Admissions Requirements
California State University, San Bernardino is an impacted CSU campus at the program level for Undergraduate First-Year and Transfer students. Program level impaction means that, CSUSB receives more eligible applicants during our initial application filing period than can be accommodated in the incoming class for some impacted majors. As part of program level impaction, additional admission standards have been set for students graduating from California colleges outside of our defined local area.
Additional information about CSU Impaction, and how it can effect you can be found at the CSU, Chancellor's Office website.
CSUSB information for impacted programs of Pre-Criminal Justice, Pre-Nursing, Pre-Psychology, Pre-Social Work, and Kinesiology - Allied Health and can be found on our Transfer Impaction Criteria website.
There are two paths to be eligible as a transfer student and transfer applicants must meet one of the two eligibility path requirements:
Lower Division
*The Lower Division transfer pathway is open to non-impacted programs only.
- Applicant who has completed fewer than 60 semester (90 quarter) units of college credit is considered a lower division
- Have achieved an overall college GPA of at least 2.00
- Complete at least (A2) and (B4) of the Golden Four Courses with a grade of C- or better,
- A course in Written Communication (GE Breadth Area A2)
- A course in Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (GE Breadth Area B4)
- Be in good standing at the last institution attended.
- Have graduated from high school (received a high school diploma or general education development, or GED, certification)
- Have completed “a-g” course requirements in high school
Upper Division
- Applicant who has completed 60 or more semester (90 quarter) units of transferable course work taken at a regionally accredited* community college or university.
- Have achieved an overall college GPA of at least 2.00 for non-impacted majors.
- Complete the Golden Four Courses: with a grade of “C-” or better
- Oral Communication (A1)
- Written Communication (A2)
- Critical Thinking (A3)
- Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (B4)
- Be in good standing at the last institution attended.
- Meet minimum program impaction criteria for impacted majors (GPA requirements and/or program specific requirements) for either Local Area or Out of Local Area students depending on their status.
*Regional accreditation includes:
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges
- North Central Association of Schools and Colleges
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
- Southern Association of Schools and Colleges
Questions and Resources
A complete list of transferable courses from the California Community Colleges to CSUSB may be found at ASSIST.
Please note: We recommend meeting with your community college counselor to ensure you are enrolled in the Golden Four Courses.
If you are unsure if your units will transfer make a pre-application appointment with and Admissions Counselor. Call us at (909)537-5188 to schedule your appointment.
Grade Point Average Requirements
California residents must have a transferable grade-point average of 2.0 (“C”) or better to be reviewed for admission. However, due to program level impaction CSUSB will set the minimum qualified GPA requirement for admission for impacted majors based on the impacted major application pool for the term. Local and Non Local impacted major applicants will face different GPA minimums. Minimums will depend on the number of qualified applicants received at the end of the priority application filing period and enrollment limits. The required minimum qualifying GPA for impacted majors will vary each term.
CSUSB has defined its local area to include specific Community Colleges within San Bernardino and Riverside County. A list of local schools can be found on our Transfer Impaction website. All other institutions are considered outside our local area.
Students who attended more than one institution will be classified depending on where the majority of their coursework was completed or which institution they last attended.
Local Area Students
Local area impacted major transfer applicants will be given prioritized admission through lower minimum qualifying GPA requirements than those set for our non-local area impacted major transfer applicants. The qualifying GPA will depend on the number of qualified applicants received at the end of the priority application filing period and enrollment limits. The required minimum qualified GPA may vary each term.
Out of Local Area Students
Out of local area impacted major transfer applicant GPA minimums will depend on the number of qualified applicants received at the end of the priority application filing period and enrollment limits. The required minimum qualified GPA may vary each term.
Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T and AS-T)
Student Transfer Agreement Reform Act (SB 1440-Padilla), enables the California Community Colleges and California State University systems to collaborate on the creation of Associate Degrees for Transfer. These degrees assist with CSU graduation initiatives to allow students to earn a bachelors degree in four years. Upon completion of the Associate Degree for Transfer, students are eligible to transfer into the CSU system with junior standing.
See which CSUSB majors are available for this "degree with a guarantee".
For more information about transferring your AA-T or AS-T degrees to CSUSB, visit our Associates Degree for Transfer (ADT) website.
Transfer Pathways Mapper
CSUSB and Chaffey College are currently piloting an online tool called the Transfer Pathways Mapper. It provides example four-year roadmaps for students who complete their first two years at Chaffey, earn an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), and then transfer to CSUSB in a similar major. Majors currently available in the online tool include: Anthropology, Biology, Child Development, Communication, Criminal Justice, English, History, Mathematics, Psychology, Public History, and Sociology. Administration majors will be available soon.