Transfer Admissions

Cal State LA is pleased to announce that effective Spring 2025, we will accept both lower-division and upper division transfer students!

Admission Requirements

To qualify for regular admission as a transfer student, you first need to determine if you are a lower or upper division transfer student.

LOWER DIVISION TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS UPPER DIVISION TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS
Have less than 60 transferable semester units (or 90 quarter units) Have 60 or more transferable semester units (or 90 or more quarter units)

Meet requirements for first-time freshman:

  • Have already graduated from high school (or earned a GED) (by the proceeding fall for fall admission; or the proceeding spring for spring admission);
  • Have completed with a grade of C or better each of the courses in the comprehensive pattern of college preparatory subject requirements (A-G); and
  • Achieve a qualifying overall GPA in the 'A-G' courses of 2.50 or higher (or if not CA resident or CA high school graduate, a 3.00 or higher).
 Within those 60 units, have completed at least 30 units in courses approved to meet CSU General Education (GE) requirements

Complete the following college General Education (GE) courses with a C- or better:

  • Written Communication
  • Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

    Complete with a C- or better, all four of the following GE subject areas (Golden 4):

    • Written Communication
    • Oral Communication
    • Critical Thinking*
    • Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
    Have achieved an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher in all transferable college coursework attempted Have achieved an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher in all transferable college coursework attempted
    Be in good standing at the last college or university attended in a regular session. Be in good standing at the last college or university attended in a regular session.
    If at least 3 years of your high school coursework was not taken at a school where English is the only language of instruction, you will have to satisfy the English Language Proficiency requirement. If your college coursework was not taken at an institution where English is the only language of instruction, you will have to satisfy the English Language Proficiency requirement.

    *The CSU Critical Thinking course requirement is waived for most Engineering and Computer Science majors. 

    NOTES:

    • To be considered for transfer admission, you must complete the minimum requirements by the end of the prior Spring term for Fall admission, and by the end of the prior Summer term for Spring admission.
    • Not all applicants who meet the above minimum CSU admission requirements will be offered admission. Upper division transfer applicants to the following majors should also meet supplemental major specific criteria for admission:
      • Computer Science BS  
      • Criminal Justice BS
      • Fire Protection Administration Technology BS  
      • Music BM  
      • Nursing BS  
      • Psychology BA
      • Social Work BA
      • Television, Film and Media Studies BA
      • Urban Learning BA: Teacher Prep

     

    I am interested in applying for:

    Fall Term
    Spring Term

    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 applicants to declare a major on the application for admission consideration. Applicants must thoroughly educate themselves on their intended major's requirements for admission and degree completion prior to submitting an application for admission. Changes of major cannot be requested once the application has been submitted. In addition, once a student has enrolled at Cal State LA changes of major are limited based on both the admission requirements of the major and Cal State LA's Timely Graduation policy.

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

    Applicants must apply between August 1-31, 2024 for Spring 2025 admission; or October 1, 2024-December 2, 2024 for Fall 2025 admission. To apply to Cal State LA, visit Cal State Apply. You will be required to enter all of your college coursework as part of the application process. In addition, applicants to majors with supplemental admission criteria will have to report their progress in meeting the Major-Specific Requirements for Admission. Applicants must ensure all information is reported accurately. Failure to do so may affect their admission decision. Once the application is submitted, we will send you a notification by email to acknowledge the receipt of your application.

    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

    You will be required to update your academic course information 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.

    Additional information may also be requested of some applicants at this stage in the process. Please do not submit transcripts or other documents unless requested.

    STEP 4: Submit official transcripts if offered admission

    Cal State LA makes transfer admission decisions based on self-reported information from the application. In order to verify eligibility, admitted students will be required to submit official transcripts from all colleges attended. Lower division admits, will also be required to submit official transcript from high school of graduation. 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) 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.
    • For purposes of determining California residency, some students may be required to submit additional documents. Review the Residency webpage for information regarding the establishment of California residency.
    • Veterans of the United States Armed Forces should submit discharge papers (Form DD 214). This should include descriptions of the types of training you received while in the service. Such training, in some cases, may count as credit transferable to Cal State LA. Additionally, Veterans and active duty military should also submit their military transcripts (e.g. AARTS, SMART, or Community College of the Air Force) displaying additional coursework that may be transferable.

    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.

    Offers of admission are normally made in February and 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 Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD) by May 1st for Fall admission; or November 1st for Spring admission. The deposit will offset a portion of the student's State University Fee. This is in addition to submitting 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.