Planning Tools and Resources

Strategic Plan

Each university develops its own strategic plan based on its mission, strengths, regional role, and goals. Strategic plans typically include multi-year goals, measurable objectives, and strategies tied to academic excellence, student success, research, community engagement, enrollment management, and facilities planning.

Academic Master Plan

Academic Master Plan is a comprehensive list of projected programs, existing degree programs and program-review schedules for existing degrees approved by the Board of Trustees. The CSU Academic Master Plan guides program, faculty and facility development and serves as the basis for campus master planning of facilities.

CSU Academic Master Plan
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Physical Campus Master Plan

Physical Campus Master Plan is a document that illustrates existing and anticipated facilities necessary to accommodate a specified enrollment at an estimated target date or planning horizon. It is the physical representation of how a campus will implement its Academic and Strategic Plans.

Building projects listed in the Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan (Five-Year Plan) shall be included on the approved Physical Master Plan for the university. If a proposed project is not master planned, a minor or major master plan revision must be submitted to campus-assigned CPDC University Planner and approved prior to the project being included in the Five-Year Plan.

CSU Campus Master Plan Approved by the Board of Trustees
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Standards for Campus Development Programs

The programming of new capital outlay projects is governed by the Project Development Standards collectively known as Space Standards. The California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) approved space standards are used to calculate the type of space in a facility, and its size. The standards are a set of space formula multipliers for level, type, and category of instruction, for graduate research, for faculty and faculty administrative offices and for miscellaneous shops and storage.

Standards for Campus Development Program
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Measurement Devices for Campus Physical Planning

This document defines procedures and explains the use of measurement devices supporting the physical development and evaluation of campus capital outlay programs: enrollment, capacity, and utilization.

Measurement Devices for Campus Physical Planning
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Feasibility Study

Feasibility Study analyzes the viability of proposed capital projects. Such studies are required for all action year projects to establish the project scope and estimate an accurate budget. A feasibility study will focus to the project; analyze alternatives; explore new opportunities; identify reasons to proceed or not proceed; and provide documentation that all options were thoroughly investigated. Finally, the study will analyze and recommend the type of construction delivery method most appropriate for the proposed project. All feasibility studies should be reviewed by a Mechanical Review Board (MRB) member, Seismic Review Board (SRB) member, and Office of Fire Safety (OFS), as applicable.

Feasibility Study Guide
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Owner’s Project Requirements / Owner's Project Criteria

The Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR), also known as the Owner's Project Criteria, are inclusive, detailed description of the Owner’s goals, requirements, and expectations for a proposed project. Owner’s Project Requirements are mandatory for new buildings and renovations over 10,000 GSF by the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 6 (California Energy Efficiency Standards).

The California State University Owner’s Project Requirements include requirements for commissioned systems as well as physical and functional building characteristics desired by the owner. The OPR establishes performance and acceptance criteria for the proposed project. The OPR is intended to be developed prior to the design phases and issuance of the project RFP. It will likely leverage information from earlier project planning, such as feasibility studies and programming efforts. While each decision required to complete a full OPR may not be complete at the time of the project’s Five-Year Plan or Amend submission, starting to prepare the OPR earlier can help inform project scope and more accurate project estimates.

CSU Owner’s Project Requirements Guide
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Facilities Condition Assessments

Proposed renovation or replacement projects should include analysis conducted in relevant Facilities Condition Assessments (FCA) or similar building studies to determine the feasibility of retaining existing space or proceeding with demolition. Facilities Condition Assessment reports can be found on the ISES database.

CSU Seismic Requirements and Seismic Priority List

The Chancellor’s Office maintains a seismic priority list of buildings identified by Seismic Review Board for which there are additional seismic retrofit requirements above and beyond the seismic requirements of the California Building Code (CBC).

Seismic Priority List 1: Buildings that are a priority for seismic retrofit should be retrofitted as soon as resources are available without regard to other modifications of the building. The list is in two parts, those that are occupied (1A) and those that are not occupied (1B).
Seismic Priority List 2: Buildings that must be evaluated and retrofitted if non-compliant with CEBC requirements when a major capital project is allocated to the building, notwithstanding an allowance from CBC to not do so.

Universities are highly encouraged to include projects in the Five-Year Plan for facilities that are on the CSU Seismic Priority List 1A and Priority List 2.

CSU Seismic Requirements and Seismic Priority List
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Academic Project Planning

To support long-term academic growth and student success, the following resources and tools are available to universities planning academic projects that include instructional space and/or faculty offices. These resources and tools support the alignment of space needs with enrollment trends and inform the development and prioritization of academic projects in the CSU Five-Year Plan.

Enrollment Demand and Capacity Study
The Enrollment Demand and Capacity Study was prepared by an independent consulting team and provides research and analysis to support state and CSU decision-making on access to higher education in California. Commissioned under the California Budget Act of 2019, the study directs the CSU Chancellor’s Office, in consultation with the California Department of Finance, to evaluate future CSU growth by examining statewide enrollment demand and campus capacity, workforce needs and program alignment, the feasibility of new CSU campuses in specified locations, and the potential impacts of new campuses on regional communities, the existing CSU system, and related institutions.
Enrollment Demand and Capacity Study, Volume 1
Enrollment Demand and Capacity Study, Volume 2
Academic Planning Database
The CSU Academic Planning Database (APDB) collects actual enrollment data systemwide. The resources in APDB can help align a proposed project with the academic program needs.
Course Section Report (fall semester)
This enrollment report contains actual full-time equivalent students (FTES) and full-time equivalent faculty totals for all individual academic discipline (HEGIS) categories arranged by instructional level and segment. Actual enrollment data is one of the measurement devices used to calculate entitlement for space.
Main Campus FTES by Discipline Report-APD87 (academic year)
This report contains annualized FTES by main campus or off-campus center, HEGIS, learning mode, instruction level, and APDB space type. Actual enrollment data is one of the measurement devices used to show entitlement for space.
Space and Facilities Database
The CSU Space and Facilities Database (SFDB) is a systemwide inventory of physical capacity. The SFDB serves as the official record for current physical inventory data for the CSU and provides two basic types of data: facilities and space. The SFDB is used in the analysis of space needs, space utilization, other space- and facilities-related issues and reports.
Space and Facilities Reports
CPDC 1-2: Summary of Campus Capacity
This document reflects annual FTE capacity changes resulting from proposed capital outlay projects and other adjustments to the campus space inventories. The summary presents overall campus capacity space needs for lecture, upper- and lower-division teaching laboratories, and faculty offices.
CPDC 1-2: Summary of Campus Capacity
Lab Capacity vs Lab Enrollment
As with the CPDC 1-2, this report compares enrollment and capacity, with a specific focus on teaching laboratories by discipline. The data used for this comparison are derived from the APDB and the SFDB. Total FTES for teaching laboratories at target are taken from the CPDC 1-2.
Lab Capacity vs Lab Enrollment
Utilization Reports
A Classroom and Teaching Laboratory Utilization report is generated annually for each university. Capacity space in the CSU is categorized as lecture or teaching laboratory to serve the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) student enrollment. The reports are used to show how efficient the CSU is using capacity space based on California’s higher education space standards set by the state legislature. Instructional space needs are calculated in conformity with Space and Utilization Standards approved in September 1966 by the Coordinating Council for Higher Education (re-titled the California Postsecondary Education Commission prior to dissolution) as modified by the Legislature in March 1971 and June 1973. It is based on the hours per week a classroom or laboratory space is scheduled and the student station occupancy per class. The utilization reports are sent to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) biannually.
Utilization Reports
CSU Enrollment Trends & Instructional Space (ASF) Entitlement Dashboard: CPDC 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3
This dashboard provides a comprehensive tool designed to support academic capital project planning. It enables universities to track current and projected student enrollment and evaluate the types and amounts of instructional space needed, such as teaching labs, research, faculty space, storage, and other instructional space, based on CSU space standards.
CPDC 2-Series Dashboard
FTES Enrollment Trends by Year (CPDC 2-1)
In CPDC 2-1, historic enrollment data is organized by discipline from the most recent fall terms Course Section Report (CSR). Using the historic data, campuses can project the enrollment forward to the Occupancy Year (three years after the action year) and the Target Year (two years after the Occupancy Year). For purposes of capital planning, the Target Year is used to determine capacity space needs.
Enrollment growth by discipline (academic program) in this dashboard is default to the latest fall enrollment FTE distribution among disciplines. If there may be anticipated changes to existing or future academic programs, please contact your campus assigned CPDC University Planner to develop a customized instructional space entitlement analysis.
Projected FTES Enrollment at Target Year by Mode and Level (CPDC 2-2)
CPDC 2-2 uses the same historic and projected enrollment by discipline data from the CPDC 2-1 and breakdown of instructional type for each discipline: lecture, lab, activity, and other. Campuses can project the enrollment forward to the Target Year for selected disciplines impacted by the proposed project.
Instructional Space (ASF) Analysis (CPDC 2-3)
Based on the CPDC 2-2 projected enrollment at the Target Year, CPDC 2-3 analyses how much physical space (ASF) is needed by applying the CSU space standards for capacity spaces (teaching labs, faculty space), research space, storage, and any special instructional space for each of the disciplines impacted by the proposed project.

Self-Support Project Planning

Self-support projects require additional assessment as part of the feasibility study process to demonstrate need. For more information, please contact Financing and Treasury (F&T) at the Chancellor’s Office.

Student Unions: Proposed projects require a verification of a successful student referendum for the project or alternative consultation process. The submittal should also include a viable financial plan, for a ten-year projection with two years of actuals, including details of project financing which are consistent with and incorporate the standard annual student union budget plan.

Student Housing: Proposed new and replacement housing projects require a market demand study to demonstrate the need for the appropriate mix of housing unit types (e.g. dormitory, suites, apartments) and rental rates. The market demand study should be coordinated with Financing and Treasury.

Parking Facilities: Proposed new and replacement parking facility projects should include a demand study by an independent consultant. The parking demand study shall include an analysis of parking offsets resulting from Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures implemented in accordance with the campus TDM Plan and Education Code Section 89701 (4) which requires a thorough investigation of programs incorporating alternate modes of transportation in order to demonstrate that parking demand is justified. Proposed parking facility projects require a thorough access assessment to be conducted by an independent consultant prior to submission. The submittal should include a financial plan comparing projected campus parking program revenues to expenses for a ten-year projection with two years of actuals.

Health Center Projects: Proposed projects require a financial plan comparing projected campus health center facility fee revenues to expenses for a ten-year projection with two years of actuals.

Continuing Education: Proposed projects require a financial plan comparing projected campus Continuing Education revenues to expenses for a ten-year projection with two years of actuals.

Donor Funded Projects: Proposed projects should identify a budgeted plan and verify sufficient cash on hand for the project to support the project phase(s) requested. Project cash flows for the balance of funds for the remaining project phase(s).

Projects Operated by Auxiliary Organizations: If the proposed project is funded from cash, identification of sufficient cash on hand to support the project. If the proposed project is anticipated to be funded by issuance of debt, by either the Auxiliary Organization directly or through Systemwide Revenue Bonds, then a viable financial plan is to be submitted.