Fresno State (CSU, Fresno) is one of 23 campuses in the CSU system and is the only public four-year institution currently located in the vast central San Joaquin Valley region. The Fresno campus is designated by the CSU Trustees as being a "regional university" and is further distinguished as an Hispanic Serving Institution. As such, over 90% of those who graduate from this region's rural high schools and enroll in a four year college or university immediately upon graduation come to Fresno State as "first-time entering freshmen."
The majority of rural high school graduates in this region who enroll in college immediately following graduation begin their undergraduate studies at a local community college. CSU, Fresno maintains strong outreach ties to community colleges in the nine-county central California region and will further strengthen these important relationships under the ENLACE plan.
The University of California has not yet established a fully functioning campus in the central San Joaquin Valley region. However, a new campus is expected to open in Merced 60 miles to the north of Fresno in the year 2003. A UC Outreach Center is maintained in Fresno to serve those students who meet the eligibility requirements for admission to the University of California as first time entering freshmen and community college transfer students. Several programs at Fresno State and at local community colleges coordinate with the UC Outreach Center's staff to help ensure that those students who are eligible for admission to the UC are identified and provided with any needed assistance.
