CSU Information
General CSU Info
CSU Eligibility Index
To determine admission, the CSU system uses your Eligibility Index, which is a calculation of your GPA and your SAT/ACT score. For each campus/major, they determine a cutoff score, and you are only admitted if your index is above that number. The minimum number differs from year to year, based on the competitiveness of the applicants. You can check the website of the campus you are interested in to see the minimum index for your major the previous year to give you an idea. To calculate your Eligibility Index (EI), plug your GPA and SAT scores into the following calculation:
(High School GPA × 800) + SAT (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math)
Impacted Campuses
It is important to note that impacted status can vary by program within a campus, so it is important to research the specific program you are interested in to determine its admission requirements and whether or not it is impacted.
For the following campuses, all undergraduate programs, pre-programs, and undeclared/undecided programs are impacted:
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Fresno State
CSU Fullerton
Cal State Los Angeles
CSU Long Beach
San Diego State University
San José State
For impacted campuses and programs, it is important to apply early, submit a strong application, and have a backup plan in case you are not admitted to your top choice. It may also be helpful to consider applying to non-impacted campuses and programs within the CSU system as well.
Non Impacted Campuses
Some non-impacted campuses within the CSU system include:
California State University Channel Islands
California State University Dominguez Hills
California State University East Bay
California State University Monterey Bay
California State University San Marcos
California State University Stanislaus
California State University Bakersfield
California State University
California State University San Francisco
It is important to note that just because a campus is impacted does not mean that it is impossible to be admitted. However, it does mean that there may be more competition for admission, and meeting minimum requirements may not guarantee admission. It is important to research the campus and program you are interested in, and to apply to multiple schools to increase your chances of being admitted to a CSU campus.
Application Opens: October 1st
Application Deadline: Several campuses have extended the deadline for applicants, see the home page for more information
Application Cost: $70 per campus (Unless you qualify for a fee waiver)
Admissions Requirements: A-G requirements & 2.5 GPA
Any student earning a GPA between 2.00 & 2.49 may be evaluated for admission based on supplemental factors such as number of courses exceeding minimum 'A-G' requirements, household income, extracurricular involvement, and other available information that would inform the campus admission decision. Each CSU campus will determine the supplemental factors used.
CSU has suspended the use of ACT/SAT examinations in determining admission eligibility for all CSU campuses If scores are submitted, they will only be used for purpose of placement.
Application Tips
Do NOT wait until last minute to apply!
Make sure you have you transcript with you when you enter your academic history and enter courses and grades EXACTLY as they are on your transcript. Misreporting courses/grades or forgetting to list a course may cause your application to be denied.
Make sure when you are adding your coursework that you choose the courses from the drop-down list. For the most part, if it is not on the list, it is not A-G approved.
Senior year courses will be listed as In Progress/Planned.
Don’t forget to add both Econ AND Government during senior year. Since they are semester-long courses, list them as In progress/No grade and No grade/Planned depending on which semesters you are taking them.
Don’t forget to add Edgenuity courses or other courses you are making up this year, otherwise, it will look like you are not meeting the A-G requirements.
Pay attention to the A-G matching, if it says you are missing a requirement, you either did not add a course correctly or you are not A-G eligible.
