Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) led the pack in first-time freshman applications received for Fall 2014 for the entire CSU system this year, with 52,281 prospective students hoping to make the university their home next fall. CSULB also led in transfer applications with 25,910 hopeful transfers.

Though runner-up San Diego State was just shy of 500 applications behind CSULB’s impressive application numbers, Long Beach’s university overwhelmingly topped most of the other CSU campuses. Third place school Cal Poly SLO received 43,798 and fourth placer Cal State Fullerton—recently named the nation’s 13th toughest-grading higher-education institution—stood at 39,920 applicants.

“We are very pleased that CSULB continues to be a destination campus for so many California students,” said CSULB Interim President Donald Para in a press release. “It is humbling to note that we will again be among the top few campuses nationally in the number of applications received. This increase is especially meaningful since the national demographics show a decline in the number of high school graduates leading to a declining number of applications.”

When one factors in international and other applications, including graduate applicants, CSULB’s total applicant pool stands at 83,594. The number is a new record for not only the campus, but the entire CSU system.

It is estimated that of the 78,191 undergraduate applicants, 4,000 of those will be admitted as first-time freshman and 3,500 as new transfer students.

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