Key Dates and Deadlines
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Visit this page for the latest term deadlines for Admissions, Registration, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Fee Payments, and Graduation. For information on university holidays and future academic years, refer to the Academic Affairs Calendar.
For more support, use the Ask Elbee chatbot in the bottom right corner of your screen or visit Beach Central.
| Event | Fall 2025 Admission | Spring 2026 Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open First day that applications are accepted. | October 1 | August 1 |
| First-time, first-year (freshman) application deadline | December 2 | Closed to all applicants |
| Lower-division transfer application deadline Open only for highly qualified applicants to Nursing by referral of the department. | December 2 | August 31 |
| Upper-division transfer application deadline | December 2 | August 31 |
| Second bachelor's application deadline Open only for highly qualified applications to the following majors: Nursing, Engineering, Mathematics, Foreign Languages, Africana Studies, American Sign Language, American Studies, Asian Studies, Consumer Affairs, Philosophy, and Natural Sciences (excluding options in Biological Sciences). | December 2 | August 31 |
| Readmission (Returning CSULB Students) deadline Students who have not attended another college or university since leaving CSULB. | December 2 | August 31 |
Reinstatement Petition Process deadlines:
For all steps and instructions, visit Academic Standing and Appeals. | Cal State Apply: CSULB Petition and Transcripts: | Cal State Apply: CSULB Petition and Transcripts: |
| Teaching credential programs application deadline | June 1 | November 1 |
| Master's programs and certificates application deadline | Varies by program (no later than June 1) | Varies by program (no later than Nov. 1) |
| CSU Visitor/Concurrent Enrollment Deadline | August 1 | January 1 |
| Cross-Enrollment | Closed to all applicants | Closed to all applicants |
| Undergraduate Admission Decisions When an admission decision has been made, you will be notified by e-mail. You can check the status of your application through Applicant Self-Service. | Mid-February - April | Mid-October - November |
| Undergraduate Waitlist Decisions Students originally placed on a waitlist will be notified by e-mail when an updated admissions decision is ready. Check the status of your application via Applicant Self-Service. | May - July | December - January |
| Deadline to submit non-refundable enrollment deposit | May 1 | November 15 |
| Event | Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule of Classes | March 10, 2025 | Oct. 6, 2025 |
| Residency Reclassification Deadline Last day to submit the CSU Residence Questionnaire to be reclassified as a California resident for tuition purposes. | April 1, 2025 | Nov. 1, 2025 |
| Continuing student (First Wave) registration begins Registration appointment times are based on graduation status, class level, and units earned. Learn more via First Wave Registration. | April 7, 2025 | Nov. 3, 2025 |
| New graduate student and returning student registration | April | December |
| Educational Leave Deadline Last day to file an Application for Educational Leave for the semester. (After this deadline, applications are considered by exception only and an appeal with a $10 missed deadline fee is required. Late applications will be considered only until the last day of the semester during which the educational leave is taken.) | May 23, 2025 | Dec. 24, 2025 |
| New undergraduate student registration New first-year and transfer students register at SOAR. | June - Aug. | Dec. - Jan. |
| CSU Visitor/Concurrent Enrollment Deadline | Aug. 1, 2025 | Jan. 1, 2026 |
| Petition for Exception to Maximum Unit Load First day you can register for more than 18 units. An approved petition is required. | Aug. 4, 2025 | Jan. 2, 2026 |
| Waitlist Deadline Last day of waitlist auto-enrollment. After this date, waitlists are no longer used. | Aug. 11, 2025 | Jan. 5, 2026 |
| First day of classes A $25 late registration fee will apply for initial registration starting this date or later. | Aug. 25, 2025 | Jan. 20, 2026 |
| Open University Enrollment | Aug. 25, 2025 | Jan. 20, 2026 |
| Last day to add or drop classes without approval Deadline to add or swap a class without approval. Deadline to drop a class without receiving a W. Deadline to drop and receive a refund for reduction in calculated charges. All changes must be completed in MyCSULB Student Center by 10 p.m. (Refer to Fee Payments and Refunds section for refund deadlines.) | Sep. 8, 2025 | Feb. 2, 2026 |
| Day 1 Textbook Access Deadline to opt-out of the textbook access (D1TA) program. Must be completed by 11:59 p.m. | Sep. 8, 2025 | Feb. 2, 2026 |
| Withdraw (with approval only) Starting the third week of classes, you'll need to submit a request to withdraw in MyCSULB Student Center. If approved, you'll receive a W on your transcript for the class. | Sep. 9 - Nov. 19, 2025 | Feb. 3 - Apr. 17, 2026 |
| Permission to Add (with approval only) During the third week of classes, approval of the class instructor and the department are required to add a class. Contact the instructor to get approval before submitting a Permission to Add request in MyCSULB Student Center. | Sep. 9 - 15, 2025 | Feb. 3 - Feb. 9, 2026 |
| Late Add (by exception only) During the fourth week of classes, you may only add a class if extenuating circumstances prevented you from enrolling before the deadline. Such requests are an exception to academic policy and require documentation. Approval of the class instructor and department are required. Contact the instructor to get approval before submitting a Permission to Add request in MyCSULB Student Center. (Requests are considered by exception only and an appeal with a $10 missed deadline fee is required to submit your request, regardless of the outcome.) | Sep. 16 - 22, 2025 | Feb. 10 - Feb. 16, 2026 |
| Grade Option Change Request Deadline Deadline to change grading option for a class to Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) or Audit (AU). (After this deadline, requests are considered by exception only and an appeal with a $10 missed deadline fee is required to submit your request, regardless of the outcome. Late requests are considered only until University Census.) | Sep. 15, 2025 | Feb. 16, 2026 |
| Deadline to file credit by examination | Sep. 8, 2025 | Feb. 9, 2026 |
| University Census Finalize your enrollment by this day. Enrollment as of this day is considered the official enrollment and is used for state reporting and select financial aid programs. Schedule changes after this day are not permitted, except for approved withdrawals. | Sep. 22, 2025 | Feb. 16, 2026 |
| Mid-Term Progress Reports Instructors may provide mid-term progress reports, which are posted in MyCSULB Student Center. These grades do not appear on your transcript or affect your GPA; they are informational only. Because these are provided at the instructor's discretion, you may not receive mid-term progress reports for all of your classes. | Mid-Oct. | Mid-March |
| Catastrophic Withdrawals Withdrawal during the final three weeks of instruction is not permitted unless there are serious and extenuating circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from continuing in your classes and incompletes are not possible. | Dec. 10, 2025 | May 8, 2026 |
| Last day of classes | Dec. 10, 2025 | May 8, 2026 |
| Final Exams | Dec. 12 - 18, 2025 | May 11 - 16, 2026 |
| Last day of semester | Dec. 24, 2025 | May 22, 2026 |
For information about additional academic sessions, choose a category below:
| Event | Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Aid Applications Open First day to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) for financial aid for the following academic year. | December 2024 - File the 2025-2026 FAFSA or Dream Act Application | December 2024 - File the 2025-2026 FAFSA or Dream Act Application |
| Priority Application Deadline If you submit your application after this day, you may not be eligible for CSULB or California state financial aid, but you may still be eligible for other aid opportunities. | April 2, 2025 (All Students) | Aug. 31, 2025 (New Students for Spring Only) |
| Priority deadline to submit requested documents | June 13, 2025 | Dec. 31, 2025 (New Students for Spring Only) |
| Award notifications sent to new students | Late March 2025 | Late October 2025 |
| Award notifications sent to continuing students | Early June 2025 | July 2025 |
| Disbursement begins Most financial aid funds are applied toward any outstanding charges, including any installment plans. The first possible date funds can be released is 10 days before the first day of classes each semester. | August 15, 2025 | January 12, 2026 |
BeachScholarships Application Periods:
CSULB is proud to offer scholarships to help students cover the costs of their education. These funds come from a variety of university, federal, state, and private sources--but unlike loans, they do not have to be repaid. Opportunities are available for new and continuing students. Students must apply to be considered. Learn more about scholarships.
- for Fall 2025: Apply between January 21 - March 11, 2025
- for Spring 2026: Apply between August 18 - September 29, 2025
| Event | Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| First Fee Payment Deadline (fall only) Deadline for students who registered April 7 - June 30, 2025 to make a deposit, accept financial aid, or pay tuition in full. See Tuition and Fees: Payment Deadlines. | July 16, 2025 | N/A |
| Fee Payment Deadline Fees are due by the pre-semester deadline. Your payment due date is available on MyCSULB Student Center. If you register after this day, your fees will be due the next day. (A $10 late payment fee will be assessed on balances past due after this day.) | Aug. 13, 2025 | Jan. 7, 2026 |
| Event | Spring 2025 | Fall 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to drop and receive a full refund Drop all classes by this day to receive a full refund. Starting the first day of classes, students who drop all their classes will owe prorated fees based on the date of withdrawal. See “Refunds” on the Tuition and Fees webpage for more information. | Jan. 20, 2025 | Jan. 19, 2026 |
| Deadline to drop and receive a refund for reduction in calculated charges This is the same day as the last day to add, swap, or drop a class without approval. All changes must be completed in MyCSULB Student Center by 10 p.m. (Refer to Registration section for registration deadlines.) | Feb. 3, 2025 | Feb. 2, 2026 |
| Deadline to withdraw from all classes for prorated refund | Mar. 27, 2025 | TBD |
The deadline to apply to graduate depends on the term you plan to graduate. Applications begin the year before your expected graduation term and end during the fall or spring term preceding your graduation date. (For example, the application window for students graduating in Spring is March 2 - Oct. 15.)
| Expected Graduation Term | Application Deadline | Application Window |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | March 1 | Oct. 16 - March 1 |
| Winter | March 1 | Oct. 16 - March 1 |
| Spring | Oct. 15 | March 2 - Oct. 15 |
| Summer | Oct. 15 | March 2 - Oct. 15 |
For eligibility and instructions, refer to:
