Humboldt State University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Chico, California · Public · Open access · CDS 2025-2026
Humboldt State University is a public university in Chico, California that admits about 94% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $14,838 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 60% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 1.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Chico, California. For the most recent reporting cycle, Humboldt State University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 94%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $14,838 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Humboldt State University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Humboldt State University?
Humboldt State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Humboldt State University weight in admissions?
Humboldt State University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Humboldt State University typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
| 25th percentile | 940 |
| 50th percentile | 1055 |
| 75th percentile | 1170 |
| % submitting SAT | 3% |
| 25th percentile | 19 |
| 50th percentile | 20 |
| 75th percentile | 26 |
| % submitting ACT | 0.5% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 35% |
| Top 25% of class | 75% |
| Top 50% of class | 100% |
| % submitting class rank | 50% |
How much does Humboldt State University actually cost?
Published tuition is $8,064 for in-state students and $19,944 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,020 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $14,838 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 40% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $6,450 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $19,552 |
| Room and board | $16,668 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $14,838 |
| Application fee | $70 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Humboldt State University
| Regular deadline | 12/15 |
| Notification date | Rolling, beginning December 1 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 or within 2 weeks of notification |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Humboldt State University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Humboldt State University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Humboldt State University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Across all programs, Humboldt State University confers roughly 1,891 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $79,303 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 585 | $79,303 |
| Psychology, General | 346 | $52,482 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 216 | $55,139 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 196 | $46,684 |
| Sociology | 162 | $46,999 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 139 | $58,616 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 127 | $120,599 |
| Public Health | 120 | — |
Is Humboldt State University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Humboldt State University disclosed 24 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 1.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 4 violent offenses and 11 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Humboldt State University?
About 2% of undergraduates at Humboldt State University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 8% of men join a fraternity and 8% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in California parents ask about
- Stanford University4% acceptance
- University of California-Berkeley12% acceptance
- University of California-Los Angeles9% acceptance
- University of Southern California10% acceptance
- University of California-Davis42% acceptance
- University of California-Irvine26% acceptance
- University of California-San Diego25% acceptance
- University of California-Santa Barbara63% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Humboldt State University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Humboldt State University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Humboldt State University
What GPA do I need for Humboldt State University?
Humboldt State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Humboldt State University typically admit?
Humboldt State University does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does Humboldt State University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Humboldt State University after grants and scholarships is $14,838 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Humboldt State University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Humboldt State University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Humboldt State University?
Humboldt State University accepts about 94% of applicants out of roughly 22,542 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Humboldt State University test-optional?
Yes. Humboldt State University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Humboldt State University?
About 60% of students at Humboldt State University graduate within six years. 82% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Humboldt State University look for in applicants?
Humboldt State University rates GPA and test scores as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Humboldt State University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Chico, California.
What are the most popular majors at Humboldt State University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Humboldt State University by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. The school awards about 1,891 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Humboldt State University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Humboldt State University reported 24 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 1.8 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Humboldt State University?
At Humboldt State University, 2% of undergraduates live on campus, 8% of men are in fraternities, 8% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Humboldt State University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.