CSUCI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About California State University Channel Islands

Q: What undergraduate degrees are offered?
A:  Our majors include Applied Physics, Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Chicana/o Studies, Communication, Computer Science, Early Childhood Studies, Economics, English, Environmental Science and Resource Management, History, Information Technology (offered through Extended Education), Liberal Studies, Mathematics, Nursing, Performing Arts, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish. 

Q: What teaching credentials are offered?
A: Administrative Services, Education Specialist, Multiple-Subject and Single-Subject.

Q: What graduate degrees are offered?
A:  Graduate degree programs offered through Extended Education include: Biotechnology & Bioinformatics; Business Administration; Computer Science; Education (offered through State programs); Mathematics; and MS Biotechnology and MBAdministration (dual degree).
For more details, visit: Extended Education Course Offerings

Q. Is CSUCI an accredited university?
A.  Yes, CSUCI was granted accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Every new college or university must graduate its first freshman class before it can receive accreditation. On May 17, 2007, CSUCI graduated its inaugural freshman class and on the same day received its initial accreditation for seven years, the maximum period allowed by the WASC.

Q: How many faculty members are there and what is their teaching style?
A:  Currently, there are 85 full-time faculty members and approximately 200 lecturers (full and part time). Faculty embraces student-centered cross-disciplinary learning, a University philosophy that emphasizes meeting each student’s needs. Faculty mentors are available to all students who seek course and career guidance.

Q: How many students attend the University?
A:  Approximately 3,599 students were enrolled for the fall 2007 semester. For more details visit: Institutional Research Office

Q: Is student housing available?
A:  Yes, the Santa Cruz Village and the Anacapa Village Student Housing complexes can house up to 800 students. Santa Cruz Village is comprised of two-bedroom furnished suites shared by four students and a limited number of single rooms. Each suite has its own large bathroom and entry way. Santa Cruz has excellent activity and co-curricular space for students such as a television lounge and two game rooms, an exercise room, ballet and art studios, sound-resistant practice rooms, study and computer lounges. Each room has cable TV access and the facility offers wireless Internet access. Students also have access to common-area kitchens for when they’d like to do a little cooking. Students living in Anacapa Village have the opportunity to share four-bedroom suites, which include a fully-equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, stove/range and oven, microwave, refrigerator, a furnished living area, and two bathrooms. The complex also features a pool, spa, two computer rooms, laundry facilities, and a furnished commons area with a full kitchen, a 60-inch plasma-screen TV, and an entertainment center with a DVD/VCR player. For more details, visit: Housing and Residential

Faculty/Staff Housing: University Glen faculty and staff housing will have 900 planned housing and apartments units when the final phase of 242 dwelling units is completed near the end of 2009. The University Town Center contains 30,000 square feet of commercial retail space on the first floor with apartments on the second and third floors. In 2007 the University’s bookstore, The Cove Bookstore, relocated to the Town Center. For more information, visit: University Glen Homes.

Q: What campus activities are available to students?
A:  During the first several weeks of school, social activities take place to encourage student involvement and active participation within the campus community. Throughout the year students can enjoy participation in intramural sports, health and fitness, various student organizations, waterfront programs (sailing and kayaking), outdoor adventures, honor societies, leadership retreats and workshops, multicultural programs, block parties, career and graduate fairs.

Q: What are the on-campus dining opportunities?
A:  Islands Café, the dining services area, is located on campus near the South Quad off University Drive. Presented by Sodexho, the café offers a variety of contemporary menu formats for students, faculty, and staff to choose from throughout the day.
For more details, visit: Dining Services. Beginning in the fall 2008, Element Coffee will open in the John Spoor Broome Library. Gourmet coffee and pastries will be available. Also in 2008, Tortillas Restaurant located in the Town Center is anticipated to open.

Q: What are the school colors and mascot?
A:  The school colors are red and silver. The red is consistent with the tradition of the region, and the silver is for the dolphin, the University mascot. The land the University sits on was first inhabited by the Chumash, who asked CSU Channel Islands to consider making its mascot the dolphin, which is cherished by the tribe. The University and student leadership warmly embraced the idea.

Q: What recreational opportunities are there?
A:  A fitness center with free weights, weight-resistance machines, and cardiovascular equipment are available in the renovated gym, which also offers open recreation opportunities to play basketball and volleyball. There are basketball and volleyball intramural tournaments and leagues. Sports clubs provide additional opportunities for competition. The CSUCI Sailing Club currently competes against several other notable universities and colleges during the fall and spring semesters at regattas hosted at various harbors along the coast. Sailing, kayaking, and rowing are activities offered through Campus Recreation. In addition, hiking, surfing, and boating opportunities are minutes away from the campus.

Q: Why is “Channel Islands” in the University’s name when the campus is on the mainland?
A:  The name, California State University Channel Islands, was the choice of a committee of Ventura County educators, students, community leaders, and activists. The name represents an entire region rather than a single city or county, and so the University was named after the eight islands located off the southern California coastline, which are a part of the Channel Islands National Park. On a clear day, you can see some of the islands from the University.

Q.  How large is the campus?
A:  The campus is 833 acres. In 2007, the campus grew by 153 acres through a land exchange. The recently acquired land will be used for a new entry roadway for campus, which is estimated to be completed by December 2009. The new entry roadway will be accessed from Lewis Road. Eventually there will be surface parking lots developed with the capacity of approximately 5,000 parking spaces that will be accessible from the new entry roadway. Bicycle lanes also will be part of the new roadway. Along with surface parking, the University plans to construct playing fields on the 153-acre parcel. The timeline for completion of the playing fields has not yet been determined.

Q: What is a sustainable campus?
A:  CSUCI promotes using sustainable products, solid waste reduction, and the overarching practice of adaptive reuse of buildings on the University’s campus. The University actively pursues projects to improve the overall energy efficiency, and to implement programs that reduce dependency on finite resources such as water and fossil fuels. The responsibility of sustainability and “being green” rests on everyone’s shoulders and the University encourages the entire campus community to recycle, use alternative transportation options, and moderate energy use.

Q: How was the campus used before it became a University?
A:  The campus structures date to the 1930s, when the Mission Revival and Spanish
Colonial Revival architecture was built as part of a federal program to help people work. From 1936 to 1997, it was the home of Camarillo State Hospital and included a dairy, crop fields, a hog farm, and a pool (now the site of the new Science and Technology Building). The University has received statewide recognition for preserving the buildings, and University engineers won an engineering award for turning the site into a “beautiful university campus.”

Q. When did the University officially open?
A.  Planning began in 1965 when then State Senator Robert J. Lagomarsino co-authored Senate Bill 288 calling for establishment of a four-year public college in Ventura County. Thirty-three years later, in 1998, an Initial Planning Team arrived on the property to build local support for the University and to start renovations to the existing buildings. On Aug. 16, 2002, CSUCI opened to upper division transfer students and in fall 2003 accepted its first freshman class.

Q: How much does it cost to attend Cal State Channel Islands?
A:  Fees are approximately $1,879 per semester for full-time undergraduate students ($3,758 annually) and $2,233 per semester for full-time graduate students ($4,466 annually). Full-time means a student is taking 6.1 units or more each semester. Fees are approximately $1,240 per semester for part-time undergraduate students ($2,480 annually) and $1,444 for graduate students ($2,888 annually). Part-time means a student is taking 6 units or less each semester.

Q: How does a student apply for financial aid?
A:  The Financial Aid office helps students apply for grants, loans, and scholarships. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. Call (805) 437-8530 or e-mail financial.aid@csuci.edu. To access additional financial information visit: Financial Aid

Q: What programs exist for students with learning disabilities?
A:  Disability Resource Programs (DRP) provides support services and accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. All accommodations are based upon the student’s documentation and the disability-related recommendations. Some of the support services might include books on tape, extended time for exams, classroom note-takers, and the use of a computer with special software. Appropriate academic adjustments and auxiliary aids are determined in consultation between the student and the coordinator for DRP. There are many other accommodations, all based on the functional limitations indicated in the disability documentation. Call (805) 437-8510.

Q: Is alternate transportation to campus available?
A:  A shuttle service is available from 7 a.m. to 10:20 p.m., Monday through Friday, from the Camarillo Metrolink Station on Lewis Road and from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, from the ‘C’ Street Transfer Station in Oxnard. On Saturdays, the service runs from the Camarillo Metrolink station on Lewis Road from 7:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m, and from the ‘C’ Street Transfer Center in Oxnard from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cost is $1 one way or $2 round trip. A transit card costs $25 per semester and also serves as a county-wide bus pass. Parking at the shuttle sites is free.

Q: How can I take a campus tour?
A:  The Recruitment office offers individual and family tours, Monday through Friday, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Weekend tours are available at noon on the first Saturday of every month, excluding holiday weekends. For large groups, high schools, community colleges, or organizations, a custom program can be provided. Tours must be arranged by appointment. Call (805) 437-2724 for more information.