Sacramento State enrollment climbs — but fewer international students joined CSU

Fall student enrollment across California State University grew for the second year in a row — including at Sacramento State — while international student enrollment dropped, according to newly released university data.

Data released Monday revealed a 2% increase in the number of students at California State University for the fall 2025 semester, with 471,451 total students — up from 461,612 students last year. The second year of increased enrollment follows two years of post-pandemic declines.

Sacramento State enrolled 31,274 students for this fall’s term, marking a 1.3% increase from the year before. This fall’s headcount is the highest it has been since 2021, according to CSU.

“The second straight year of enrollment growth signals that the CSU is moving forward with strength, stability and a clear commitment to expanding opportunity for California students,” said Dilcie D. Perez, deputy vice chancellor of strategic enrollment management and student success, in a statement Monday. “This momentum reflects continued confidence in the power of a CSU to open doors, uplift families and communities and build the state’s future workforce.”

But international student enrollment dropped for the third year in a row. Foreign students typically pay full tuition, as federal and state financial aid is not available for international students — an important factor for the cash-strapped university system, which currently faces a $2.3 billion budget deficit.

According to the data, international student enrollment dropped 7.8%, with 13,718 international students enrolled for fall 2025 compared to 14,882 students for fall 2024. International student enrollment fell 3% in fall 2024, 4% in fall 2023 and 38% in fall 2022.

The decline comes as the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration has left colleges across the nation concerned about the impact on international student enrollment. Since March, the U.S. State Department has revoked more than 6,000 international student visas. The Trump administration also has directed diplomats to expand the screening process for student visa applicants by combing through their social media, which applicants are now required to make public for security checks.

Nationwide, new international student enrollment plummeted 17% at colleges and universities across the nation this fall, according to a report by the Institute of International Education.

Monday’s data revealed that Cal State also saw increases in graduate student and transfer student enrollment across the university system for fall 2025, as well as an increase in first-time freshmen enrollment. Cal State University saw a nearly 3% increase in the overall number of new graduate students, bringing the total number of enrolled graduate students across the system to 54,920 students. And new transfers increased 1.8%, with more than 53,216 transfer students enrolled across the university system. CSU saw 66,339 first-time freshmen students enroll for fall 2025.

Nineteen of the university system’s 22 campuses also saw increased fall enrollment. CSU campuses in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sonoma saw decreased fall enrollment compared to last year.

The data comes as Cal State University prepares to implement a systemwide direct admissions program. The program automatically admits California students to 16 CSU campuses if they meet academic requirements. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, the bill — SB 640 — takes effect in January 2026, with full statewide participation beginning for fall 2027 applicants.

Sacramento State, meanwhile, is also touting its largest fall graduating class in its history with 3,000 students receiving their degrees this month, according to the school.

The Bee’s Jennah Pendleton contributed to this story.