California State University-San Bernardino

California State University--San Bernardino provides an accessible pathway for higher education, admitting nearly all applicants. According to the USNews ranking of national universities, the campus climbed from 194th in 2023 to 179th in 2026. In 2025, the university posted an overall acceptance rate of 93.7%, which is higher than 88% of peer schools among all public national universities. However, the institution experiences significant attrition between admission and registration. Its yield rate reached just 15.3% that same year, placing it higher than only 19% of peer schools. This relatively low draw shows that a substantial majority of accepted students choose to enroll elsewhere, reflecting the university's role as an accessible regional option rather than a competitive destination. For prospective applicants, admission is practically open, making the university a dependable option for students seeking a straightforward route into a four-year public university system.

Admission test scores are not considered at California State University--San Bernardino, as the institution follows a test-blind policy where standardized test scores are not used even if submitted. This means standardized exams do not play any role in undergraduate admission decisions, and the university places its evaluation focus on students' secondary school records and coursework instead. Historically, test score submissions were common among incoming students before testing policies shifted across the state. In 2021, the SAT submission rate was 98%, while the ACT submission rate was 24%. By comparison, in 2012, the SAT submission rate stood at 94% and the ACT submission rate was 34%. For prospective applicants, this policy means that SAT and ACT results cannot be leveraged to strengthen an application, making sustained academic achievement throughout high school the critical component of the review process.

Conferrals at California State University--San Bernardino show substantial concentration in public service, social science, and business fields. In 2025, the top three bachelor's programs alone made up 35.1% of all undergraduate degrees awarded, led by general business administration with 694 graduates and general psychology. Among specialized professional fields, USNews ranked the graduate rehabilitation counseling program 50th in 2026, representing a clear academic highlight. Most other ranked master's offerings place further down the national tables. International representation varies significantly across levels; while bachelor's recipients are almost entirely domestic, international students accounted for 94.4% of master's graduates in computer science. For future earnings, 2023 federal data shows that registered nursing graduates led all undergraduate majors with median first-year earnings of $100,101, underscoring strong regional returns in health disciplines.

The student body at California State University--San Bernardino is predominantly Hispanic, with female students forming a clear majority across all academic divisions. In the 2025 freshman class, Asian students accounted for 118 individuals, representing 5.6% of new undergraduates. International representation among first-year undergraduates was limited, totaling 26 students, or 1.2% of the cohort. While graduate programs enroll a somewhat larger proportion of international scholars, undergraduate degree tracks remain overwhelmingly domestic. Returning undergraduate and transfer student cohorts reflect similar demographic patterns, with Hispanic learners comprising the vast majority and Asian learners making up small single-digit shares. For prospective applicants evaluating the campus community, these proportions outline an institution where domestic students predominate and international and Asian student communities represent relatively small shares of the undergraduate population.

The undergraduate population at California State University--San Bernardino consists primarily of traditional college-age students, while the graduate division serves older age groups. In 2025, undergraduates aged 20 to 21 represented the largest segment at 25%, followed closely by students aged 18 to 19 at 24.1%. Together with those aged 22 to 24, the vast majority of undergraduates are in their late teens and early twenties. In contrast, graduate enrollment skews older, with students aged 25 to 29 forming the largest group at 29.1%. This demographic profile indicates that undergraduate campus life centers on young adults progressing directly through higher education, whereas graduate programs operate alongside students who are further along in their adult lives.

International student enrollment at California State University--San Bernardino differs sharply between undergraduate and graduate levels, both in overall presence and field of study. In 2025, international students made up 1.2% of the undergraduate population, a share higher than 20% of peer schools in all public national universities. This low undergraduate proportion follows a steady downward trend over the past decade. Conversely, graduate programs maintain a stronger global footprint, with international students comprising 11.5% of total graduate enrollment in 2025. International degree recipients are heavily concentrated at the master's level rather than in bachelor's or doctoral cohorts. Among graduate programs, international students cluster predominantly in technical disciplines, most visibly in Computer Science, where they represented 94.4% of all master's degree recipients in 2025. For prospective international applicants, these patterns indicate that advanced technical graduate tracks attract substantial global cohorts, while undergraduate programs remain almost entirely domestic.

Applicants exploring California State University--San Bernardino may consider several other higher education options within the Inland Empire and eastern Los Angeles County. Located approximately 14.5 kilometers away, University of California-Riverside is a public research institution ranked 80th among National Universities in 2027. Further west in Claremont, students seeking private liberal arts colleges can consider Harvey Mudd College, which ranked 8th among Liberal Arts Colleges and sits 22.7 kilometers from CSUSB, or Pomona College, tied at 3rd among Liberal Arts Colleges at a distance of 23.1 kilometers. Additionally, University of La Verne, a private national university ranked 208th, is situated 26.3 kilometers away, giving families a wide mix of public research, private national, and selective liberal arts choices nearby.

Campus safety at California State University--San Bernardino has improved over the past decade, with overall incident rates trending downward. Forward Pathway's weighted crime rate per 1,000 students dropped from 4.8 in 2016 to 2.7 in 2025. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, property crime and substance violations accounted for the majority of recorded incidents. Motor vehicle theft was the single most common incident category, with 39 cases reported across those years. Law enforcement and campus officials also logged 23 drug arrests during the same timeframe, alongside a smaller number of disciplinary referrals, burglaries, and assaults. The figures indicate that while vehicle security remains a primary concern on campus lots, violent infractions are reported far less often.