Most commonly, college level credits earned from an institution of higher education accredited by a regional accrediting agency are accepted for transfer to campuses of the CSU; however, authority for decisions regarding the transfer of undergraduate credits is delegated to each CSU campus.

California Community Colleges and other authorized certifying institutions can certify up to 39 semester (58.5 quarter) units of General Education-Breadth (GE-Breadth) or 37 semester (55.5 quarter) units of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) for transfer students to fulfill lower division general education requirements for any CSU campus prior to transfer.

“Certification” is the official notification from a California Community College or authorized institution that a transfer student has completed courses fulfilling lower division general education requirements. The CSU GE-Breadth and the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) certification course lists for particular community colleges can be accessed at www.assist.org.

CSU campuses may enter into course-to-course or program-to-program articulation agreements with other CSU campuses and any or all of the California Community Colleges, and other regionally accredited institutions. Established CSU and California Community College articulations may be found on www.assist.org. Students may be permitted to transfer no more than 70 semester (105 quarter) units to a CSU campus from an institution that does not offer bachelor’s degrees or their equivalents, for example, community colleges. Given the university’s 30-semester (45-quarter) unit residency requirement, no more than a total of 90-semester (135-quarter) units may be transferred into the University from all sources.

Transfer Requirements

Applicants who have completed fewer than 60 transferable semester college units (fewer than 90 quarter units) are considered lower division transfer students. Applicants who have completed 60 or more transferable semester college units (90 or more quarter units) are considered upper division transfer students. Applicants who complete college units during high school or through the summer immediately following high school graduation are considered first-time freshmen and must meet the CSU minimum eligibility requirements for first-time freshman admission. Transferable courses are those designated for baccalaureate credit by the college or University offering the courses and accepted as such by the campus to which the applicant seeks admission.

Lower Division Transfer Requirements

Generally, applicants will qualify for CSU admission consideration as a lower division transfer if they have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all transferable units attempted.

1. Will meet the freshman admission requirements (grade point average and subject requirements) in effect for the term to which they are applying (see Freshman Requirements section); or
2. Were eligible as a freshman at the time of high school graduation except for missing college preparatory subject requirements, have been in continuous attendance in an accredited college since high school graduation, and have made up the missing subject requirements with a 2.0 or better GPA.

Applicants who graduated from high school prior to 1988 should contact the admission office to inquire about alternative admission programs.

Lower division applicants who did not complete subject requirements while in high school may make up missing subjects in any of the following ways:

1. Complete appropriate courses with a “C” or better in adult school or high school summer sessions.
2. Complete appropriate college courses with a “C” or better. One college course of at least three semester or four quarter units will be considered equivalent to one year of high school study.
3. Earn acceptable scores on specified examinations, e.g., SAT subject tests.

Please consult with the CSU campus admission office, to which you are applying for further information about alternative ways to satisfy the subject requirements.

Due to increased enrollment demands, most CSU campuses do not admit lower division transfer applicants.

Upper Division Transfer Requirements

Generally, applicants will qualify for consideration for upper division transfer admission if they meet all of the following requirements:

1. Cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all transferable units attempted.
2. In good standing at the last college or university attended.
3. Completed at least sixty (60) transferable semester (90 quarter) units of college level coursework with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher and a grade “C” or better in each course used to meet the CSU general education requirements in written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning, e.g., mathematics.

The 60 units must include at least 30 units of courses which meet CSU general education requirement, including all of the general education requirements in communication in the English language (both oral and written) and critical thinking and the requirement in mathematics/quantitative reasoning (usually 3 semester units) or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) requirements in English communication and mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning.

Associate Degrees for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T)

The Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and the Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) degrees offered at the California Community Colleges (CCC) are designed to provide California Community College students a clear transfer preparation and admission pathway to those CSU degree majors deemed similar. Those students who complete these transfer degrees and who are admitted to a similar CSU major program or option for that discipline will be able to complete the baccalaureate degree within 60 semester or 90 quarter units providing that all remaining required courses are completed successfully without a break in attendance and providing that no supplemental courses for minors or areas of emphasis are undertaken.

California Community College students who earn an associate degree for transfer (AA-T or AS-T) are guaranteed admission with junior standing to the California State University but not to any particular campus or program. Because several CSU campuses are receiving more transfer applications from eligible students than can be accommodated, these campuses have declared impaction resulting in higher admission criteria. See more on impaction at Impacted Undergraduate Majors and Campuses. However, transfer students who earn the AA-T or AS-T degrees, are given priority admission over other transfer applicants when applying to a non-impacted CSU campus or to a non-impacted program from a community college within the local admission area of the campus. These students are also given priority admission consideration when applying from a community college that is outside the local admission area of an impacted CSU campus or when applying to a similar program that is impacted at any CSU campus. A current list of CSU degree programs that have been deemed similar to the associate degrees for transfer can be found at Search Transfer Degrees.

Those students who earn associate degrees for transfer and apply to a CSU campus but cannot be admitted due to impaction will be redirected to another CSU campus and offered admission for the same term. In order to qualify for the priority admission guarantee, transfer applicants must be conferred an approved Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T/AS-T) by a California Community College, must apply for admission to California State University campuses for an open term by the published deadline, submit all requested transcripts and documents, meet CSU admission eligibility requirements for the campus and/or program, and must comply with any other prescribed admission requirements. It is the responsibility of these transfer students to provide documentation about the completion of the degree to each CSU campus that has received an application for admission. Visit the Associate Degree for Transfer website and STAR Act Degree Road Maps for more information.

Provisional Admission

CSUN may provisionally or conditionally admit transfer applicants based on their academic preparation and courses planned for completion. The campus will monitor the final terms to ensure that those admitted complete all required courses satisfactorily. All accepted applicants are required to submit an official transcript of all college level work completed. Campuses may rescind admission for any student who is found to be ineligible after the final transcript has been evaluated. In no case may such documents be received and validated by the University any later than a student’s registration for their second term of CSU enrollment. For more information, see CSUN Provisional Admission.