Tips for CSU

Remember to input ALL of the colleges you are applying to in your SchooLinks account.

The CSU application can be found at https://www2.calstate.edu/apply:

You will be submitting one application for all CSU campuses you apply to.
EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) will be incorporated into the application making it easier for students from lower income/first generation families to get additional support through the college.
The application will calculate your GPA based on the courses you report in the application which is good for students who have had to remediate courses where they received D’s or F’s.

Before you begin the application please have ready:

Your transcript which can be downloaded from the parent portal in Infinite Campus.
Your social security number. If you do not have one, get your State ID, which is on your transcript.
Have the A-G course list available so you make sure you put your courses in the right places on the application.

General Application Information

Once an application is submitted, any changes must be made with each campus to which the applicant has applied
A submitted application is only considered for the term which you applied
Application Fee Waivers are granted based on the information provided in the application, once the entire application has been filled in. For more information, visit https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/paying-for-college/Pages/fee-waiver.aspx

CSU does not ask for letters of recommendation or transcripts during the application process time. They will require only a “final” transcript in June – upon graduation, and only to the college you have selected to attend. Occasionally, colleges audit applications and will request a transcript at a later time, in order to check validity of grades on the application.

Rules regarding repeated/remediated grades (for grades of D/F):

CSU only want the repeated grade on the application; they do not want you to type in the original grade.
- CSU defines repeated courses as taking the exact same course with the exact same course title taken at the same school or school district at a later time.

Help available!

There are detailed directions available through the Cal State Apply site:

https://help.liaisonedu.com/Cal_State_Apply_Applicant_Help_Center

Attend tutorial workshops provided by counseling (check your email and sign up!) during Student Support

And lastly….

Here’s the CHS “unwritten rule” – Both the UC/CSU applications need to be submitted prior to eating your turkey on Thanksgiving. Both UC/CSU websites have an annual history of ‘crashing’ the last few days of the month, due to a heightened level of website use.

DEADLINE: November 30- Do not wait until this date to submit!

Tips from the CSU

Refer to the Cal State Apply Freshman Guide 2026-2027 for the most detailed instructions.

Entering middle school courses to count for a-g

Middle school courses are entered in the “High School Coursework” section under “Add a High School Course.”

The Grade Level should be set to the middle school grade level the applicant completed the course, 7th Grade or 8th Grade.
The High School selected for middle school courses should be the school they attended in 9th Grade.
The Academic Year selected for middle school courses should be the academic year they attended 9th grade.

Completing the a-g matching section

If the a-g tab is not checking off with a green check mark, this means that the applicant has not verified their completion of a-g.

The applicant should go to the A-G Matching tile and compare the number of years they are receiving credit for to the number of years minimum for each subject area. Once they have identified the discrepancy, they can click the Update A-G button at the bottom of this screen to be taken back to the coursework entry page for correction.
Keep in mind that if a student has input college coursework, they must manually assign it an a-g subject by going to the A-G Matching tile and writing in the letter of the corresponding a-g subject for that course.

Course validation

Course validation may allow the applicant to meet a-g requirements by granting credit for lower-level courses they may not have passed, if they fall within outlined validation rules. Course validation happens automatically for California high schools that have the UC a-g course list, but must ensure they enter the correct high school with matching CEEB code and enter courses exactly as they appear on the schools A-G Course List.

Adding or removing programs

If applicants are not finding their desired program, they should:

Double check they are searching for the appropriate campus. Bakersfield is the first to appear on the list by campus name. If a campus is searching for another campus other than, or in addition to, Bakersfield then they should use the search/filter features by campus name.
Go back and review their Extended Profile information. The responses on the Extended Profile will display/hide programs accordingly. It is important the applicant complete the Extended Profile questions correctly to identify themselves as either a Freshman Applicant or a Freshman Applicant with College Coursework, as applicant, and additionally answer the military status, returning and international applicant questions correctly.

Application Fee Waiver Appeals

If student and their family has had a significant change in income they may qualify for an application fee waiver appeal. Fee waiver appeals are handled by the individual CSU campuses. The student would need to contact each campus(es) they are interested in applying. Contact information for campuses can be found at: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/Pages/contact-a-campus.aspx

In addition to the Freshman Guide the following resources are available:

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