California State University

Transfer Basics: CSU - "Cal State"

For students who wish to apply to a CSU the majority of these campuses will require the transfer student to complete their freshman and sophomore (lower division) levels at the community college prior to transfer - we call this "upper division transfer" because the student will enter the CSU at a junior (upper division) level having earned at least 60 transferable units. Students earn the 60 transferable units by taking courses that meet:

General Education Requirements CSU - Option B
Major preparation (prerequisites)
Elective credit (if needed)

Non-Transfer General Education Requirements A.A./A.S. Degree:

General Education Graduation Requirements A.A./A.S. Degree - Option A

Minimum Transfer Requirements:

60 CSU-transferable units which must include all of the following:

39 units from either of the following general education patterns:

CSU General Education Requirements
IGETC

To include the 4 critical courses with a grade of "C" or better (also known as the GOLDEN 4):

1. Oral Communications (Speech)

2. Written Communications (English)

3. Critical Thinking

4. Mathematics

2.0 Minimum CSU-transferable GPA (2.4 for non-residents/international students)

NOTES:

Students should be aware that the requirements listed above are the minimum criteria needed to be considered for transfer. Some CSU campuses and/or majors may require students to exceed these minimum requirements to be considered competitive applicants. Some CSU campuses may allow a student to transfer as a lower division (less than 60 units). The CSU requirements above are subject to change. Thus, meet with your counselor every semester!

Applying to a California State University:

-CSU Fall 2019 Application Workshop Student Checklist

-Next Steps Checklist.Next Steps Checklist

Transfer Admission - Counting Units:

I'm a community college transfer with more than 90 semester (135 quarter) units. Should I apply as a junior or senior?

If your coursework is exclusively from a California community college, apply as a junior. UC limits community college unit credit to a maximum of 70 semester (105 quarter) units, but grants subject credit for coursework beyond that.