Fresno State University

What Fresno State University does

Fresno State University (legal name: California State University, Fresno) is a public research university founded in 1911 and operated as part of the 23-campus California State University system under the state of California. It serves approximately 24,000 students across 74 bachelor's, 49 post-baccalaureate, and 3 doctoral programs delivered through eight schools and colleges (agricultural sciences, arts and humanities, business, education, engineering, health and human services, science and mathematics, and social sciences). The university targets Central Valley populations—first-generation, minority, low-income, and student-parent demographics—with 80% of undergraduates receiving financial aid, and it positions itself as the primary higher-education access point for the San Joaquin Valley, where only 26% of ninth graders are on a path to a bachelor's degree.

The technology stack is standard higher-ed infrastructure (Canvas LMS, PeopleSoft, Zoom, TeamDynamix, DISCOVERe device-lending hub) augmented by domain-specific facilities: a Trimble Technology Lab opening in 2026 for geospatial and surveying workflows with embedded AI training, and the Center for Digital and Technological Innovation in Healthcare (April 2026), an online cross-college initiative addressing the region's healthcare-desert labor gap. Auxiliary operations include 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs (transitioning to the Pac-12 in July 2026) and Bulldog Sports Enterprises, a new in-house multimedia-rights and corporate-sponsorship agency that replaced the prior Learfield outsourcing arrangement.

The business model is a hybrid of state appropriations, tuition and fees, federal and foundation grants (notably $8M from the U.S. Department of Education for the START program, $5M from the Mellon Foundation for humanities internships, and ~$900K from the USDA for agricultural research), auxiliary enterprises (parking, athletics, summer programs), and philanthropic fundraising channeled through the Fresno State Foundation. The institution is currently leading its largest-ever philanthropic campaign, "Lead With Pride," and received the maximum 10-year WSCUC institutional accreditation reaffirmation in February 2026, the longest possible period and a marker reserved for highest-performing institutions.

Name

Fresno State University

Legal name

California State University, Fresno

Website

https://fresnostate.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Fresno State University is a public California State University campus in Fresno, California, serving approximately 24,000 students across 74 bachelor's, 49 post-baccalaureate, and 3 doctoral programs through eight colleges, with NCAA Division I athletics and a No. 2 Washington Monthly national ranking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Intercollegiate Athletics (Varsity Sports Programs) (EDALAIAA), Financial Aid Compliance, Verification & Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) (EDALAJAH)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Public university education
• Academic research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: State university with tuition-based revenue from approximately 24,000 students pursuing undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and doctoral degrees across eight schools and colleges.
2. Multimedia Rights and Corporate Sponsorships: Bulldog Sports Enterprises (BSE) manages multimedia rights and corporate sponsorships, replacing previous outsourcing arrangement with Learfield. Allows school to retain control of intellectual property and brand assets for local partnerships.
3. Federal and State Grant Funding: Significant grant funding from federal agencies including U.S. Department of Education (nearly $8 million for START program), Mellon Foundation ($5 million for humanities internships), and USDA (nearly $900,000 for agricultural research).
4. State Appropriations: Primary funding from California State University system state appropriations as a public institution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fresno State University is a public research university that delivers undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and doctoral degree programs across eight schools and colleges, serving approximately 24,000 students. The university provides hands-on applied learning, student support services, NCAA Division I athletics, and community-based continuing education programs including health sciences, engineering, agriculture, and the arts.

Product overview

Fresno State University is a comprehensive public university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through eight colleges and schools. The university's product portfolio includes academic degree programs across disciplines (agricultural sciences, arts and humanities, business, education, engineering, health sciences, science and mathematics, social sciences), student support services (advising programs like START, Parent Scholars), research centers (Center for Digital and Technological Innovation in Healthcare), continuing education (dairy training short courses), community engagement programs, and athletics programs. Major recent initiatives include the Trimble Technology Lab for geomatics engineering, Bulldog Sports Enterprises for multimedia rights management, and various community partnership programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• START Program (Strengthening Advising, Strengthening Results)
• Humanities Internship Program
• Center for Digital and Technological Innovation in Healthcare
• Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy (FOOSA)
• LaunchPad: Bulldog Bound Freshman Success Camp
• Doctor of Nursing Practice Program
• Trimble Technology Lab
• Parent Scholars Program
• Bulldog Sports Enterprises (BSE)

Quantifiable outcome

• 26% of San Joaquin Valley ninth graders on path to earn bachelor's degree (vs 35% statewide), demonstrating Fresno State's critical role in regional educational attainment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Youth Orchestras of FresnominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Collaboration presenting the Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy, a two-week summer festival (June 13-29) with nationally recognized faculty artists for aspiring musicians. FOOSA Philharmonic performs at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
• Fresno Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026Partner district for LaunchPad: Bulldog Bound Freshman Success Camp providing guaranteed pathway to Fresno State for students meeting CSU admissions requirements. Program includes academic advising, financial aid resources, and course registration support.
• Golden Plains Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026Partner district for LaunchPad: Bulldog Bound Freshman Success Camp providing guaranteed pathway to Fresno State for students meeting CSU admissions requirements.
• Parlier Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026Partner district for LaunchPad: Bulldog Bound Freshman Success Camp providing guaranteed pathway to Fresno State for students meeting CSU admissions requirements.
• Frontiers in AI and Digital Health Innovation SummitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026Co-presented with grand opening of Center for Digital and Technological Innovation in Healthcare, a cross-disciplinary initiative bringing together five colleges to advance healthcare through technology.
• California Dairy Innovation CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Co-organized dairy short course training programs with Fresno State hosting courses at campus location. Programs cover dairy basics, advanced unit operations, cheesemaking, and frozen dairy desserts. Partially funded by Dairy Management Inc. and USDA's Pacific Coast Coalition.
• California Milk Advisory BoardmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Co-organizes dairy short course training programs with Fresno State. Programs offered at multiple California venues including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Davis, Fresno State, and Chapman University.
• TrimblemajorTechnology or Integration · 6 November 2025Trimble provided advanced geospatial equipment to Fresno State's Geomatics Engineering Program in collaboration with California Surveying & Drafting Supply. Equipment includes Trimble GNSS receivers, robotic total stations, 3D laser scanners and software. Trimble Technology Lab scheduled to open on campus in 2026.
• California Surveying & Drafting Supply (CSDS)coreTechnology or Integration · 6 November 2025Collaboration partner alongside Trimble for providing advanced geospatial equipment to Fresno State's Geomatics Engineering Program. Partnership aims to address significant surveyor labor shortage.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Direct peers

• San Jose State University: A CSU peer institution that previously ran a joint Doctor of Nursing Practice program with Fresno State (2012–2018) and is also transitioning to the Pac-12. Directly comparable on metropolitan-adjacent CSU positioning, NCAA Division I athletics, and graduate-program mix.
• Boise State University: One of the five Mountain West schools joining the Pac-12 with Fresno State in 2026. Comparable scale, NCAA Division I profile, public metropolitan-adjacent research university, and concurrent conference transition dynamics.
• San Diego State University: Another large CSU campus departing the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026 alongside Fresno State. Comparable scale, NCAA Division I athletics footprint, similar research university positioning, and identical multi-campus system governance—making it the closest direct peer for both academic and athletics strategy.
• California State University Channel Islands: CSU campus with comparable size, undergraduate/graduate mix, and emphasis on serving first-generation and underserved populations. Useful peer for benchmarking CSU-level graduation initiatives and advising-program effectiveness (e.g., START).
• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: CSU peer institution co-hosting the California Dairy Innovation Center short-course programs with Fresno State. Comparable on comprehensive undergraduate/graduate offerings, NCAA Division I athletics, and CSU funding structure, with a slightly more technical/polytechnic identity.

Regional players

• University of the Pacific: Private institution in Stockton serving the northern San Joaquin Valley with comparable regional health sciences and education programs. Differentiated by private status and smaller athletics footprint but overlapping on regional workforce role.
• California State University, Stanislaus: CSU campus in Turlock serving the northern San Joaquin Valley with similar first-generation and underserved student profiles. Comparable on regional mission, student demographics, and four-year-plus-graduate mix, though with a smaller athletics footprint.
• California State University, Bakersfield: Neighboring CSU campus serving a similar Central/Southern Valley population with overlapping agriculture, education, and health programs. Most directly comparable for regional recruitment dynamics and Central Valley workforce development role.
• Fresno Pacific University: Private regional university in Fresno offering undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable on geography and serving Central Valley students, but differs in religious affiliation, scale, and NCAA Division II athletics.

Broad incumbents

• University of California, Merced: UC system's Central Valley campus serving an overlapping regional population. Comparable on serving the Valley's college-access gap, though positioned as a research-intensive UC peer with a different funding model and admissions selectivity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fresno_state
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbloblFKJwjmQ0uTnSjcJDA
• Facebookfacebook.com/fresnostate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-state-university-fresno
• Instagraminstagram.com/fresno_state
• TikToktiktok.com/@fresno_state

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fresno State University