Founded as Sacramento State College on Sept. 22, 1947, during a time of intense demand for higher education after World War II, Sacramento State shared space with Sacramento Junior College. Sacramento State's first semester of classes consisted of 235 students enrolled in 44 sections.
Our deep roots, commitment to community engagement, and collective efforts allow the University to promote, facilitate and advance community building and economic prosperity in a manner that is both beneficial to students and our community.
Our mission is to enhance University effectiveness with information and research to support planning and budgeting, assessment, accreditation, policy formation, and decision making.
The goal of career counseling at the Career Center is to help students learn how to make informed decisions in their educational and career choices. Those decisions should reflect students’ personal goals, values, and interests, and should lead toward satisfying academic work in their major and a fulfilling career. Services:
Sacramento State is committed to creating an environment where students can achieve success. We implemented a number of initiatives centered on improving graduation rates, including Finish in Four and Through in Two campaigns, predictive analytics, and enhanced advising and course scheduling.
With more than 50 departments and programs, we strive to provide comprehensive administrative services, academic support and a vibrant campus life experience for our students.
The library is open an average of 97 hours per week with an annual circulation of over 306,594 items. Approximately 1,400 reference transactions occurred in a typical week. About 43,000 people entered the Library per week
SHCS offers quality healthcare provided by a multidisciplinary team of medical and mental health professionals dedicated to making healthcare accessible and affordable for students through ethically sound practice, confidentiality and integrity. SHCS is committed to quality care and service delivery and is accredited through the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
As the sixth-largest campus of the 23 state universities in California, the main campus is composed of 305 acres (123 ha) in the city of Sacramento and lies adjacent to U.S. Route 50.
Sacramento State has a wide selection of social and academic clubs and organizations. Each are dedicated to help students of similar interests bond together by common goals and aspirations. They make up a wide range of opportunities to be involved. They often represent national, international, local and regional organizations. Some also promote certain cultures or multiculturalism as well as political and recreational.
Since 1951, the university has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 91 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 1228 | 1279 | 1370 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Based on 10 reviews
Sac State is a very diverse school that has great scenery and the social atmosphere is very nice and lively. The school is a great selection for something on the affordable side. The gym is so beautiful and although some classes are outdated in terms of aesthetic it fits a good amount of people for classes
California State University in Sacramento has a great campus. Lot's of green, lots of assistance if needed and everyone is generally friendly. Great food options and lots of facilities to use on your free time or academically.
This University has some really great teachers. I haven't had a single bad experience with anyone on campus as of yet. The campus is also quite beautiful. Parking is really tight and you'll want to arrive early to ensure that you're able to find a parking space and get to class on time. The school has lots of squirrels on its campus and one of my favorite places is the Vivarium.
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