The student population at California State University-Chico is 15,257 (13,792 undergraduate and 1,465 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 1,963 (11.40%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Chico State is 90.40% which is decreased by 2,335 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 372 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 75 male students for every 100 female students, down from 88 in 2015.
- 2,599 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 606.25% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 16,375 where 15,257 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 4 year-over-year increases and 5 decreases. It peaked at 17,875 students in 2018 and was lowest at 14,183 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 17,220 to 15,257 students, a net loss of 1,963 (11.4%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at California State University-Chico since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 15,210 where 13,792 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at California State University-Chico since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 1,165 where 1,465 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at California State University-Chico since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 41.15% and the percentage of black students is 2.97% at California State University-Chico. 5.47% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 37.81% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 45.88% to 41.15%. Asian enrollment declined from 5.75% to 5.47%. Black student enrollment increased from 2.34% to 2.97%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 27.94% to 37.81%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6804 which indicates that moderately diverse. This decreased from 0.7049 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at California State University-Chico over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
2,599 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 17% of total students. The number of online students has increased 606.25% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at California State University-Chico from 2015 to 2025.