When thinking of colleges in California, the big names usually come to mind: Stanford, UCLA, Cal and other well-known UCs and CSUs. When making the big decision on which college to attend, the lesser-known CSU Channel Islands presents an interesting option for a wide selection of students.

For those that value diversity, Channel Islands has lots of it. There are two times more females than males, 54 percent students being first generation, and 52 percent of students being people of color.

Of course money is always a factor in making a decision in what school to go to. If money is an issue, Channel Islands offers 83 percent of current students financial aid, with the school providing more than $500,000 for scholarships per year. Those who may be less affluent are able to receive help to pay the $27,546 total cost of attendance. For college-bound students concerned about money, there is reassurance because Channel Islands will most likely provide financial aid.

Besides the fairly affordable cost of attendance, Channel Islands provides a unique environment. Located between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, Channel Islands gives off a mid-size suburban vibe, while still being close to a major city. Conveniently, it is about 10 minutes away from a beach, so if the academic rigour ever gets to be a bit too stressful, students can just go and take a nice swim in the ocean or a calm walk to the beach in order to destress.

Unlike the other big name colleges, CSU Channel Islands is relatively small, with only 6,611 total graduate and undergraduate students as of fall 2016. Despite its size, it has a high acceptance rate with 72.4 percent of applicants admitted. Though the acceptance rate is less competitive, the graduation rate of 55 percent means that students may have to be more individually driven to attain their degrees.

Those worried about how their SAT or ACT score might affect their chances may want to consider Channel Islands because CSUs will not take standardized testing scores into account for students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. All of these factors make Channel Islands a good and safe option compared to the lower acceptance rates of some of the big name colleges.

One might ask, what else this school has to offer? The school has a variety of majors to attract the attention of many different types of students. Its most popular majors are business, psychology and biology. Even if those three don’t interest you, there are in total 24 majors to choose from.

Picking which colleges to apply to will be one of the biggest decisions in any student’s life. And once they narrow down that list, deciding which to actually attend is an even more difficult choice. Though Channel Islands is not the most prestigious school, it is still attractive option for students.