A message from CSUN President Erika D. Beck

California State University, Northridge facilitates world-class education, and we are proud to be ranked one of the top 10 universities in the nation* for boosting the social and economic mobility of our largely first-generation college students. Through innovative and active learning experiences, our students graduate with professional skills, ready to enter the workforce.

One outstanding example of these life-changing opportunities is CSUN’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic, operated by the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics. CSUN’s VITA Clinic equips our accounting and taxation students – as well as those studying to be American Sign Language and Spanish interpreters – with hands-on experience in preparing tax returns and providing translation for members of our local community who otherwise might not be able to access or afford professional tax filing.

Our VITA Clinic student volunteers also provide financial coaching and informative presentations to community groups about tax matters. In collaboration with the Bookstein Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, our trained undergraduate and graduate tax students help taxpayers resolve tax disputes in and out of tax court. CSUN’s VITA Clinic is a trusted resource in the San Fernando Valley, providing immigrant families and low-income residents with free assistance to achieve financial independence and create a brighter tomorrow for themselves and their families.

This year, 282 students provided tax and financial services to a record 9,722 taxpayers, many of whom were able to claim valuable tax credits and refunds they can use to build savings and help fuel our local economy. This is the transformative power of a CSUN education in action!

Thank you to Nazarian College Dean Chandra Subramaniam, Bookstein Chair in Taxation and Director of the CSUN VITA Clinic Rafi Efrat, and CSUN VITA Clinic Professor Lucy Nalbandian. Their continued leadership of our VITA Clinic distinguishes it as one of the largest and well-trained in the nation. We are proud of our students and their outstanding service to the communities we so proudly serve through the VITA Clinic.

Erika D. Beck, Ph.D. President
President, California State University, Northridge

* 2023 Social Mobility Index, CollegeNET