California State University, San Bernardino (Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB) is a public research university in San Bernardino, California, United States. Founded in 1965, it is part of the California State University system. The main campus sits on in the University District of San Bernardino, with a branch campus of in Palm Desert, California, opened in 1986. Cal State San Bernardino's fall 2025 enrollment was 19,049. In fall 2025, it had 1,084 faculty, of which 436 were on the tenure track. Total staff (excluding student employees) were 952.
The university offers 232 degrees; a full list of all available bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and certificates can be found online at the above links.
CSUSB's sports teams are known as the Coyotes and play in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in the Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The nickname was inspired by the coyotes that inhabit the area around the campus, which lies in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains. Men's sports include Baseball, Basketball, Golf, and Soccer. Women's sports include Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, and Track and Field.
The university is a Hispanic-serving institution and a Minority-serving institution.
History California State University, San Bernardino was created by the state legislature on April 29, 1960, as the San Bernardino-Riverside State College. On February 8, 1963, the California State College system's board of trustees chose a site in the city of San Bernardino and the college's official name was changed to California State College at San Bernardino. It opened in 1965, with 293 students and 30 faculty members. CSUSB earned its university status in 1984, officially becoming California State University, San Bernardino. Today, the university has more than 19,000 students and over 130,000 alumni. It includes two campuses, one in San Bernardino County and one in the Coachella Valley (the Palm Desert Campus), each of which is a four-year campus offering undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The campus' five presidents from its founding are: Dr. John M. Pfau, Dr. Anthony "Tony" Evans, Dr. Albert "Al" K. Karnig, Dr. Tomás D. Morales, and Dr. S. Terri Gomez.
Campus
Built atop of bedrock on the city's north side, CSUSB is framed to the north by the San Bernardino Mountains. Under President Al Karnig, more than of new facilities were built to meet students' academic and social needs. Under President Tomás D. Morales, an additional 552,612 gross square feet, total, were added to both the San Bernardino and the Palm Desert campuses.
Since 2013, the new buildings or additions include: The Center for Global Innovation; the Performing Arts Center (opened in 2026); the Student Union Expansion also known as SMSU North; Coyote Walk; at the Pfau Library, the Faculty Center for Excellence, the Staff Development Center, the Cave 24/7 Study Space, and Starbucks; Coyote Commons; Coyote Village’s Cajon Hall and Running Springs; Einsteins Bagels at the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; the Alumni Center as well as the renovation of the old Commons into a home for CSUSB’s Alumni Office; the electrical substation and other related campus infrastructure—projects that literally help to keep the lights on; electric vehicle charging stations and charging ports at the Palm Desert Campus; and the PDC’s forthcoming Student Success Center, the first state-funded project on that campus.
The John M. Pfau Library, named after the university's first president, sits at the very center of the campus. Other distinctive university landmarks include: the clock tower above the Santos Manuel Student Union, the Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum, the James & Aerianthi Coussoulis Arena, Legacy Fountain, and the Wild Song statue that students rub for luck before exams.
In 2009, the university received a major donation from the Pauline Murillo family to construct a $2 million research observatory on the campus. The W.M. Keck Foundation and the California Portland Cement Co. also made substantial contributions.
The university is a Hispanic-serving institution and a Minority-serving institution.
Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (formerly the Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum) is among the 4 percent of museums in the United States accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The RAFFMA's permanent collections consist of three distinct kinds of art: ancient, ceramic, and contemporary. A world-class collection of about 200 Egyptian artifacts and a smaller selection of Italian pottery are part of the museum's permanent holdings. Rotating shows feature artists from throughout the region and country. One gallery of the museum is dedicated to exhibiting the work of the school's own art students. The museum celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2026 and received accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 2008.
Palm Desert Campus
Opened in 1986, the California State University, San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus in Palm Desert, California () is a four-year college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The Palm Desert Campus was initially built entirely with private funds. This public-private partnership was featured in a front-page story in the Sunday, August 3, 2003, edition of the New York Times. Its first state-funded building, the Student Success Center, is currently under construction (2025-2027). When completed, its 48,000 gross square feet will include a robust collection of student services (including the library).
Its highlighted list of programs include Hospitality Management, Cybersecurity, Entrepreneurship, Social Work, Kinesiology, and Child Development. Hospitality Management was developed specifically for the PDC.
Murillo Family Observatory The Murillo Family Observatory is a teaching and research observatory at CSUSB, located on Badger Hill on the northern portion of campus. It is the newest research observatory in the Inland Empire and in the California State University system. The observatory consists of two telescopes which are used for research and teaching; a 20-inch Ritchey-Chretien and a 17-inch Corrected Dall-Kirkham Astrograph. It serves as both an academic and community resource, with public viewing nights and special astronomy events for the community.
Organization and administration
San Bernardino-Riverside State College became a part of the California College System (now called the California State University system) in 1965 and eventually became California State University, San Bernardino in 1984. It, along with 21 other campuses, now forms the California State University system, which is the largest senior system of higher education in the United States.
The current president is S. Terri Gomez, who was chosen in 2026. A first-generation college student from California’s Inland Empire, she is the university’s fifth president and the first woman to serve in the position. Her most recent role was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cal Poly Pomona.
Academics Undergraduate admission statistics Fall 2025Fall 2024Fall 2023Fall 2022Fall 2021First-time FreshmenApplicants14,94714,63013,98815,58113,057Admits14,09513,63212,54814,11911,878Admit rate94%93%90%91%91%Enrolled2,1622,0902,2442,3242,001Yield rate15%15%18%16%17%TransfersApplicants7,3567,0117,1268,5689,648Admits6,4975,9735,7126,7968,021Admit rate88%85%80%79%83%Enrolled2,6332,2432,0102,4682,830Yield rate41%38%35%36%35% The university offers degree, credential, and certificate programs. It is divided into three Liberal Arts colleges, College of Arts and Letters College of Natural Sciences College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
and three vocational colleges: Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration College of Education College of Extended Learning
Popular majors for undergraduates in 2018 included Business Administration (Management and Operations) at 23.01%, Psychology (General) at 14.31%, Criminal Justice and Corrections at 6.40%. For graduates, popular majors included Business Administration, Management and Operations at 17.47%, Social Work at 14.21%, and Education (General) at 10.82%.
The five most popular majors for 2019 graduates were:
Business, Management, Marketing, and related support services at 25% Psychology at 14% Social Sciences at 10% Health Professions and related programs at 7% Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and related protective services at 6%
Cal State San Bernardino has taken a role in furthering the study and understanding Middle Eastern Cultures, and is the only CSU campus offering Arabic language and Islamic history courses. CSUSB's University Center for Developmental Disabilities is a clinical training program that provides evaluation, assessment, training, and support for autistic children, their parents, and siblings. CSUSB also offers a burgeoning program in Egyptology, with a Certificate in Egyptology offered through the Department of History and the opportunity to learn about Ancient Egypt at the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art RAFFMA that houses one of the largest collections of ancient Egyptian objects on the West Coast.
Business and National Security Studies
Many CSUSB programs have earned specialized national and international accreditation, including the business program, which was the first in the Inland Empire to gain AACSB accreditation at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. AACSB accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 5% of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB accreditation. AACSB-accredited schools produce graduates that are highly skilled and more desirable to employers than other non-accredited schools. The business and entrepreneurship programs are nationally recognized, as evidenced by CSUSB's 2006 ranking of fourth in the United States for graduate entrepreneur programs. The university's College of Business and Public Administration was also listed in the 2008 edition and the 2013 edition of The Princeton Review's "Best 290 Business Schools". In 2011, California State University, San Bernardino's Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration was recognized by European CEO Magazine as one of the top 20 schools of business in the world and one of the world's 18 most innovative business schools.
The National Security Studies master of arts program is a nationally renown, two-year program that offers a comprehensive curriculum for students interested in pursuing careers in national service. It is one of three such programs in the country and the only one in the California State University system. The university also has collaborative educational programs with nearby Fort Irwin. In addition, CSUSB's advanced accounting students provide free tax preparation services to local low-income, elderly, disabled, non-English-speaking residents.
Jack Brown Hall Many business and public administration classes take place in Jack Brown Hall, which was funded by Jack Brown, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Stater Bros., and opened on September 23, 1991. Jack Brown pledged $1 million to building enhancements in 1992, which was the largest donation CSUSB had ever received at the time; as a result, CSUSB named the building after him. He also provided student scholarships.
Education The university is one of the region's largest teacher-training institutions. In 2007, the university welcomed its first class of doctoral degree candidates. The Ed.D. in educational leadership is a research-based program that prepares pre-K through 12 and community college leaders to contribute to the study, development and implementation of educational reforms.
Admissions, enrollment and retention