Founded in 1852, California University of Pennsylvania. is a Public college. Located in Pennsylvania, which is a city setting in Pennsylvania, the campus itself is Suburban. The campus is home to 5,522 full time undergraduate students, and 2,031 full time graduate students.
The California University of Pennsylvania Academic calendar runs on a Semester basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 20:1. There are 264 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at California University of Pennsylvania include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.
Quick Facts
Acceptance Rate
96%
Application Deadline
Application Fee
25
SAT Range
810-1030
ACT Range
16-22
Admissions at CUP are considered Less Selective, with ,26% of all applicants being admitted.
In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 29 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.
60% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 25% were in the top quarter, and 6% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.
STUDENT LIFE Reviews
We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at California University of Pennsylvania.
9%
“We”re apathetic”
47%
“We know about current events and vote”
41%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
3%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
3%
“We save it for the classroom”
16%
“Sometimes, but not often”
75%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
6%
“All the time, including weekends”
3%
“I”m always terrified”
6%
“I only go out in groups”
25%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
66%
“I feel extremely safe”
25%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
25%
“We bought the gear”
50%
“We live for the big game”
16%
“It”s not really our thing”
26%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
52%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
6%
“We”re a very artistic group”
3%
“Haven”t met them”
6%
“Available in class”
58%
“They keep regular office hours”
32%
“They”re always available”
13%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
25%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
59%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
3%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
6%
“We”re not into drinking at all”
39%
“Maybe a little, but it”s not a big thing”
45%
“We only party on weekends”
10%
“There”s some drinking happening every night”
28%
“Never, we”re here to learn”
47%
“There might be people who do”
19%
“People are known to partake on weekends”
6%
“There”s a huge drug scene”
9%
“We”re apathetic”
47%
“We know about current events and vote”
41%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
3%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
3%
“We save it for the classroom”
16%
“Sometimes, but not often”
75%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
6%
“All the time, including weekends”
3%
“I”m always terrified”
6%
“I only go out in groups”
25%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
66%
“I feel extremely safe”
25%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
25%
“We bought the gear”
50%
“We live for the big game”
16%
“It”s not really our thing”
26%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
52%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
6%
“We”re a very artistic group”
3%
“Haven”t met them”
6%
“Available in class”
58%
“They keep regular office hours”
32%
“They”re always available”
13%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
25%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
59%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
3%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
107 Students rated on-campus housing 3.6 stars. 19 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate off-campus housing?
92 Students rated off-campus housing 3.2 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate campus food?
111 Students rated campus food 2.8 stars. 6 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate campus facilities?
115 Students rated campus facilities 4.1 stars. 33 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate class size?
116 Students rated class size 4 stars. 36 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate school activities?
116 Students rated school activities 3.7 stars. 22 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate local services?
117 Students rated local services 3.3 stars. 18 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate academics?
116 Students rated academics 4 stars. 34 % gave the school a 5.0.
California University of Pennsylvania REVIEWS
What's your overall opinion of California University of Pennsylvania?
38 Students rated California University of Pennsylvania
Serenity - 05/15/2021
As a current high school early admit student, I thoroughly enjoy the classes and find the professors reply to emails so much faster than I thought. there seems to be a lot of flexibility throughout the classes and that is something I enjoy. I have been on the campus and ate on the campus, as well as my mom being an alumnus. I have seen the dorm rooms- while I have not stayed in one- and think they are okay. Further, there is a wide variety of both online and on-campus classes to take.
Amanda - 04/27/2021
I love it!!! I went there to see its very small class sizes and also a very small campus everything you need is their Walmart is a 8 mins walk and the closes gas station in 3 mins and a lot of hills and mountains. I will recommend getting a hotel to stay for the night because nighttime driving if you don't know the area is terrifying
Isabella - 04/13/2020
I believe that California University Of Pennsylvania is a great institution with great opportunities. The classes are challenging, but not too much to handle with the right amount of motivation. The campus and housing is beautiful, and the food is above average.
Alexis - 03/02/2020
I honestly love it here, it’s amazing and all the resources are even more helpful. I’m a first generation college student and everyone helps so much, everyone is so nice and the professors are even more amazing. The food is fantastic, and our professors are probably the most capable people. They are always available and always happy to help.
Julia - 01/30/2020
The campus and people are great! Everyone makes you feel welcome no matter who you are or where you came from. There is a lot of involvement from all students and many different clubs that have something for everyone! Professors are all easily reachable and willing to help!
Emily - 10/22/2019
I think its a pretty good school. The on campus housing is good but i dont know about the off campus housing but the majority of people that live there seem to like ut better than on canpus housing. There isnt much to do outside of the classroom. I think the college would benefit from more activities for the students to do. But the campus feels safe and other than being boring, its pretty good.
Micah - 10/05/2019
The only real problem anyone I know, including myself, has eith the school is the food. The meals available with just a meal plan are not very good, and there is not much variety. If the school had better food or more options then it would be an absolute dream to attend.
Michael - 09/24/2019
California University has helped me tremendously so far and I’m very appreciative of the support. Staff is great and fun to be around. Plenty of clubs and organizations. The VP Garcia is great. The president she is amazing and fun to talk to. She loves to get to know her students. Overall the campus it great.
Courtney - 07/19/2019
I started here in 2018. I love having my own room and bathroom. My only complaint is the girl next to me always played her music too loud. Like, the bass was thumping and shaking my room. I was also on the end hallway next to the double doors. Kids would constantly go in and out and slam the double door. But I could usually drown in out with my TV. Maintenance was fine but we cannot write tickets, we have to contact a CA. I wish we could contact them directly instead of depending on another person. My class sizes are small to medium. I think the dining hall food is OK. One time I ate something that didn't agree with me and I had horrible diarrhea for two hours straight. I was crying I was so upset and sick. Another time I spat out curdles that were in the bottom of my coffee. Turns out, they fed me week old, expired soy milk. Luckily, I did not get sick. I do like how they have different dining options on campus (coffee shop, Mexican, salads, burgers, various dining). There's a lot of weed at cal. The only reason I know this is I work in the dining hall and kids come thru my line and smell of it. And I walk around campus when I am bored or walking to class and can smell it too. One time we had an ambulance at cal because someone drank too much. Dr. Hummel is my absolute favorite professor. He is so nice and funny! The professors here are very knowledgeable. My professors are: cops, former cops, former probation officers, etc. Crawford's history class was very hard. Spencer is funny! I like Hsieh and Roberts too. They're nice. Piccarelli was eh. He has his moments. Buffington is good. McClintock is OK. Her class was hard. What I like is there is a Rite-Aid and a dollar general in walking distance. You can take the bus for free (mon valley transit) as long as you have your student ID. There's also a dairy queen, pizza, and kwik fill in walking distance.
Jessica - 06/14/2019
At Calu, it’s the perfect small-town campus. The dorms are top notch, with each room having its own private bathroom which is a huge plus. Even though there’s nothing to do around the area, The extracurricular activities on campus pretty much make up for it.
Mecca - 03/14/2019
It’s a great school to further your education. The campus is beautiful and students are always ready to learn. The only down falls are there are not many extracurricular activities, and places to enjoy yourself when you’re not doing homework or studying.
Jacquelyn - 02/21/2019
I love cal u, very friendly staff, not to huge of a campus. The staff there when I visted and toured the campus were very friendly, talked me through everything. The campus is a really good size and the class sizes aren’t that big so you can still have like a 20:1 student teacher ratio.
Julie - 02/18/2019
As someone who values my education I would not recommend this University to anyone. The faculty are not willing to go out of their way to help students. Honestly I don't know how half of the faculty managed to get a job at a University, most just read word for word off powerpoints without adding any original content. The chemistry department is a JOKE. DO NOT take chem here, take it at a community college instead if you want any chance of succeeding. The parking garage was closed for half of the 3 years I spent there, with no effort to fix it. The food will make you horribly sick, it took me most of the semester to adjust to the food, then by the time I did it was time to go home for break and the cycle began again during the next semester. Just don't.
Stephen - 01/18/2019
California University is a great college for the area. It's in a small town so you don't have to worry about city driving or getting lost. All the professors go above and beyond to help students make the most out of their college education. My biggest complaint has to be the student parking lot. You have to drive over railroad tracks to park there and if a train is coming through town; then traffic does back up badly and could potentially make you late to class. Not to mention there are no security cameras down at the parking lot, so you better hope nobody hits your car and runs.
Hannah - 01/16/2019
California University of PA is a great school. The program I am in is set up perfectly for my day to day life and fits into my schedule seamlessly. The professors in my program are amazing, they are extremely knowledgeable and passionate in the subject. They are always willing t help and keep me on track towards my goals. Overall its just an amazing school and program.
The fall 2020 acceptance rate for California University of Pennsylvania is 96%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020, _____ students were offered admission.
What should every freshman at your school know before they start?
I would tell myself that college isn't as scary as you thought it would be. The professors don't want to see you fail and will help guide you to the right path in being successful. There are plenty of other people who want to help you succeed and will tutor you to do just that. I would tell myself that you can even apply for a mentor. My menor was extremely helpful when I was a freshman. I would also tell myself to join clubs/organizations early on and to stick with them. It is a wonderful way to get experience and a great way to meet new friends with similiar interests.
Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!
I like that the entire campus is located together instead of being spread out through a city or town. Everything is in one place and you can easily access it all.
What kind of person should not attend this school?
If you do not like to read, or cannot bring yourself to read at least one chapter a week then you may want to rethink applying to this school. Also if you aer not a very socially inclined person and not interested in branching out then you may not want to come here.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?
I wish I would of known that no one stays here on the weekends. Its gets lonely and very boring a lot of the time. The campus doesnt provide many activities for students so were kind of on our own for fun.
What's the most frustrating thing about your school?
That for communters there is not enough parking, and the parking fills up quickly in the morning so if you have an afternoon class you will not find a parking spot.
What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about your school?
I love to brag to my friends about our newly built campus, soon to come parking garage, and comfortable suites. I always tell people who are in search of a school home that our campus has much of an "at home" feel to it. I love to brag about how friendly everyone on campus is; You will never feel lost at a place like Cal. When my friends come to visit, I'm proud to bring them to my dorm because it is newly remodeled and even has its own bathroom! Oh, and I cannot forget our lovely football team!
Cal U is a small school but I love it! There are so many professors here that are really passionate about what they are teaching about. I can't forget about all of the great people I have met here and I definitely made a lot of lasting friendships.
All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA.
Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.
90% of students attending California University of Pennsylvania receive some sort of financial aid.
45% were awarded federal grants.78%received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.