
Yes
Campus emergency phones
Campus emergency phones is checked
Yes

After Graduation

Post Grad Stats

Top 5 Cities
Redding
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Sacramento
San Diego
Average Salary
6 years after graduation
$40,100

What Students Are Saying

The natural beauty up here with the redwood forest is really unsurpassed. I feel the school is a good choice academically for those in the natural sciences (which is what I am doing and is a major reason I chose to go there). Finally, the community itself is lively, and there are almost always people on the plaza doing something or other.
Dion from Thousand Oaks, CA
Very involved in social justice, nice and interesting people to interact with. Professors are easy to talk and meet with, willing to sit and talk at your convenience. Beautiful campus to walk around in, surrounding city as well.
Freshman from SoCal
HSU is a great school, it may be isolated from the big cities, but it has so much beauty to offer and people just have to live here to realize that. HSU also has great teachers who are always willing to help students one on one when they need it. One thing that is hard to get use to is how nice faculty is and how they are willing to provide the best service ever.
N from Arcata, CA