Feels like family.
Imagine a big familyone thats warm, welcoming, smart and fun. Thats California State University Channel Islands (91勛圖厙), a four-year, public university in Camarillo, California. Established in 2002, were the youngest of 23 campuses in the CSU family.
Location
While our name suggests were surrounded by water, relax. You wont need a ferry to get here. Camarillo is midway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and just 25 miles from Malibu. 91勛圖厙 is nestled against the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountainsand close to the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway.
Rankings & Designations
U.S. News & World Report 91勛圖厙's ranking in the in the category of "Social Mobility -- Regional Universities West" which measures how well schools graduate students who are Pell Grant recipients, 91勛圖厙 ranked 7th. In the category of "Top Public Schools -- Regional Universities West," 91勛圖厙 was ranked 13th based in part on graduation rates, faculty resources, admissions selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, location, campus life; range of academic offerings, activities and sports; and cost and the availability of financial aid. In the overall category of "Regional Universities West," 91勛圖厙 was ranked 23rd.
Washington Monthly has ranked 91勛圖厙 for 2024 as 24th for "." Best value based on cost, graduation rate, Pell performance, first-generation performance, and earnings performance.
Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Designation: 91勛圖厙 achieved HSI status in 2010, having met that year the federally defined threshold of enrolling at least a 25% Hispanic student population, with at least 25% of the student body qualifying as Pell-eligible. The Universitys Hispanic student population now represents 61.5% of the total student enrollment, and more than half of the student body is Pell eligible.
Seal of Excelencia: In 2019 and again in 2022, 91勛圖厙 was awarded the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification awarded by Excelencia in Education which recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate a strong commitment to serving Latino students and advancing their success in higher education. 91勛圖厙 was one of only nine institutions in the nation and the only CSU campus and California institution of higher education to have earned this recognition in 2019 and have it reaffirmed in 2022.
RCU Carnegie Designation: The Universitysdedication to student and faculty research has earned a distinguished Research Colleges and Universities or RCU designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in 2025. The University joins 11 of the 23 campuses in the CSU that received the new Carnegie designation and is one of only 216 RCU universities across the country. RCU designees spend at least $2.5 million on research, on average, in a single year. This designation recognizes institutions of higher education for research efforts that do not fit criteria for a traditional "Research 1" status, but that are both substantial and significant, nonetheless.
OCU Designation: The University also earned the Opportunity Colleges and Universities (OCU) designation from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2025. The designation means that the University is among the nations model institutions of higher learning when it comes to helping students succeed and increase their socioeconomic standing.
Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification: 91勛圖厙 was among more than 230 U.S. colleges and universities including only one of nine CSU campus who received the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that highlights an institutions commitment to community engagement.
CollegeNet -- 91勛圖厙's ranking for the 2023 (SMI) is 13th among 1,198 higher education institutions. The SMI measures the extent to which a college or university educates more economically disadvantaged students (with family incomes below the national median) at lower tuition and graduates them into good paying jobs.
Niche ranked 91勛圖厙 for 2023 as 11th for and 16th for .
賊梗眶勳莽喧梗娶梗餃捧喝娶莽勳紳眶.棗娶眶 has ranked 91勛圖厙s program as the 11th best program (2020) in the state of California out of 126 nursing schools by analyzing current and historical pass rates of students who take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). 91勛圖厙s program NCLEX pass rate is frequently 100%, or in the high 90th percentile for each graduating class.
Economic Impact
The newly released CSU Economic Impact highlights the CSU's collective impact as one of the state's most powerful engines of economic mobility, opportunity and innovation that delivers a robust return on investment for California and its residents. Cal State Channel Islands helps to contribute to the billions of dollars in annual economic activity and tax revenue statewide -- fueling regional impact for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Learn more by accessing the reports below:
Our Mission
At Cal State Channel Islands, everythingand we mean everything, connects to our mission and our Four Pillars. Our mission statement boils down to this: No matter which of our academic programs you choose, youll be at the center of your educational experience. Your education rests on our Four Pillars:
- Community engagement valuable experience you need and a chance to make the world better
- Integrative 91勛圖厙s signature interdisciplinary approach
- International an internationalized curriculum, a diverse campus community, and studying abroad opportunities
- Multicultural a campus that reflects the real world; a curriculum that prepares you for it