Preparing to Apply
As you begin thinking about College and choosing a major, developing a good set of study skills and setting a high standard for the grades you earn are important factors in being admitted as a First-time freshman.
With no standardized tests being utilized by the CSU for admissions eligibility, it is even more important to participate in programs or clubs available at your school to support students who are interested in going to college. (AVID, Future Leaders, etc.)
This is also a critical time to begin saving for college expenses and learning about Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Take the opportunity to do your best in the Early Assessment Program (part of the CAASPP/Smarter Balanced Assessment) in the 11th grade. It’s results, along with your GPA, higher level courses during the 12th grade, and STEM major affect your placement in English and Math courses in College.
Additional planning tools can be found at Cal State Apply.
Admissions Requirements
CSUSB is an impacted campus. This means we receive far more applications from CSU qualified students than we can register in classes. Additional admission standards have been set for students graduating from California high schools outside of our defined local area.
CSU campuses now utilize a Multi Factor Admission Score beginning in the Fall 2021 term. This MFAS score is a combination of your GPA in A-G coursework, and additional applicant attributes such as work experience, and participation in educational programs, veterans status, etc. The combination of GPA and attributes will provide a score that will determine whether you are eligible for admission to the campus and major you are applying for.
The SAT or ACT is no longer required and will not be utilized as part of the Multi Factor Admission Score.
A critical component of the MFAS is completion of the A-G college preparatory pattern of courses with grades of “C-” or better:
Acceptable courses from your high school may be found at University of California A-G Guide.
Local Area Applicants:
- For all non-impacted majors, applicants graduating from a high school within CSUSB’s defined local area will be required to meet a minimum 2.50 GPA to be reviewed for admission.
- Students whose GPA’s are between 2.00 - 2.49 will be considered as space is available after a review of the overall applicant pool.
- A combination of additional applicant attributes such as work experience, and participation in educational programs, veterans status, etc. may be used to determine eligibility for admission to the campus and major you are applying for.
Out of Local Area Applicants:
- The minimum qualifying GPA for applicants graduating from a High School outside of the defined local area will vary depending on the number of qualified applicants received at the end of the priority application filing period and enrollment limits.
Out-of-state/non-resident applicants:
- For non-impacted majors, a GPA of minimally a 3.0 is required for application review.
- Students whose GPA’s are between 2.5 - 2.99 will be considered as space is available after a review of the overall applicant pool.
A combination of additional applicant attributes such as work experience, and participation in educational programs, veterans status, etc. may be used to determine eligibility for admission to the campus and major you are applying for.