California State University, Northridge Admission
California State University, Northridge Undergraduate Program
California State University, Northridge Application

The Facts

California State University, Northridge is a large research branch of the massive CSU system which is comprised of 22 member universities throughout the state of California. CSU Northridge is located in the town of Northridge, California, about 25 miles north of Los Angeles, and is home to over 20,000 undergraduate students and approximately 14,000 graduate and part-time professional students. The school is divided up into several graduate and undergraduate colleges that include programs in the areas of liberal arts and sciences, business administration, education, engineering, music, health fields, and the fine arts. The school is very much an active research institution, and is home to several centers, including the an observatory, anthropological museum, botanical gardens, urban archives center, Natural Center on Deafness, and the Center for the Study of Cancer and Development Biology. The academic programs offer broad majors in the areas of biological science, business, communications and the arts, computer and physical science, education (which includes a renowned program for the education of the deaf and hearing impaired), engineering and environmental design, health professions, as well as social science. Some of the most commonly chosen majors are in the areas of liberal studies, business administration, economics, social and behavioral sciences, arts, media, and communications.

Admission to CSU Northridge is not quite as competitive numerically as many of the other CSU member schools; however, the students who do apply tend to have been quite academically successful in the past. Last year, over 13,200 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 10,100 of those students were accepted; of those, about 3,600 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1030 to 1120, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 22 to 29. Additionally, more than 70% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.65. CSU Northridge has a fairly manageable student to faculty ratio of 23:1, although there are other larger CSU schools that manage to keep their significantly lower.

The Social Scene

The town of Northridge itself is quite suburban and doesn’t offer students a whole lot in the way of entertainment, but Los Angeles is a hop, skip, and a jump away, so students have no problem finding things to do on the weekends. Los Angeles is arguably the capital of entertainment, and students say it’s quite nearly impossible to be bored. CSU Northridge is home to a whopping 32 fraternities and sororities and the Greeks, understandably, are a huge presence on campus. There are constantly big parties happening, often nearly every night of the week, and students have an extremely active and vibrant on campus social life. CSU Northridge has somewhat of a reputation for being a party school, but students have embraced that reputation fully, and don’t mind showing off their proclivity for alcohol quite often.

The dating scene is amazing; we hear that everyone seems to be blessed with fantastic genes. (Both the DNA and the denim...)

What’s Good

“We are in such a hotbed of entertainment and culture; it’s really great to have access to that, as well as to nature and the beach.”

“The administration is pretty laid back here, and you don’t feel like you are being watched over by 'Big Brother.’”

“There is always always a party happening, and plenty of ways to forget the stress of your academic life.”

What’s Bad

“It seems like all people do here is drink and party. It makes me really angry, because I had to work to get into this school.”

“Some of the classes are really, really big. There isn’t a whole lot of opportunity to have your voice heard.”

“If you don’t have a car, there’s really no way to get around, because this particular area is so auto-centric.”

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