About us

Cal State Monterey Bay provides over 7,000 students an extraordinary opportunity to learn on a residential campus just one mile from the shores of the beautiful Monterey Bay. Our diverse student body receives personal attention in small classes while pursuing degrees in 25 undergraduate and seven graduate majors.

Founded in 1994 on the former site of Fort Ord by educators and community leaders, Cal State Monterey Bay faculty and staff build on that legacy as we explore innovative ways to meet the needs of a new generation of students while simultaneously powering the Monterey County economy.

While we serve students from the entire state of California, 38 percent of our undergraduates come from Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. We pride ourselves on making higher education accessible to traditionally underserved and low-income populations. Seventy-two percent of our students receive some form of financial aid. Fifty-three percent of our students are among the first generation of their family to go to college. And with 52 percent of our students living on campus, we are one of the most residential universities in the CSU.