International Transfer Admission

Due to the short application period, Spring 2026 admission is not available to international applicants who require an 'F' visa to study in the United States of America. We encourage interested applicants to apply for Fall 2026 admission.

As you review the information below, please take note of the following:

• Applicants must apply via the online Cal State Apply application between October 1, 2025-December 1, 2025.
• Be Aware: Cal State LA currently only considers international transfer students for Fall admission. Should additional space be available, Spring term applications may be considered in the future.

• Applicants must apply via the online Cal State Apply application. For some tips on how to complete the application, visit our Application Tips webpage.
• The Cal State Apply application requires you to enter all college coursework taken at U.S. institutions, so have your transcripts handy and make sure you have adequate time before the deadline to complete your application.
• Some admission decisions are made using self-reported information in the Cal State Apply application. Please answer questions accurately and completely. Failure to do so will negatively affect admission eligibility.
• To facilitate transfer success, some Cal State LA majors have major-specific requirements for admission that focus on lower division preparation in the major. Please visit the Major-Specific Criteria webpage for the latest information about these requirements.

To qualify for regular admission as a transfer student:

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• To be eligible for admission, you must complete all minimum requirements by:
  • The end of the prior Spring term for Fall admission, or
  • The end of the prior Summer term for Spring admission.
• Meeting the minimum CSU transfer requirements does not guarantee admission. Some programs are highly competitive and require additional criteria.
• Upper-division transfer applicants to the following majors must also meet additional admission requirements:
  • Computer Science (BS)
  • Criminal Justice (BS)
  • Fire Protection Administration and Technology (BS)
  • Music (BM)
  • Nursing (BS)
  • Psychology (BA)
  • Social Work (BA)
  • Television, Film and Media Studies (BA)
  • Urban Learning – Teacher Preparation (BA)

This section only applies to the specified majors with required supplemental major specific admission criteria.

Local applicants

Except for Nursing, CSU eligible applicants who are considered local based on their community college, or their military veteran status, will be offered admission if they meet the required minimum cumulative GPA, required major preparation, and the required general education courses listed. We encourage local area applicants to also complete any recommended courses to promote timely graduation even though they will not be used in the admission determination.

Non-local applicants

CSU eligible non-local applicants who meet the required minimum cumulative GPA, required major preparation, and the required general education courses listed will be admitted on a space-available basis based on their cumulative GPA and any recommended courses specified in the criteria.

Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) recipients

While the ADT is not required for admission except for Psychology, priority consideration is granted to applicants who are on track for completing the specific AA-T/AS-T degree listed by the end of spring for Fall admission, or the end of summer for Spring admission. In this case, the Transfer AA/AS curriculum is used in lieu of the specific required and recommended courses listed. Under CSU guidelines, the minimum required cumulative GPA has been adjusted as indicated. Non-local applicants will also benefit from a 0.1 GPA bonus used in the ranking of non-local applicants.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements

If space is available after all students meeting the required minimum major GPA and required major and general education preparation or the indicated Transfer AA/AS degree have been accommodated, then CSU eligible students without the minimum requirements will be considered based on a ranking of the criteria completed with local applicants receiving a 0.25 GPA bump.

1. Explore and choose a major to declare on your application
2. Apply online at Cal State Apply by the deadline
3. Update the transfer coursework reported on your application
4. Submit official transcripts or other documents only if requested

STEP 1: Explore and choose a major to declare on your application

Cal State LA requires all applicants to declare a major on their admission application. Before applying, review the admission and degree requirements for your intended major. Once your application is submitted, you cannot request a change of major. Carefully consider your intended major before applying.

STEP 2: Apply online at Cal State Apply by the deadline

• How to Apply: Submit your application through Cal State Apply.
• For Fall 2026 admission, applicants must apply between October 1, 2025-December 1, 2025. 

Important Notes:

• If you have attended a U.S. college or university, you will be required to enter your college coursework in the application.
• You must also report your progress in meeting the Major-Specific Requirements for Admission.
• Ensure that all information provided is complete and accurate.
  Inaccurate or incomplete information may affect your admission decision.

After submitting your application, you will receive an email confirmation acknowledging receipt.

For tips on how to complete the application, visit our Application Tips webpage.

STEP 3: For Fall applicants, update the transfer coursework reported in your application

Some applicants may be asked to update their academic course information in the Cal State Apply Application to be considered for admission:

• For Fall admission: Transfer coursework must be updated in January so that Fall grades and Spring enrollment can be included.
• For Spring admission: No transfer update is required. If offered admission, official transcripts with grades thru the preceding summer must be submitted by November 1st.

STEP 4: Submit official transcripts or other documents

If after reviewing your application, it is determined we need additional information, including transcripts, we will notify you by email with instructions and a specific deadline.

• International students not attending U.S. schools will be required to submit official academic records (with the institution's grading scale) to be considered for admission. For a timely decision, please send your official college/university transcript(s) as soon as the requested term’s grade are posted, or within 2 weeks of submitting your application, whichever is later. For Fall 2026 admission eligibility review, transcripts must include grades through the Fall 2025 term. For Spring admission, transcripts must include grades through the preceding summer term.
• Submit official TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or DuoLingo English Test (effective Spring 2022) test scores for the English Language Proficiency requirement if your college coursework was not taken at an institution where English is the only language of instruction.

Cal State LA may make transfer admission decisions for students attending U.S. schools based on self-reported information from the application. Please do not submit transcripts or other documents unless requested.

Students offered admission based on self-reported information will be required to submit official transcripts in order to verify eligibility. Admission decisions are conditional and may be withdrawn for students who misreported, missed the document deadline, or are not on track to meet the terms of the admission offer. Admitted students wishing to accept our offer will need to submit all official transcripts within 30 days of the admission offer.

Additional documents may be required in certain circumstances:

• Students earning an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) from a California Community College will be required to verify that they are on track for completion of the degree by the end of Spring for Fall admission, or by the end of Summer for Spring admission.
• Students who are eligible to receive credit based on Advanced Placement, CLEP or International Baccalaureate assessments will need to have official test scores sent to Cal State LA. Be aware that credit granted by another institution does not 'transfer' to Cal State LA for test credit.

Cal State LA uses email as the official means of communication with applicants. Initial admission communications are sent to the email reported in the Cal State Apply application. Applicants are required to maintain a current email address on file with the University, and to check their email regularly.

Throughout the admissions process, the Office of Admissions and Recruitment will send communications to the "preferred" email address as indicated in your GET Student Center. You may update your email address at any time by visiting your Golden Eagle Territory (GET) Self-Service Student Center.

To help prevent these important emails from being flagged as spam/junk mail by your email provider, please mark the calstatela.edu domain as a safe sender in your email account.

Be aware, we discovered that the following email hosts have blocked Cal State LA emails. If you currently have an email account with one of these email hosts, we strongly encourage you to create a new email account with an alternate email host (e.g., gmail.com, outlook.com, icloud.com, etc.).

• qq.com
• 126.com
• 163.com
• yeah.net

Offers of admission are normally made in March for Fall admission, and in October for Spring admission. All offers of admission will be provisional and subject to verification based on official transcripts. Admission offers may be withdrawn if the GPA, completed courses, or course grades are lower than what is reported or if you miss any admission deadlines. Please make sure to report accurate information on your application.

How do I accept the offer of admission?

To accept the admission offer, admitted students must pay the non-refundable $100 (USD) Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD) by May 1st for Fall admission. The deposit will offset a portion of the student's State University Fee. This is in addition to submitting U.S. college documents to confirm the admission decision within 30 days of the admission offer.

What if I am not offered admission to Cal State LA?

In addition to applying to Cal State LA, 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 offered admission.

Can I appeal my admission decision?

If you believe you are eligible for Cal State LA admission, you may appeal our decision. Appeals must be submitted in writing within 15 days of the date of the denial notification and must include a basis for the appeal and supporting academic records. We will respond via email to your appeal request within four to six weeks. Only one appeal may be submitted for an academic term. For more information, visit the Admission Appeals webpage.

Here are some important items to consider if you are offered admission and decide to attend Cal State LA:

Admitted Student Information: If you have already been offered admission, refer to the Information for Newly Admitted International Transfers.

Applying for your I-20 or SEVIS transfer: To prepare for the process, please have the following items available: (1) copy of your Passport Biographical Page and (2) Financial Sponsor information and a copy of their recent bank statement (or other official letters of financial support/guarantee/scholarship). If you are currently already studying in the US, please also plan to submit: (1) copy of current Visa stamp; (2) copy of I-94; and (3) copy of I-20 or DS-2019, and Employment Authorization Document (EAD), if applicable.

If you have any questions about the I-20/SEVIS transfer process, please contact the International Students & Scholars Office at (323) 343-3170 or [email protected].

Campus Housing: Living on campus offers numerous opportunities for students to build lifelong friendships, develop as leaders and achieve academic success. We offer apartment-style residence halls that are a short walk to class, the University-Student Union, and various campus resources. To learn more, visit the Housing and Residence Life webpage.