any state university for the purpose of providing essential activities closely related to, but not normally included as a part of, the regular instructional program.
== Campuses ==
The CSU is composed of 22 campuses, of which 10 are located in Northern California and 12 in Southern California. The 22 campuses are listed here by order of the year founded:
* U.S. News & World Report ranks several universities in the California State University system in the National Universities category as they offer several Ph.D. programs. The other universities are ranked in the Regional Universities (West) category as they offer few or no Ph.D. programs.
^ Cal Maritime awards only undergraduate degrees and therefore is ranked separately from the other campuses of the California State University. It is ranked in the "Regional Colleges" category.
== Peripheral enterprises ==
=== Off-campus branches ===
A few universities have established off-campus branches to increase education accessibility. These branches differ from …
