CSU Admission Requirements

The CSU System

(Extracted from the California Community College Transfer Counselor Website)

The California State University is the country's largest four-year university system, its most diverse, and the most affordable . A leader in providing access to quality education, the CSU graduates 82,000 students each year. Preparing more students than any other university in the fields that make California work—agriculture, information technology, communications, business, tourism, life sciences, and education—the CSU is vital to California's economic growth and prosperity. Investing in the California State University is an investment in California.

The is a leader in high-quality, accessible, student-focused higher education. The CSU is now the largest university system in the country, with nearly 417,000 and more than 46,000 on 23 .

"We attribute the success of the CSU to our superior faculty and staff members and their dedication to teaching, research, and service.  The CSU system offers unlimited opportunities to help students achieve their goals. CSUs prepare graduates who go on to make a difference in the workforce. CSUs engage in research and creative activities leading to scientific, technical, artistic and social advances. CSUs play a vital role in the growth and development of California's communities and economy." (calstate.edu) All the campuses of the California State University welcome applications from transfer students. If a student completes college units after the summer following graduation from high school, they are considered a transfer student. The majority of transfer students enter as upper-division transfers. Upper-division transfers must complete at least 60 semester or 90 quarter units before transfer. If CSU frosh eligibility has been established, some transfers enter as lower-division students. If a student has completed 59 or fewer semester or 89 or fewer quarter units, they are considered a lower-division transfer. Some CSU campuses do not accept lower-division transfers.Admissions offices at the 23 campuses use a common set of factors to make admission decisions for both classes of transfer students. All campuses have higher standards for out-of-state students and international students. Some campuses have higher standards for particular majors. Finally, a few campuses have higher standards for all applicants.

Academic Planning for Prospective Transfers

If a student is unsure of choosing a major, they should first concentrate on completing lower-division general education requirements. Of these requirements, the highest-priorities are the general education requirements in the English language, oral communications, English composition, and critical thinking - along with a general education course in mathematics. While completion of all general education requirements is not required for admission, it is important that students complete as many of the lower-division general education requirements as possible prior to transfer. If they are pursuing a high-unit major that requires extensive lower-division prerequisites, they may not be able to complete all lower-division general education requirements prior to transfer.  CSU provides California Community College transfers with two options for fulfilling CSU lower-division general education requirements:  and the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). Most CSU intended students choose to fulfill the CSU General Education Breadth. The GE-Breadth Requirement is a lower division 39 semester unit pattern. Students must take specified courses in the areas of:

  • Area A - Communication in the English language and Critical Thinking
  • Area B - Physical Universe and Its Life Forms
  • Area C - Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and Foreign Language
  • Area D - Social, Political, and Economic Institutions
  • Area E - Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development

Each California Community College has a list of courses that can be used in each of the areas. The list is also available at . Each of the areas has a minimum number of units or courses. Up to 39 lower-division GE-Breadth units required can be certified by a