“CSU campus in Hayward serving the Bay Area with 130+ programs and top social mobility rankings.”
California State University, East Bay (CSUEB or Cal State East Bay) is a public comprehensive university in Hayward, California, founded in 1957 as State College for Alameda County and joining the CSU system. The main campus sits on a 342-acre hillside overlooking San Francisco Bay - on clear days, students can see the Golden Gate Bridge, downtown San Francisco, and Silicon Valley from their classroom windows. The university enrolls roughly 14,000 students across four colleges - Business & Economics, Education & Allied Studies, Letters/Arts/Social Sciences (CLASS), and Science - offering 136 undergraduate and 60 graduate areas of study. Additional campuses in Oakland (business/professional programs) and Concord extend its footprint across the East Bay region. CSUEB is regularly cited as one of the most diverse university campuses in the United States, with students representing more than 100 countries and a student body in which no single racial or ethnic group forms a majority. The Bay Area location gives students direct access to internships at tech giants, biotech firms, and accounting practices across Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Oakland. AACSB-accredited business programs, engineering and computer science tracks (many STEM-designated for OPT), Kinesiology and Nursing, and marine-science partnerships with the CSU system's Moss Landing Marine Laboratories make CSUEB a practical, career-oriented choice. The university is also known for its strong teacher-preparation pipeline that supplies K-12 schools across Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. CSUEB is a CSU-system test-free university - SAT/ACT scores are neither required nor considered for freshman admission - making it particularly accessible to international students who may not have convenient access to those tests. It accepts the CSU-wide Cal State Apply portal and offers rolling international deadlines through the International Admissions Office. Student life centers on NCAA Division II Pioneers athletics (California Collegiate Athletic Association), 100+ student organizations, and a classic Bay Area commuter-suburban rhythm. The International Programs and Center for International Education (CIE) provide immigration advising, F-1 employment authorization, 24-month STEM OPT extensions for qualifying graduates, study-abroad support, and cultural programming - with particular strength serving students from India, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Social Mobility
Cal State East Bay homepage
Test Free — No test scores needed — they won't be reviewed even if submitted.
Official SourceFall Priority (Domestic)
Cal State Apply priority window
Fall (International)
Document deadline earlier; check IAO page
Spring (International)
Fall-through and spring entry admissions
This university does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$7,583
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$20,183
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
4 years
STEM-designated undergraduate analytics track; strong placement into Bay Area tech, consulting, and finance internships.
4 years
Hands-on curriculum with capstone projects for Bay Area tech employers; STEM OPT-eligible with heavy recruiting by startups and larger firms including Oracle, Salesforce, and Cisco.
2 years
Part of the consortium MS program at Moss Landing Marine Labs on Monterey Bay; STEM-designated and research-intensive.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $20,183
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
