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Race & Ethnicity

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To conform to Federal government guidelines, the California State University (CSU) must collect detailed information about each student's ethnic and racial background. Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines define ethnicity and race as separate concepts. The guidelines advise that, wherever possible, separate questions be asked for each concept. According to OMB, the guidelines accommodate "the increasing diversity of our Nation's population, stemming from growth in interracial marriages and immigration." The Cal State Apply application reflects the intent of the OMB guidelines. Applicants are first asked to self-identify their ethnic origin and then asked to select the race(s) with which they most closely identify.

This information will not affect any student's application for admission.

Ethnicity

In accordance with OMB guidelines, ethnicity is defined as "Hispanic or Latino" or "Not Hispanic or Latino." In general, OMB defines ethnicity or origin as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person's parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. The Cal State Apply application lists 23 separate Hispanic or Latino identities associated with the peoples of Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Spain. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race.

Indicate whether you consider yourself to be of Hispanic or Latino origin. If you select Yes, select the category that best describes your background.

Race

The racial identifications listed in the Cal State Apply application include the minimum five racial categories required by OMB guidelines. Note that some of these identifications may differ by application cycle.

  • American Indian or Alaska Native
    • Achomawi/Achumawi
    • Acoma Pueblo
    • Apache
    • Blackfeet
    • Cahto (e.g., Cahto Indian Tribe of the Laytonville)
    • Cahuilla (e.g., Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians)
    • Chemehuevi (e.g., Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation, California)
    • Cherokee
    • Cheyenne
    • Chippewa/Ojibwa
    • Choctaw
    • Chumash (e.g., Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission)
    • Comanche
    • Costanoan/Ohlone
    • Creek/Muskogee
    • Cupeno (e.g., Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla & Cupeno)
    • Gabrielino/Tongva
    • Hopi Pueblo
    • Hupa/Hoopa (e.g., Hoopa Valley Tribe, California)
    • Iroquois
    • Karuk (e.g., Karuk Tribe of California)
    • Kumeyaay (e.g., Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay)
    • Laguna Pueblo
    • Luiseno (e.g., La Jolla Band of Luiseno Mission)
    • Maidu (e.g., Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians)
    • Miwok (e.g., Ione Band of Miwok Indians)
    • Mojave (e.g., Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona)
    • Navajo - Dine'
    • Nomlaki
    • Ohlone
    • Osage
    • Paiute (e.g., Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort)
    • Pit River
    • Pomo (e.g., Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indian)
    • Quechan
    • Sauk and Fox
    • Serrano
    • Shasta
    • Shoshone
    • Sioux
    • Tolowa
    • Wailaki
    • Wappo
    • Washoe
    • Western Mono
    • Wintun
    • Wiyot
    • Yokuts
    • Yuki
    • Yurok
    • Zuni Pueblo
    • Indigenous Central America
    • Indigenous Mexican
    • Indigenous South American
    • Other Alaska Native Tribe
    • Other American Indian Tribes
  • Asian
    • Asian Indian
    • Bangladeshi
    • Bhutanese
    • Burmese
    • Cambodian
    • Chinese (except Taiwanese)
    • Filipino
    • Hmong
    • Indo Chinese
    • Indonesian
    • Iwo Jiman
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Laotian
    • Malaysian
    • Maldivian
    • Nepalese
    • Okinawan
    • Pakistani
    • Singaporean
    • Sri Lankan
    • Taiwanese
    • Thai
    • Vietnamese
    • Other Asian
  • Black or African-American
    • African-American
    • Black
    • Haitian
    • Other African/Black
  • Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
    • Carolinian
    • Chuukese
    • Fijian
    • Guamanian or Chamorro
    • I-Kiribati
    • Kosraean
    • Mariana Islander
    • Marshallese
    • Native Hawaiian
    • Ni-Vanuatu
    • Palauan
    • Papua New Guinean
    • Pohnpeian
    • Saipanese
    • Samoan
    • Solomon Islander
    • Tahitian
    • Tokelauan
    • Tongan
    • Yapese
    • Other Melanesian
    • Other Micronesian
    • Other Pacific Islander
    • Other Polynesian
  • Southwest Asian and North African
    • Afghan
    • Algerian
    • Amazigh
    • Armenian
    • Assyrian/Chaldean
    • Azerbaijani
    • Bahraini
    • Circassian
    • Cypriot
    • Djiboutian
    • Egyptian
    • Emirati
    • Georgian
    • Iranian
    • Iraqi
    • Israeli
    • Jordanian
    • Kurdish
    • Kuwaiti
    • Lebanese
    • Libyan
    • Mauritanian
    • Moroccan
    • Omani
    • Palestinian
    • Pontic Greek
    • Qatari
    • Saudi Arabian
    • Sudanese
    • Syrian
    • Tunisian
    • Turkish
    • Uzbek
    • Yemeni
    • Other Southwest Asian
    • Other North African
  • White
    • European
    • Other White

Select one or more of the groups of which you consider yourself to be a member. If none are appropriate, you can select None of the above or Decline to State.

American Indian or Alaskan Native Tribe

This question only applies to the 2025 Cal State Apply application.

Indicate if you are a member of an American Indian or Alaskan Native tribe. If you select Yes, select the category that best reflects your tribal enrollment. If you are an enrolled member of more than one tribe, select your primary tribal affiliation from the list of recognized tribes.

Summary

California State University (CSU) often needs to report only one summary race/ethnicity description per person. Select your preference from the drop-down or select Decline to state.

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