Cal State Fullerton's Record Enrollment Leads CSU

Cal State Fullerton has surpassed the 35,000-student enrollment mark to emerge as the most populous campus in the 23-campus California State University system.

The official census count for the fall semester shows that enrollment has climbed to an all-time high of 35,040 - an increase of more than 2,000 from last fall's count of 32,744.

"It's a good feeling to know there are so many students who want to come to our university," said CSUF President Milton A. Gordon, noting that almost 44,000 applications for admission were received for the 2005-06 academic year. "The faculty and staff work so well with these students, and that's the reason why they want to come to Cal State Fullerton," he added. "The word is getting out that we have the faculty and staff to work with these young people to fulfill their dreams of a college education."

The university welcomed more than 11,000 new students this fall, including 3,935 first-time freshmen.

Cal State Fullerton's Irvine Campus, where more than 3,000 students are attending classes, is a key factor in making it possible for the university to accommodate enrollment growth, noted Gordon. "We're serving the students where the need is in Orange County and Southern California," he said.

Since the branch campus opened in 2002 on the grounds of the former El Toro Marine base, it has offered an increasing number of upper-division and graduate courses for students pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees. The university envisions developing 275 acres adjacent to the Great Park to establish a permanent site for the branch campus, which has been leasing facilities. Of the more than 3,000 students attending classes at the CSUF Irvine Campus, one-third are taking all of their classes there this semester.

Other data from the fall 2005 census indicate that more than 64 percent of the student body is enrolled in 12 or more units. Additionally, the full-time-equivalent student (FTES) count is a record high at 25,975, an increase of more than 1,800 from fall 2004. One FTE equals 15 units of student course work and is the basis for allocating state funding to the campus.

Media Contact: Paula Selleck, Public Affairs, (714) 278-4856 or pselleck@fullerton.edu