Transfers
Competitive Admission remains in effect for Fall 2012 transfer applicants.
Who is a Transfer applicant?
You are considered a transfer applicant if you have completed coursework at a college or university since leaving high school, but you have not yet completed a Bachelor's degree.
How do I qualify for admission as a lower-division transfer applicant?
You are considered a lower-division transfer student if you will have completed less than 60 transferable semester units or 90 transferable quarter units by the end of the prior Spring term for Fall entrance or the prior Summer term for Spring entrance.
Applications from lower-division transfers remains closed for all but two areas. The University will consider lower-division applications from a limited number of highly-qualified Nursing and Engineering students.
How do I qualify for admission as an upper-division transfer applicant?
You are considered an upper-division transfer student if you will have completed 60 or more transferable semester units or 90 transferable quarter units by the end of the prior Spring term for Fall entrance or the prior Summer term for Spring entrance.
Be aware that all CSU and impacted major admission requirements must be completed by the end of the prior Spring semester for Fall admission consideration, and by the end of Summer* for Spring admission consideration.
Competitive admission for Transfers
CSULB continues to be a high-demand campus and expects to receive more applications than can be accommodated. To maintain the quality of CSULB's academic programs and services, supplemental admissions criteria will be applied to transfer applicants. All transfer applicants must apply during the initial filing period (October 1 – November 30). All transfer applicants must apply to a specific major. To be considered in the competitive round of admission consideration, transfer applicants must have successfully completed all minimum CSU admission criteria, including:
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Apply to a specific major. If applying to an impacted major, you are encouraged to designate an alternate major for consideration in case you are not admitted to the impacted major. If you list an alternate major, you must be willing to pursue that major if you are not admitted to your first-choice major. [Note: If applying to a business major, the alternate major must be in another area since the entire College of Business is impacted.]
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Have a minimum, overall college GPA of 2.00 or higher in all transferable college course work attempted. Non-residents must have a minimum GPA of 2.40.
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Be in good standing at the last college or university attended in a regular session.
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Complete 60 transferable semester units or 90 transferable quarter units by the end of the prior Spring term for Fall entrance or the prior Summer* term for Spring entrance.
Complete a minimum of 30 semester units or 45 quarter units in courses approved to meet CSU General Education (GE) requirements.
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Complete with a grade of 'C' or better by the end of the prior Spring term for Fall admission or by the end of the prior Summer term for Spring admission the CSU GE requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, Critical Thinking and Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning.
Applicants to impacted majors who meet these criteria must also meet the supplemental criteria published.
Applicants to non-impacted majors who meet the minimum CSU criteria as outlined above will be considered in the competitive round. Admission offers will be based on the applicants' overall transfer grade point average and space availability. Applicants to non-impacted majors who are transferring directly from Long Beach City College, Orange Coast College Golden West College, or Coastline College, and have completed at least 30 units from these schools will be held to the minimum CSU criteria listed above.
NOTICE
Due to the California budget crisis, enrollment may continue to be restricted for Fall 2012. As a result, CSULB does not encourage applicants with a transfer GPA less than 2.5 to apply to any of the impacted majors. For more information on Fall 2011 admission results, see Transfer GPA Information.
CSULB strongly recommends completion of General Education Certification for all majors except Liberal Studies, Engineering and certain academic programs in the Natural Sciences.
When is the application deadline?
| Term | Initial Filing Period | Lower Division Deadline | Upper Division Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2012 | August 1 – August 31, 2011 | August 31, 2011 | August 31, 2011 |
| Fall 2012 | October 1-November 30, 2011 | November 30, 2011 | November 30, 2011 |
How will I know that you received my application?
We will send you a notification by email to acknowledge receipt of your application. During peak periods of application processing, it may take one to two weeks for acknowledgement notices to be sent.
Be Aware: CSULB applicants are required to maintain a current email address on file with the university and to check their email regularly, as the university uses email as the official means of communication.
You may check the status of your admissions application by visiting the application status web page at: www.csulb.edu/applicationstatus. You will need your 9 digit campus identification number when you log in. This number can be found on the upper right corner of your application acknowledgement notification. If you cannot locate your campus ID number, you will be given the opportunity to use your Social Security number instead.
What transcripts or other documents are required of transfer applicants?
For purposes of determining California residency, students may be required to submit additional documents. These documents may include a Residency Questionnaire, photocopies of Immigration documents, proof of California residency, etc. For additional information regarding the establishment of California residency for educational purposes, visit the Residency information page or visit CSUMentor.
When and where should I send my transcripts and other documents?
Once we review your application, we will notify you by email with instructions and a deadline if additional documents or transcripts are needed. You may check the status of your admissions application by visiting the application status web page at: www.csulb.edu/applicationstatus. You will need your 9 digit campus identification number when you log in. This number can be found on the upper right corner of your application acknowledgement notification. If you cannot locate your campus ID number, you will be given the opportunity to use your Social Security number instead.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND TRANSCRIPTS UNLESS WE REQUEST THEM.
You must respond to all requests for information in a timely manner and by the deadlines contained in the notices. Failure to do so will remove you from consideration for admission. All transcripts and other requested documents should be sent to CSULB. Send all documents to:
Veterans and active-duty military personnel
If you are a veteran of the United States armed forces, be sure to submit, as part of your application, your discharge paper, Form DD 214, which includes descriptions of the types of training you received while in the service. Such training, in some cases, may count as credit transferable to CSULB. Veterans and active-duty military personnel also must be sure to include any military transcripts (e.g., AARTS and SMART) displaying additional course work that may be transferable to CSULB.
What are the deadlines for completing admission requirements?
Upper division transfer applicants must complete course requirements by the end of term indicated in the following table:
| Requirement | Fall Admission | Spring Admission* |
|---|---|---|
| GE English | Prior Spring term | Prior Summer term |
| GE Critical Thinking | Prior Spring term | Prior Summer term |
| GE Oral Communication | Prior Spring term | Prior Summer term |
| GE Math | Prior Spring term | Prior Summer term |
| 60 transferable units | Prior Spring term | Prior Summer term |
| Required pre-requisite courses for Impacted Majors | Prior Spring term | Prior Summer term |
Offers of admission based on coursework planned or in-progress will be conditional on the successful completion of these requirements by the terms indicated above. Failure to successfully complete these requirements will result in the withdrawal of the admission offer. Proof of enrollment of required courses may also be required prior to registration.
When will I be notified of my admission status?
You may check the status of your admissions application by visiting the application status web page at: www.csulb.edu/applicationstatus. You will need your 9 digit campus identification number when you log in. This number can be found on the upper right corner of your application acknowledgement notification. If you cannot locate your campus ID number, you will be given the opportunity to use your Social Security number instead.
Be Aware: CSULB applicants are required to maintain a current email address on file with the university and to check their email regularly, as the university uses email as the official means of communication.
What if I am not offered admission to CSULB?
In addition to applying to CSULB, we hope you have considered applying to one or two other colleges so that you will have alternatives in the event that you are not admitted to CSULB.
If you are interested in pursuing another CSU as your backup, it may be in your best interest to file a separate application with that campus during the initial filing period, as many campuses have early filing deadlines.
Can I appeal my admission decision?
Denials of admission are made only after an extensive review of academic qualifications and weighing those qualifications against the competitive nature of our applicant pool; therefore these decisions are rarely overturned and are considered only for extraordinary reasons beyond the control of the applicant.
Appeals must be submitted in writing within 15 days of the date on the denial notification and must include a basis for the appeal, and supporting documentation. We will notify you by email within 4 to 6 weeks, of our response to your appeal request. Only one appeal may be submitted for an academic term so the packet must be clear and compelling when submitted.
More Information on the Appeal Proccess
Do I need to respond to an acceptance notification?
Absolutely!
Newly admitted transfer students are required to accept their admission offer and pay a non-refundable $150 enrollment deposit in order to reserve a spot in the class. The enrollment deposit may be waived for students receiving state or federal need-based grants or full financial assistance. The deposit will offset a portion of the student's State University Fee.
Please make sure to check the following term deadlines for accepting your admission and paying the enrollment deposit.
- Fall 2012 Transfer: Inform us of your intent to enroll by June 1st.
- Spring 2012 Transfer: Inform us of your intent to enroll by December 1st.
More information on the enrollment deposit, waiver qualifications and how to accept your admission
What's the next step?
Here are some important items to consider if you are offered admission and decide to attend CSULB. If you have already been offered admission, you should refer to Information for Newly Admitted Transfers.
To help ensure a smooth transition to CSULB, new freshmen and transfer students are required to participate in the University’s Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) program.
Placement Tests (Freshman and lower division transfer only)
If you do not qualify for an exemption, you will be required to take the English and Mathematics placement tests no later than June 18, 2011. If required, we encourage you to take them as soon as possible after being offered admission so results will be available for advisement at your SOAR session. If the test results demonstrate that you are not ready for baccalaureate classes in English and Math, you will be required to take the pre-baccalaureate courses in your first semester. For more information, including examination dates and qualified exemptions, please visit the Testing and Evaluation Services web site.
Campus Housing
If you are interested in Campus Housing please visit Housing and Residential Life.
Financial Aid
Check out Financial Aid to explore the programs that can assist in making CSULB affordable. Be sure to review the application procedures and priority deadlines.