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Applying to a Cal-State School? Here’s What You Need to Know About the CSU System/Process

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Even among large state university systems in the U.S., the California State University system (referred to as Cal State or CSU, although there are other CSUs in the U.S.) is a behemoth. With a population of over half a million students, staff, and faculty members across its roughly two dozen branches, it plays a huge role in educating the state of California, and also attracts students from outside the state.

If you’re used to thinking of colleges as distinct, singular entities, you may find the mechanics of applying to a large state college system like Cal State to be somewhat confusing. If you’re from outside of California, you may also have questions about how your residency affects your application requirements and chance of being accepted.

Never fear, CollegeVine is here! In this post, you’ll find an outline of the Cal State system of colleges, their application processes and requirements, and the factors you’ll need to consider if you’re thinking about applying. Read on for our advice on making wise choices about the Cal State system.

A Brief Introduction to the Cal State System

The Cal State system as it operates today was created by the California Master Plan for Education of 1960 , but the colleges it consists of have existed for much longer under various names and groupings. Originally intended primarily to educate teachers, these colleges now offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in a full range of fields.

Today, the Cal State system consists of 23 distinct campuses, some of which maintain additional “off-campus” branches that extend their reach to a larger number of students. You can find a full list of these campuses and detailed information on each campus on the Cal State website. Cal State also owns a number of other research and laboratory facilities throughout the state, including an observatory and a ship for training future mariners.

Like most state colleges, the Cal State schools were originally created to serve residents of that state. California residents still enjoy preferential treatment in admissions and a lower in-state tuition rate at the Cal State schools. However, students from other states and even other countries are also eligible to apply.

Currently, nearly 479,000 students attend Cal State each year, and the system lays claim to the title of largest (by population) 4-year state college system in the nation. It’s responsible for half the bachelor’s degrees awarded in California every year, and it awards more bachelor’s degrees each year than any other university system in the U.S.

It’s important to keep in mind that the California State University system is not the same as the University of California (UC) system. Both are systems of public universities in California, but each has its own policies, campus choices, and admissions procedures, and the UC schools are generally more selective and more expensive. To learn more about the UC system and its application requirements, visit the CollegeVine blog post How to Write the University of California Essay Prompts 2017-2018.

Applying to the Cal State System

To be eligible for admission to any of the Cal State schools, you must have successfully completed certain college preparatory courses while you were in high school. If you’ve completed these requirements, your high school GPA and your SAT or ACT scores are plugged into an established equation to produce the single number known as your Eligibility Index (EI).

Your EI is the main factor that determines admission to most of the Cal State schools and majors. Each school and major has its own EI cutoff for admission. This threshold may also depend upon where you live; students who come from the immediate area of the college and, more generally, the state of California receive preference in the form of lower EI cutoffs.

Applying to one or more schools in the Cal State system is different from applying to most other colleges in some significant ways. If you’re hoping to get admitted to a Cal State school, particularly one of the more popular campuses, you’ll need to follow the instructions carefully.

First of all, instead of the Common Application, Coalition Application, or another shared application system, the Cal State schools use their own application system, Cal State Apply. You must use this system to apply to any of the Cal State schools, and you can specify multiple Cal State schools on it if you’d like.

If you take a look at the Cal State admissions website , you’ll see that it lists a “priority application filing period” that lasts from October 1 to November 31 for admission in the next fall semester. The term “priority” is a bit of a misnomer here; at some of the more popular campuses, all the available first-year spaces may be taken during this time period.

In order to have the best possible chance at getting admitted to the Cal State college you’re interested in, you should always plan to submit your initial Cal State application during the priority application filing period. Some colleges in the system may continue to accept applications after November 31, space permitting, but this is not guaranteed.

In certain circumstances, you may have to provide additional information as part of your Cal State application. What this might require of you depends on the school and the situation. (We’ll discuss these circumstances in greater detail below.)

If you’re a first-year applicant (not a transfer applicant), you should not submit any additional documents with your initial application. After you submit your initial application, you’ll be contacted directly with instructions if and when more information becomes necessary. Don’t submit anything extra during the basic application process unless you’re specifically told to do so.

Impacted Campuses and Majors

One special piece of terminology that you’ll find used in the Cal State system is “impacted.” If a Cal State college, or a specific major at a Cal State college, is described as impacted, this means that demand for admission to this college or major exceeds the available space, making admission to this college or major much more competitive.

Whether a particular school or major is impacted can vary from year to year, but some campuses, like Cal State Fullerton , are already known to be impacted for the 2017-2018 application season. Impacted Cal State colleges generally require a higher EI for admission than the others, and impacted majors may require a higher EI than other majors at that college.

Impacted schools and majors may also base their admissions decision on additional information, requiring you to submit supplemental documents. Again, if these documents become necessary, the college will inform you and provide instructions for submission. Don’t submit any additional documents during the initial application process.

Admission for Non-California Residents

As we’ve mentioned, the Cal State system was established specifically to provide educational opportunities to students from California. For this reason, preference in admission is given to California residents, especially those living in the local area of a particular college, and to transfer students from the California community college system.

If you’re not from California, you’re still welcome to apply to the Cal State system. However, you should be aware that you’ll be subject to higher admissions standards. The EI threshold for out-of-state applicants is typically higher, meaning you’ll need higher grades and test scores to get in, and you may also need to submit supplemental documents if the college requests them.

As with most state universities and colleges, it’s also more expensive to attend schools in the Cal State system if you’re from out of state. California residents enjoy lower in-state tuition.

Choosing a Cal State Campus

With so many campus options scattered across the entire state of California, you might find it hard to decide which Cal State schools to apply to. While the schools in this system have a lot in common, and are run by the same chancellor and group of administrators, each campus also has a distinct character of its own.

Some of the Cal State schools are located in major cities like Los Angeles, while others are set in suburbs or small towns. Each school offers its own set of majors, and some of the schools are extra-specialized — Cal Maritime, for instance, is a small Cal State school that only offers a few majors related to maritime science.

Fortunately, the Cal State system’s website provides tools that you can use to help make this decision. Along with information on each college and the academic and other programs they offer, this website offers a Campus Match Tool that allows you to search among the 23 different Cal State schools by factors like size, location, and athletic offerings.

For more details about each campus, it’s a good idea to explore the individual websites of the Cal State colleges you’re interested in, and even to visit and speak to current students to get a more personal perspective. You can find links to each of the Cal State colleges on the Cal State website.

When you submit your initial Cal State application through the Cal State Apply system, you’ll be instructed to specify your campus(es) of choice. If any of the Cal State colleges you choose requires additional information from you in order to make a decision, the individual school(s) will contact you directly and provide more instructions for what to submit and how.

Considering the Cal State system may be a little overwhelming due to its breadth, but within that wide variety of programs, you may very well find one that’s perfect for you. Especially given the early deadlines of the priority application period, if you think any of the Cal State colleges might be a good fit for your less, it’s worth getting to know their process, checking whether you meet their requirements, and putting in your research in advance.

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!

What You Need to Know About Applying to the CSU

Several csus are still accepting applications for the fall 2024 term..

With 23 universities across California, the CSU offers more access to diverse higher education pathways than any other public university system in the United States. While the priority application filing period for the fall 2024 term has passed, several CSUs across the state have extended the deadline to apply and are still accepting applications.

Find answers below to some of the most common questions students have when applying to the CSU.

How do I apply to the CSU and when are applications due?

Applicants should start by visiting the Cal State Apply portal and creating an account. Students input their information just once to apply to any of the CSU's 23 universities. The priority application filing period for the fall 2024 term has passed, but more than half of CSUs continue to accept applications. Prospective students are encouraged to apply to their desired campus as soon as possible as they are accepting applications on a space-available basis. Visit the Cal State Apply website for a full list of application dates and deadlines .

Is there a GPA requirement to apply?

Freshman applicants who are California residents or students graduating from a California high school should have a minimum 2.5 GPA to be admissible into the CSU. However, students who have less than a 2.5 GPA but greater than a 2.0 GPA should still consider applying as they can be considered for admission using a number of additional factors or by going through the admission application appeal process.

Transfer students should have a minimum 2.0 GPA in all college coursework. Non-California residents can view admissions requirements on the Cal State Apply website.

Where do I get help with submitting my application?

A number of CSU campuses are offering application workshops to assist students. Students are encouraged to check their desired campus outreach office or their high school or community college counselor or career center to find out if there are any workshops being offered for them.

Applicants can also take advantage of a chatbot nicknamed “Cassie," which can be found in the bottom right-hand corner of the Cal State Apply portal. Virtual assistants are available 24/7 through the chatbot. They can also get application help via email and phone by contacting Cal State Apply customer service liaisons .

What does it cost to apply?

It costs $70 to submit an application, and applicants can apply to up to 23 universities. So, for example, if a student wishes to apply to four CSU campuses, the total would be $280. However, the CSU has expanded its California resident undergraduate application fee waiver , and now almost half of all applicants will qualify to have the $70 fee waived for up to four universities.

The Cal State Apply application will automatically alert students if they're eligible to receive a fee waiver when they're about to submit. If an applicant does not automatically qualify for an application fee waiver, they may file a fee waiver appeal form with their desired CSU campus.

Can international students obtain an acceptance letter without SAT or TOEFL scores?

Applicants do not need an SAT score to apply to the CSU. However, international students whose primary language of instruction was not English in the last three years do need to take the Test for English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and submit those scores to the respective campus they're applying to.

Applicants are also encouraged to visit their desired CSU website for prospective international students to see all of the requirements to obtain admission.

I just applied…. now what?

The first thing applicants should do after applying is check their emails to confirm that the campuses they applied to have received their application. Applicants can also check that information in the Cal State Apply portal under “check status."

Applicants should pay close attention to emails and text messages from the campuses they applied to in case there are any updates to their application. Campuses will send out notice of their admissions decision by March 31, 2024.

Lastly, applicants should apply for financial aid as soon as possible. At the CSU, about 80% of students receive some kind of financial aid , and 60% of undergraduates have their tuition completely covered by grants or other non-load aid.

Find out more about what to expect after you've submitted a CSU application.

Is there an option to provide a letter of recommendation?

Applicants do not need to submit any letters of recommendation, resumes or personal statements. A majority of the admissions decisions are based off of academic coursework they enter into the application.

Applicants do need to submit an essay and two letters of recommendation if they are applying to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), which is a student support services program that provides admission, academic and financial help to historically underserved students throughout California.

How do I know which CSU is right for me?

Picking the right place to earn your degree is an important part of applying to the CSU. Get help choosing a campus by comparing schools, taking an in-person or virtual campus tour or even attending a campus event for future students.

Here are some questions applicants may want to consider when choosing a campus:

How far do you want to travel away from home?
Are you looking for a big school or a small school?
What kind of research are you interested in?
Do you want a school that is close to the beach, or do you want something close to the mountains or the desert?

The deadline to apply is quickly approaching, so don't delay! Visit the Cal State Apply website to find your future at the CSU, and discover ways to fund your CSU education .

Want to Learn More?

Please contact:

(562) 951-4800

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Higher Education

Without SAT, ACT, what’s next for Cal State admissions?

Learn more about the CalMatters Ideas Festival and purchase tickets to attend the event in Sacramento.

The future of Cal State admissions

Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the system’s 23 campuses chiefly admitted students based on a formula of high school grades and ACT or SAT scores . Only in the last two years, after suspending its SAT requirement during the pandemic, has the system relied on other factors.

The system’s Admissions Advisory Council plans to submit a final set of admissions eligibility criteria to the California State University Office of the Chancellor by late spring.

The recommendations will largely reflect the work the system did during the pandemic to replace its testing requirements with additional information about an applicant’s high school grades and socio-economic factors.

Currently, the minimum eligibility requirement is a 2.5 grade point average for California high school graduates and a 3.0 if the applicant isn’t a state resident. Another is to complete the required 15 courses in math, English, science, history and other subjects, known as A-G courses. Some campuses accept slightly lower GPAs but consider other academic and socio-economic factors. The Admissions Advisory Council — in the first change to the system’s eligibility index since 1965 — is instead proposing that the minimum eligibility criteria include four factors:

the students’ GPAs for the 15 required courses;
whether students passed more than 15 of the required courses during their time in high school;
whether students attend either a high school that is near the Cal State campus to which they’re applying or attend a high school with a high percentage of students who receive federal meal subsidies because they’re low-income;
other socio-economic and interpersonal factors, such as whether students worked during high school, had no one else in their family complete college, had family commitments or volunteered.

The system is now developing the minimum GPA and weights for these factors. Once published, campuses will be able to use a formula to calculate whether applicants are eligible for admissions. It’s a quantitative approach that resembles use of an eligibility formula during the SAT era. Officials may continue to tweak it over time.

The Cal State system will roll out its new criteria gradually, giving it time to communicate the details to high school counselors. Current high school juniors who apply to enroll at a Cal State in fall 2023 will be admitted based on the current minimum eligibility criteria. Today’s high school sophomores seeking entry into a Cal State for fall 2024 will be admitted based on the current criteria or the new eligibility index in the works — whichever is more advantageous for them. Students applying for fall 2025 admissions will be governed by the new index.

Abandoning test-based criteria couldn’t come sooner for low-income students, said Cal State trustee Krystal Raynes, an undergraduate at Cal State Bakersfield.

“I remember saving up my lunch money to take both the PSAT and the SAT because my parents didn’t know what that was and didn’t want to spend money on me taking a test,” she said at the March board meeting, a day before the trustees voted unanimously to ditch admissions tests. “Meanwhile I knew students who were prepping with tutors in junior high, so there’s definitely that economic gap there.”

Criteria for more competitive campuses

But minimum eligibility isn’t enough of a cut-off for numerous Cal State universities. Right now seven universities are fully impacted, a technical designation meaning a major, program or the whole university receives applications from more qualified students than there’s space. All but seven campuses have at least one major program that’s impacted.

The Cal State admissions policy plan is to allow these oversubscribed programs to continue using a combination of up to 21 different admissions factors to admit students . These overlap partly with the newly proposed minimum eligibility criteria but include other variables, such as grades in specific high school subjects, whether students qualify for an application fee waiver and their military status. No campus uses all 21 factors for admissions .

Like the minimum eligibility index in development, all of these factors are data the Cal State application already collects. The system software is sophisticated enough to calculate the admissions scores for each campus based on the admissions criteria they select.

Though the Cal State system admits 93% of the California high school students who apply, several campuses are far more selective. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, and San Diego State, the most competitive, admit only a third of their California freshmen applicants .

Spotlight on admissions criteria at popular campuses

Presently six of the 23 Cal State campuses won’t consider any in-state student with a GPA below a 2.5. Even within this group, campuses are using multiple factors to handle their influx of applicants by balancing academic and socio-economic factors.

“Unequivocally, I think it is a great move” to remove admissions tests, said San Diego State President Adela de la Torre. “If we’re going to talk about diversity and inclusion, you have to have metrics that reflect a broader set of criteria.”

“If we’re going to talk about diversity and inclusion, you have to have metrics that reflect a broader set of criteria.” adela de la torre, president of san diego state university

The San Diego university expanded its criteria for admission for students entering last fall. Half of the admissions score is based on the GPA a student earned in the 15 required courses for entry. The other half includes the grades in math and science courses, foreign language, history and whether a student comes from a local high school. The university also gives extra points for signs of socio-economic hardship among students applying from nearby high schools or entering special programs for marginalized students, like for foster youth.

San Diego State will largely keep this formula beyond 2023, but like other campuses, it may change its weights and add more admissions variables over time.

Long Beach State guarantees admission to local high school students who meet the minimum eligibility requirements. Other students will be held to a higher admissions standard. All impacted Cal State campuses give some kind of admissions priority to applicants attending local high schools. Long Beach State has more than 50 public and private high schools in its local service area.

At Cal Poly-Pomona, 86% of the points in the admissions formula come from academic factors and 14% are based on non-academic areas.

Unlike the UC, Cal State has no admissions readers

The UC campuses hire hundreds of part-time application readers who undergo training to go through every application. The Cal States have no readers and never did. And unlike the UC, the Cal State application doesn’t ask students to provide essays or extended written responses.

UCLA hires 200 part-time readers who earn stipends of $1,350 to $2,500 depending on the number of applications they review. The university received nearly 150,000 freshmen undergraduate applications for fall 2022 enrollment , the most in the country. Other UC campuses shared that they bring on 50 to 160 readers; the numbers vary depending on each campus’s application volume.

The price tag for readers at UCLA is between $400,000 and $500,000. Meanwhile, the entire operating budgets of the admissions offices at Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo range from about $2.2 million to $2.4 million, respectively.

Cal State campus admissions officials will occasionally review individual applications, such as when a denied student files an appeal. Admissions teams also spot-check applications to see if students omitted required information. Plus some music and performing arts programs require applicants to submit portfolios that faculty then review.

For the record: This story has been corrected to reflect the accurate price tag for readers at UCLA.

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Mikhail Zinshteyn reports on higher education for CalMatters. His coverage tackles state legislation, financial aid, labor issues, student demands, campus housing and college affordability. His work on... More by Mikhail Zinshteyn

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Cal State Apply Program Materials

Last updated
Save as PDF

The Program Materials section includes additional information and requirements for the programs you selected in the Add Program tab. Each program's requirements may vary, so it's important you review this section in detail.

Your selected programs appear on the left side of this page; click each program's name to begin your review. Note that depending on your program's requirements, you'll see one or more of the tabs outlined below.

The Home tab contains the Program Details provided by each program at the start of the application cycle. It includes deadlines and other information specific to the program. Be sure to review this page carefully for any additional instructions, information, and/or requirements.

The Questions tab is only available for certain programs. Here, you can answer questions specific to each program. Questions may be multiple choice or open-ended text boxes. Some programs require an additional essay. Contact each program directly if you have questions.

Select your answers for each question and then click Save . If copying a response into a text box, check for possible formatting changes. We suggest using simple formatting, as tabs, italics, multiple spaces, etc., will not be saved. To delineate paragraphs, type a double return between each paragraph.

The Documents tab is only available for certain programs. Uploaded documents will only be visible to that specific program. Documents that do not have a red asterisk are optional and do not need to be uploaded for you to submit your application.

Contact the program directly if you have any questions about their specific requirements.

If your program provides a PDF form to fill out and upload in this section, you must save and upload it as an image. Depending on your computer's operating system, there may be multiple ways to do this; a Google search can point you in the right direction.

Once your application is submitted, you cannot re-upload, update, or edit the documents in any way; however, you can upload new documents.

Recommendations

The Recommendations tab is only available for certain programs that require you to submit recommendations.

Before You Begin

Recommendations (sometimes called Letters of Evaluation, Letters of Reference, or Letters of Recommendation) are submitted by the recommenders themselves; they cannot be completed or submitted by the applicant or another party on behalf of the recommender. We are not responsible for verifying recommenders' identities. If a discrepancy is found, we reserve the right to contact the appropriate individuals to investigate and to share the discrepancy with all campuses.

Before getting started, consider the following:

All recommendations are submitted electronically by recommenders using Liaison Letters , our Recommender Portal.
Research each campus's requirements. You should determine whether your campuses have specific requirements regarding recommender roles or relationships before listing recommenders on your application. Many campuses have strict guidelines and completed recommendations cannot be removed or replaced.
Choose your recommenders early in the application process to ensure they have adequate time to submit your recommendation.
Prepare your recommenders. Once you choose your recommenders, be sure to inform them about the process and that they will be completing the recommendation electronically. We recommend getting their preferred email address and asking that they monitor that inbox for your recommendation request (which will come from [email protected] ), including any junk or spam folders.

The Recommendation Process

When you request recommendations, your recommender receives an email request with a link to Liaison Letters. Recommenders review your requests, and then accept, complete, or deny them. Recommenders may complete assessments such as writing essays, completing Likert scales, and/or uploading letters.

Once your recommender completes your recommendation, you'll be notified via email. You can check the status of your recommendation requests in the Check Status tab of your application at any time.

Submit a Request

Navigate to the Program Materials section. On the Recommendations tab, click Add Recommendation .
In the Select Recommendation drop-down, select an existing recommender you previously entered or request a new recommender. If you select an existing recommender from the drop-down, click Send to submit the request. If you select to request a new recommender, follow the steps below.
Enter the recommender's full name and email address.
Select the date by which you would like this recommendation completed. This date should be before your program(s) deadline.
Enter a brief message or note for the recommender.
Select whether you want to waive your right of access to the recommendation. See Waiver below.
Click the checkboxes to indicate your permission for us (and programs) to contact your recommenders.
Click Save This Recommendation Request to submit it. Once you do so, an email is immediately sent to the recommender.
Confirm with your recommenders that they received the email notification.
Use the Check Status tab to monitor the status of your recommendations. Completed recommendations are marked as "Complete" and have a Complete Date listed. Follow up with your recommenders if their recommendations are still marked as "Requested" or "Accepted." It is your responsibility to ensure that recommendation requests are received and completed on time. We will not notify applicants about missing recommendations.

Resend the Recommendation Request

If you need to resend a request:

On the Recommendations tab, locate the request you wish to resend.
Click the pencil icon to edit the request.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Resend This Recommendation Request .

Change the Recommender's Email Address

If you entered an incorrect email address for any recommenders (or if any recommender asks that you send the request to a different email address), you must delete these requests and then re-add them with the correct email.

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) gives you the right to access recommendations unless you choose to waive your right of inspection and review. Prior to requesting any recommendations, you are required to indicate whether you wish to waive your rights. Cal State Apply will release your decision to waive or not waive access to your recommenders and designated programs. Your waiver decision serves the same purpose as a legal signature and is binding.

Selecting Yes indicates to programs that your recommender completed their recommendation with the understanding that you would not be able to view it. This means you will not be able to see the content of the recommendation. Programs may view this type of recommendation as a more accurate representation of an applicant's qualifications.

Selecting No indicates to programs that your recommender completed their recommendation with the understanding that you may choose to view it in the future. Selecting this option does not allow you to view your recommendation via the application. If you do not waive your right to view the recommendation, you may ask your recommender for a copy of the recommendation. Programs may view this type of recommendation as a less accurate representation of an applicant's qualifications.

Once you make a selection, you can't change it, so consider the choices carefully.

Kira Assessment

Some programs may request or require that you complete a Kira Talent assessment, which is separate from your Cal State Apply application. Kira Talent is a cloud-based, online video screening platform where your programs create virtual interview questions. Contact each program directly if you have questions.

To submit a Kira assessment:

Click Open Kira Assessment .
You will then be redirected to Kira Talent, where you can register and complete your assessment.

Once you complete the Kira assessment, return to your Cal State Apply application to verify that the section is marked complete. It can take up to one hour to update, and you may need to refresh the page.

Note: if your program's Kira assessment is optional, you can choose not to submit one by clicking I Do Not Want To Complete This Assessment .

Prerequisites

The Prerequisites tab is only available for certain programs. In it, you can assign courses you took (or plan to take) to fulfill the program's required prerequisites. You must complete College Coursework in order to complete this section.

Note that assigning these courses does not necessarily mean you meet the program's prerequisite requirements ; the program wants you to self-identify these courses for their review. Contact each program directly if you have questions about these prerequisites.

Assign a Prerequisite

Click Assign Course .
Click the plus sign next to the course(s) that you believe fulfills the prerequisite. You can match multiple courses to one prerequisite, if applicable. If you do not have a prerequisite course to add, click I Am Not Matching Any Courses to this Prerequisite .
Click Save and Exit .

Some programs may request or require that you complete a SlideRoom application, which is separate from your Cal State Apply application. In SlideRoom, you can create and submit a custom portfolio for each program. The SlideRoom tab is only available for certain programs. Contact each program directly if you have questions.

To submit a SlideRoom application:

Click Click here to start your SlideRoom portfolio .
You will then be redirected to SlideRoom, where you can log in with an existing account or create a new account.

Once you complete the SlideRoom application, return to your Cal State Apply application to verify that the section is marked complete. If it's not, click Update .

Note: if your program's SlideRoom application is optional, you can choose not to submit one by clicking Opt out of SlideRoom portfolio .

Application Guide for First-Year

We have compiled this information to guide you through each section of the Cal State Apply application. Within the application, you can also navigate to the blue question circle in the upper right corner for more detailed instructions. Additional resources are also available directly through Cal State Apply.

Getting Started

Gather materials.

Transcript(s) from all high schools and colleges (if applicable) that you've attended.
12th grade fall and spring course schedules to include in-progress and planned course work. Do not include planned summer courses. They will not be considered on your application.
Do not send official transcripts unless we request them.

Browser Preferences

Use Google Chrome or Firefox to complete your application. Internet Explorer or Safari are not recommended for Cal State Apply. You must disable your pop-up blocker.

Creating Your Account

Sign in or create an account. Please do not use a school-based email address under Contact Information .
In Complete Your Profile , choose “First Bachelor’s Degree,” and then “graduating high school senior or equivalent.” Next, indicate whether or not you have college course work to enter. From there, complete the remaining questions and click Save.
Scroll down to find "Cal Poly Undergraduate."
Search for "Cal Poly" (do not search for "San Luis Obispo").
Click on Filter and choose Cal Poly San Luis Obispo under the Campus selection.

Program Selection

All Cal Poly applicants must select a major. Undeclared is not an option for our campus.
You will be evaluated against other first-year applicants applying to the same major.
You may select an alternate major, but very few applicants are offered admissions based on their alternate major selection.

Review Your Program Selections

Review your answers, then click on Continue to my Application .

Personal Information

Complete all sections using your full legal name as it will appear on your test scores, transcripts and government issued documents.

Academic History

High schools attended.

Students whose California based high school is listed with CaliforniaColleges.edu , can import their high school information and course work data directly into the Cal State Apply Application. You must first create an account and register with CaliforniaColleges.edu . Once you have an account, click the “Connect” button and follow the prompts.
Once your accounts are connected, click “Import” to bring over your data. Once imported, you will receive a success message on the screen. It will be your responsibility to double-check all of the course work and ensure that all grades are entered, all A-G designations are assigned, and accurate course categories are applied.
If you do not use CaliforniaColleges.edu, you will need to enter all high schools attended manually.
Enter any online or distance education providers, if applicable.
If you were home-schooled, navigate to the Home School tab to enter your curriculum provider.
Double-check your selection for the diploma Date Received/Expected question to make sure you selected the correct year.
If your school operates on two different term types such as semester and trimester, enter the school twice under each term type. This will ensure that you get the proper credit for your course work.

Example of how to enter multiple term types.

Seventh and/or Eighth Grade Course Work

You can only enter one year of credit per course, even in your middle school split the course into two years (ex., Algebra 1A in seventh and Algebra 1B in eighth). In this case, enter the course work in either the seventh or eighth grade section.
Don't enter your middle school as an additional school attended. Instead, choose it as the first high school attended in ninth grade for that academic year.

Ninth through 11th Grade Course Work

Remember to list your courses and grades as they appear on your high school transcript and make sure you select the correct course type. If you are not sure which A-G area your course falls under, you can look it up on the UC Doorways A-G course list . If you have taken AP, IB, or Honors courses, select the appropriate option from the dropdown menu of course type. For all other courses, select “None.”

12th Grade Course Work

Enter all 12th grade course work as either “In Progress” or “Planned” to get credit for those semesters. Dropping Spring course work you report on your application could have an impact on your admissions status.

Failing Grades/Repeating Classes

Enter all failing grades for courses unless you have successfully repeated the same exact course at the same institution and your transcript reflects this accordingly. In this scenario, you will only report the passing grade. If you are currently retaking a failed course with an in-progress or planned course, you must report the failing grade.

Summer Classes with Two Grades

Did you take an A–G course over the Summer? Click on "Add Summer Courses" and enter your coursework. If you received one grade, enter that grade in Summer 1 and enter "No Course" in Summer 2.

Schools with Trimester Systems

If your school operates on a true trimester system where you receive three grades per course, select trimester as your term type. If your school operates on a trimester system where you only get two grades per course, you will select semester as your term type.

Elective Requirements

If you do not have two semesters of Electives, you may fulfill the one year requirement by entering one semester of US Government and one semester of Economics (if 4 semesters of Social Science have already been completed). If you do not have US Government and Economics, you may report a course entitled “Elective Credit” with two grades of Pass. Please call our office directly if you have questions or concerns about meeting the area G requirement.

College Course Entry

If you are using college classes toward your A-G Course work, make sure you add the college to your application. You should enter the course into the College Coursework page. Do not add a second grade if you only took one semester. The system will know to give you one year's worth of credit as long as you enter it properly and assign the appropriate A-G designation on the A-G matching tile.
Non A-G college courses can be entered on the college coursework page. Do not enter the course on both the High School Coursework and College Coursework pages, as this is considered double-reporting.

Test Scores

The California State University (CSU) system has permanently suspended the use of ACT/SAT tests in the admissions process. Standardized test scores will only be used for Math and English placement purposes, if you are admitted.
College Board institution codes for Cal Poly SLO: (ACT: 0188) (SAT: 4038) (AP: 4038).

Supporting Information

This section covers work experience and extra-curricular activities, as well as the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP).

Your work experience can be paid or not. You may also enter internships or volunteer programs in this section. There is no area on the application to give details regarding these activities. It is simply quantified into hours per week, with an indication of leadership roles and major relatedness. Cal Poly reserves the right to request additional documentation to verify your responses if needed.

The EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) provides admission, academic and financial support services to historically underserved students throughout California. Applicants to the program need to fill out all four sections by the EOP Application Deadline. Non-EOP applicants will need to decline the option on the first tile and click on Save to continue. Learn more about EOP .

Program Materials

After selecting your program, followed by the Questions tab:

Read and click on the Licensure or Credential Acknowledgment.
Select "First-Year (Graduating High School)" as Applicant Level.
Respond to the questions and acknowledgements displayed.
Save and continue.

You must pay the campus application fee at the time you submit, unless you qualify for an application fee waiver. The application will notify you automatically whether or not you qualify for a fee waiver at the time of submittal. The limit is four fee waivers for California State Universities. After you have used your four fee waivers, you must pay the campus application fee. If you do not currently own a credit card, the system will accept a pre-paid credit card.

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First-Time, First-Year Student Admission Eligibility

CSULB accepts applications from entering first-time, first-year students (freshmen) each year from October 1 through November 30 for admission to the following fall semester. We receive applications from thousands of highly qualified applicants each year. First-time, first-year applicants must meet minimum CSULB eligibility requirements below to be considered. Students may only be considered for one application per academic year. Get started by reviewing the admission criteria below, and then find out how to apply .

Who is considered a first-time, first-year student?

You can apply to CSULB as a first-time, first-year student (freshman) if you have:

not yet graduated high school, but are on track to graduate with a high school diploma by the spring term prior to fall enrollment.
graduated high school, but have not taken college courses beyond the summer after graduation.

What are the minimum CSULB eligibility requirements?

To be considered for first-time, first-year admission to CSULB, you must meet the following minimum requirements:

Complete each of the courses in the comprehensive pattern of college preparatory subject requirements with a grade of C or higher prior to high school graduation.
Graduate from high school by the end of the spring term prior to fall enrollment.
Have a minimum CSULB Index to be considered. The CSULB Index is the result of a formula that combines your achievement in high school college preparatory courses. Refer to CSULB Index for details of how this index is calculated.

The minimum CSULB Index to be considered CSULB first-time, first-year admission:

2.5 GPA or greater in college preparatory subjects per CSU minimum requirements
3,200 minimum CSULB Index for non-STEM majors
3,600 minimum STEM Index for STEM majors (this is higher than the minimum for CSU systemwide eligibility)
3.0 GPA or greater in college preparatory subjects per CSU minimum requirements
3,500 minimum CSULB Index for non-STEM majors

How will students be considered for admission?

Applicants who meet the minimum CSULB criteria above will be considered based on their intended major.

Applicants to Music and Dance: Eligible Applicants will be admitted based on the faculty evaluation of an audition, auditions are mandatory. Contact the Dance department or Music department for details of the audition process.
Applicants to Nursing: Admission to Nursing will be to a Pre-Nursing status. Students must meet specific course and GPA milestones to remain in Pre-Nursing and must apply to the Nursing department to be considered for admission to the major at the junior level. CSULB strongly recommends that applicants to Nursing complete additional math courses beyond the minimum required for the CSU to improve the likelihood of success in the major and timely graduation.
Other eligible applicants will be ranked by the STEM Index and will be offered admission based on space available in the major or college. Admission to STEM majors will be to a pre-major status. Continuation in the major will be subject to meeting specific lower division course and GPA requirements at CSULB that indicate the student’s ability to succeed and complete the major.
CSULB strongly recommends that applicants to STEM majors complete additional math courses beyond the minimum required for the CSU to improve the likelihood of success in the major and timely graduation.
Applicants to other majors, including undeclared: Applicants will be admitted based on the calculated CSULB Index used in establishing minimum CSULB eligibility above. Applicants who are considered local based on their high school of graduation or military status will be offered admission if they meet the minimum Eligibility Index required of the major. Other applicants will be ranked by the Eligibility Index and will be offered admission based on space available in the major or college. Admission to some majors will be to a pre-major status. Continuation in the major will be subject to meeting specific lower division courses and GPA requirements at CSULB that indicate the student’s ability to succeed and complete the major.

What if I am not admitted to the major for which I applied?

Local Applicants : Applicants who are considered local based on their high school of graduation or military status who meet the CSULB minimum eligibility requirements but are not admissible to the major will be offered admission as an undeclared student. Undeclared students will explore other appropriate majors through coursework and advising and must meet the major-specific criteria for the major prior to declaring a major by their junior year. Applicants should note that undeclared is not a route to their initial intended major. Undeclared students work with university advisors to identify and succeed in alternate majors.
The BEACH Pathways Program: This program encourages applicants from targeted communities based on low socioeconomic status and historically low rates of college going to submit supplemental materials for a holistic admissions review. A limited number of applicants will be admitted based on, community involvement/leadership, overcoming significant hardship, and potential for degree completion.
Other applicants: Admission to CSULB is very competitive. As a result, many eligible applicants will not be offered admission. CSULB strongly recommends that all applicants have a backup plan

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Sep 28, 2022

Applying to a Cal State University in 2023

Updated: Sep 23, 2023

The California State University (CSU) is a public university system made up of 23 college campuses across the state of California.

Whether your student is applying to one or four of the CSU colleges, they will still apply via the Cal State Apply Application .

Here’s what you need to know for the 2023-24 admissions cycle.

How do students apply to the CSUs?

The application opens Oct. 1 and has "phased deadlines," meaning some campuses will have earlier deadlines than other campuses. Eight campuses will close on November 30th, including Cal Poly San Louis Obispo and San Diego State University. You can verify deadline dates on each campus's website or look it up here.

What is admission based on?

Since 2022, the use of ACT/SAT scores in the admissions process has been suspended for all of the CSU campuses.

As a result, the 23 CSU campuses have implemented a multi-factor review to determine admission eligibility, which includes a combination of:

Completion of the 15-unit comprehensive “A-G” pattern of college prep courses with a qualifying GPA of 3.0 or higher for non-California residents

Supplemental factors

The GPA minimums and the weighting of supplemental information used may vary by campus.

Some CSU campuses are impacted or have programs that are impacted – meaning the number of applications received from qualified applicants is greater than the number of available spaces. These campuses may use a higher GPA minimum in their admissions process.

For example, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo gives extra consideration when students take beyond the minimum number of semesters required in some of the “A-G” subject areas, such as math, lab science, or language other than English. San Diego State University, in addition to considering all of the college-prep coursework students have taken during high school, also considers the performance and the number of units taken in courses most relevant to their intended major (see "Preparation Towards Indicated Area of Study").

The main section of the CSU application asks students to report the average number of hours they participated in extracurricular and/or leadership over the most recent 12 months, as well as the average number of hours they worked per week over the most recent 12 months. Note, students are not asked to list out the activities or work endeavors themselves, simply the amount of time spent engaged in them.

Insider Tip

Students applying to Cal Poly may also be given extra consideration if they indicate they have held a leadership position in any of their extra-curricular activities, or if 25% or more of their work experience is related to their chosen major.

Does CSU consider 9th-grade year grades?

The majority of the CSU campuses use a GPA derived from “A-G” coursework taken in 10th and 11th grades only. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo continues to be the only CSU campus that will also include 9th grade in their GPA calculation.

Will CSU consider test scores, if submitted?

The CSU has made it clear that “in no case will standardized test scores be utilized in making admissions decisions for applicants. There will still be a section on the application where students can submit SAT and ACT scores, alongside AP and IB scores, but the test results will be used only for college-level math and English course placement for admitted students.

Will CSU count “credit” or “pass” pass grades?

Yes! The CSU campuses will consider course grades of “credit” or “pass” as fulfilling “a-g” requirements for those courses completed from the spring 2020 term to the summer 2021 term. Grades of credit/pass or no credit/no pass will satisfy eligibility requirements, but they will not be included in the calculation of high school GPA.

Is an essay required?

Although the CSU campuses will be looking at coursework and non-academic variables such as the hours spent in extra-curricular activities, the CSU system does not require any essays or personal statements and remains as objective as possible in making admissions decisions.

Do I need to submit my transcript or Letters of Recommendation?

Students will self-report their courses and grades in the application and do not submit letters of recommendation.

Where can I learn more about the CSU campuses?

Each CSU campus offers its own events. Find the campuses here and link to their admission events website pages. You can also visit with specific campuses in October:

Where can I learn how to navigate Cal State Apply Application?

Several resources are available to students throughout the admissions process:

Read the Cal State Freshman Application Guide

Read the Cal State Admission Handbook

Students can sign up for a virtual application workshop here . Be sure to scroll down to the very bottom of the page to "other ways to explore" and click on schedule .

Students can also wat ch Cal Poly's series of application videos.

Cal State Apply Coursework Entry Guide

Freshman Admission Requirements

Out-of-State CSU Eligibly Index

Do you have questions about college admissions? Let's talk!

College Application

Cal State Long Beach Requirements for Admission

Choose your test.

What are Cal State Long Beach's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

GPA requirements
Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Cal State Long Beach and build a strong application.

School location: Long Beach, CA

This school is also known as: California State University Long Beach, CSU Long Beach, Cal State Long Beach

Admissions Rate: 40%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Cal State Long Beach is 40% . For every 100 applicants, 40 are admitted.

This means the school is moderately selective . The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they're more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in. But if you don't, you might be one of the unlucky minority that gets a rejection letter.

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies . We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Cal State Long Beach GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.7

The average GPA at Cal State Long Beach is 3.7 .

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.7, Cal State Long Beach requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you're able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.7, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate . This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Cal State Long Beach hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Cal State Long Beach will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Cal State Long Beach SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1145

The average SAT score composite at Cal State Long Beach is a 1145 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Cal State Long Beach Competitive for SAT test scores.

Cal State Long Beach SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1040, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1250. In other words, a 1040 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1250 will move you up to above average .

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Cal State Long Beach has the Score Choice policy of "Highest Section."

This is also known as "superscoring." This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider your highest section scores across all SAT test dates you submit .

Click below to learn more about how superscoring critically affects your test strategy.

For example, say you submit the following 3 test scores:

Even though the highest total you scored on any one test date was 1000, Cal State Long Beach will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. You can raise your composite score from 1000 to 1400 in this example.

This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and Cal State Long Beach forms your Superscore, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Your application readers will only see that one score.

Therefore, if your SAT superscore is currently below a 1145, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it . You have a very good chance of raising your score, which will significantly boost your chances of getting in.

Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the SAT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on. This will give you the highest Superscore possible.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

Cal State Long Beach ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Cal State Long Beach likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 23

The average ACT score at Cal State Long Beach is 23. This score makes Cal State Long Beach Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 20, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 26.

Even though Cal State Long Beach likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 20 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 23 and above that a 20 will look academically weak.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 23 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Cal State Long Beach, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 23.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

Free eBook: 5 Tips to 4+ Points on the ACT

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Cal State Long Beach considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require it.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission . Scoring a 1250 SAT or a 26 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission. Because the school admits 40% of all applicants, being far above average raises the admission rate for you to nearly 100%.

If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially doesn't matter. You still need to meet the rest of the application requirements, and your GPA shouldn't be too far off from the school average of 3.7. But you won't need dazzling extracurriculars and breathtaking letters of recommendation to get in. You can get in based on the merits of your score alone.

But if your score is a 1040 SAT or a 20 ACT and below, you have a good chance of being one of the unlucky few to be rejected.

Admissions Calculator

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are. Pick your test: SAT ACT

80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
50-80%: More likely than not getting in
20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program . We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:

PrepScholar customizes your prep to your strengths and weaknesses . You don't waste time working on areas you already know, so you get more results in less time.
We guide you through your program step-by-step so that you're never confused about what you should be studying. Focus all your time learning, not worrying about what to learn.
Our team is made of national SAT/ACT experts . PrepScholar's founders are Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers . You'll be studying using the strategies that actually worked for them.
We've gotten tremendous results with thousands of students across the country. Read about our score results and reviews from our happy customers .

There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program , or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:

Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Cal State Long Beach here.

Application Requirements Overview

Common Application Not accepted
Electronic Application Available
Essay or Personal Statement
Letters of Recommendation
Interview Not required
Application Fee $70
Fee Waiver Available? Available
Other Notes

Testing Requirements

SAT or ACT Not used if submitted
SAT Essay or ACT Writing Optional
SAT Subject Tests
Scores Due in Office None

Coursework Requirements

Subject Required Years
Foreign Language 2
Social Studies 1
Electives 1

Deadlines and Early Admissions

Offered? Deadline Notification
Yes November 30 February 15

Admissions Office Information

Address: 1250 Long Beach, CA 90840
Phone: (562) 985-4111
Email: [email protected]

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Cal State Long Beach, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Cal State Long Beach.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Cal State Long Beach. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Cal State Long Beach, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Cal State Long Beach, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Cal State Long Beach is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

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Mustang News

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's News Source

No essay, no problem — How the CSU application may affect the university’s diversity

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 64 great colleges that don't require essays to apply.

College Info , College Essays

If the thought of writing a college essay fills you with terror, you might be wondering: are there any colleges that don't require essays?

The answer is yes, there are! This guide will give you an overview of colleges that don't require admissions essays, how to find these schools, and whether you should apply to one or not. We'll wrap up with a list of 64 colleges with no essay requirement that you can apply to.

Why Do Some Colleges Not Require an Essay?

In general, college essays help schools get a sense of you as a person—beyond your academic record, GPA, and test scores. They give you a chance to clearly articulate your goals and also give admissions officers a better idea of how you'll fit within the school's community. Finally, essays are helpful because they provide schools with concrete evidence of your writing ability.

However, there are many colleges that don't require essays for admissions. What are some reasons why? Let's take a look at the three biggest ones:

#1: Limited Resources

It takes a lot of admissions officers' time and energy to read and evaluate college essays.

At smaller schools with fewer resources, and even at larger schools that enroll tens of thousands of students, the resource costs associated with reading each essay for every single student might outweigh the benefits of getting additional information on applicants beyond GPAs, test scores, and transcripts.

Schools sometimes balance these concerns by requiring essays only for the most competitive programs (usually things such as engineering and nursing) or for scholarships, for which the additional information might be more instrumental in making decisions.

They need to use those limited resources for coffee.

#2: Specific Admissions Cutoffs/Criteria

Many colleges, particularly public schools, admit students based on a type of selection index, which tabulates some combination of GPA, test scores, and/or class rank.

If students meet the minimum index score cutoff, they will be admitted. In this case, the school might simply feel that additional information from an essay isn't necessary for making a decision regarding whether a student will be successful or not.

Selection indices are also often different for in-state and out-of-state students, with the latter being subject to more stringent academic criteria.

In addition, the selection index is sometimes used for scholarships, with students with higher index scores being awarded more money.

Schools with selection indices do often require or recommend college essays for borderline candidates so that students can provide additional information on why they'd be a good fit at the school in spite of not meeting the stated academic criteria.

#3: Make Admissions Process Easy and Appealing

Some colleges hope that by making the admissions process easy and requiring only a transcript, test scores, and basic demographic information, they'll attract a wider variety of applicants.

By presenting their application process as a simple alternative to more intensive processes that require letters of recommendation, essays, and so on, they can attract students who are on the fence about applying to college at all .

They could even potentially motivate highly qualified applicants to use them as one of their safety or match schools because the students won't need to write additional essays or do extra work to apply.

Some applications seem like you just have to click to apply!

How to Find Colleges That Don't Require Essays

There are over 4,000 postsecondary educational institutions in the US, and over 80 of these schools don't require essays for admission.

If you want to know whether a particular school requires an essay for admission, Google "[School Name] freshman admission requirements" or "[School Name] admissions essay." This should pull up pages from the school's official website, with links to guidelines on admission essays.

If, however, you're looking more generally for schools that don't require essays, you can check out our list of 64 schools below or try one of the following starting places:

Public Universities in Your State

A significant number of public universities don't require essays for admissions.

Even if the major public schools in your state (such as the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign or UCLA) require essays for admission, you might find that the smaller campuses and smaller or more specialized state schools might not require essays. So be sure to check those out!

You can actually get a pretty robust list of schools in your state by simply Googling "[State Name] colleges." Do this and a list of colleges will appear across the top of your screen. Thanks, Google!

Schools With Automatic Admissions Criteria

A school that has criteria for automatic admission (e.g., if you live in-state and have a particular class rank, GPA, and/or test score profile) might not require applicants who meet the automatic criteria to submit essays with their applications.

However, don't assume that just because you meet automatic admissions criteria that you won't need to write an essay.

At UT Austin, for example, all students must submit an essay , regardless of whether they meet the automatic admissions criteria. Although you could probably write just a straightforward paragraph in the essay section and still get admitted (since you meet the criteria), you'd likely be hurting your scholarship potential, not to mention jeopardizing your chances of being let into your desired major.

Small Private Liberal Arts Institutions

Another group of schools that might not require essays are smaller, private liberal arts institutions. These types of schools often serve a fairly niche market and might simply not get a high enough application volume to need essays to differentiate applicants.

Community Colleges

Local community colleges do not require essays for enrollment, since most allow anyone to enroll. Some even have automatic transfer agreements with local four-year universities. However, if you want to transfer to a particular four-year university after you finish at a community college, you might very well have to write an essay—so you could just be putting off the inevitable!

You can find a lot of no-essay colleges for your basket!

Complete List: 64 Colleges That Don't Require Essays

The following chart contains 64 colleges with no essay requirement, organized by state.

Note that these are far from the only no-essay college applications —just some of the most notable. Follow our guidelines above for finding additional essay-free colleges.

Should You Apply to a College That Doesn't Require an Essay?

If you're reading this article, you're clearly worried about writing application essays for one reason or another. Maybe you're concerned about having enough time to finish everything. Or maybe you think your writing is terrible.

Here are some reasons to write college essays in spite of your misgivings:

#1: You Want to Apply to the Most Selective Schools

If you're hoping to apply to the most selective schools , you'll almost certainly have to write at least one essay. The most highly ranked no-essay school that I could find was the University of Pittsburgh—a great school. But if you're going for UChicago , MIT , Stanford , or an Ivy League-level school , you'll have to write an essay.

#2: You Want a Scholarship

Even if you do apply to a school that doesn't require an essay, you might still have to write an essay if you want to apply for the most competitive scholarships .

#3: You Have Special Circumstances to Explain

If you have any kind of special circumstance to explain—say, a dip in your grades one year due to a family illness—you definitely want to write about it in an essay. This will help you compensate for any perceived deficits in your academic record and also prevent you from being penalized in the admissions process for the vagaries of life.

There's value in telling your story to the admissions committee.

#4: You're a Good Writer

I'm thinking that most strong writers are going to actively want to write college essays, but just in case: if writing is one of your strengths, definitely write an essay. You want to show off your best qualities to admissions officers, after all! If your primary concern is time, use something like the Common Application so you don't have to write a new essay for every school.

#5: The Essay Prompt Is Short

Some college essays are barely essays at all. Some required essays have just a 250-word limit, and 500 words is pretty standard. For reference, the first section of this article—"Why Do Some Colleges Not Require Essays?"—is about 450 words, including sub-headings. That's not so bad!

#6: You Can Get Help

Although it's important that your college essays are your own work, you're allowed to get help with them! Colleges expect you to put your best foot forward, so if that means discussing ideas with parents and teachers, and having someone else look over your rough drafts and offer suggestions, that's completely fine. You don't have to go at it completely alone.

#7: You Can Reuse an Essay for All Your Schools

For schools that use the Common App , Coalition App , or Universal College App , you can generally use one essay for all your colleges. Some schools might require additional supplemental essays, though, so be sure to look that up in advance to avoid being blindsided later.

So Should I Write an Essay?

If it happens that all the schools you want to apply to don't require essays, then great! But overall, I'd say don't let the fact that a school has one (or even two) essays stop you from applying if you're genuinely interested in going there.

If you find writing essays stressful or if you're time-limited, there's nothing wrong with using some strategies to limit the number of polished essays you need to produce (such as using the Common App) and applying to a mix of essay and no-essay schools.

Key Takeaways: Colleges That Don't Require Essays

There are actually tons of colleges that don't require essays. Here are some common reasons why a college might not require an essay:

Limited resources—it takes a lot of time and effort to read an essay by each applicant
They might have certain GPA and/or test score admissions criteria and feel as though the information provided by an essay isn't necessary
To make it more appealing to students by having an easier application process

So how can you find college applications without essays? Here are some places to start:

Public schools in your state, especially smaller ones in case the bigger ones do require essays
Schools with automatic admissions criteria—if you qualify for admission, you might not need to write an essay
Smaller liberal arts institutions
Community colleges

When it comes down to it, though, should you apply to colleges with no essay requirement? Here are some reasons you might want to write a college essay, even if you're apprehensive:

The most selective colleges usually do require essays
Scholarship applications for particular schools often require essays
If you have special circumstances to explain, plan on writing an essay
Strong writers should write essays to put their best foot forward
Word limits are often very short—think 250-500 words (that's just a few paragraphs!)
You're allowed (and encouraged) to get help with brainstorming ideas and revising drafts
If you use an application system that can send applications to multiple schools, such as the Common App, Coalition App, or Universal College App, you might be able to write just one essay for all the schools you're applying to

No essay, no tears!

What's Next?

Need more help looking for colleges? See our step-by-step guide to college research . Also, check out how to decide where to go to college and the difference between a college and a university !

Decided to write an essay after all and need some help? Check out our comprehensive guide to writing a college essay and our guide to writing the "why this college" essay . Be sure to avoid these 10 college essay mistakes , too.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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PDF Freshman Application Guide 2022-2023
What is Cal State Apply? Cal State Apply is the Centralized Application System for all 23 campuses in the California State University (CSU) system. You only need to submit ONE Cal State Apply application even if you are applying to multiple CSU campuses (note: each campus you apply to has a $70 fee).
Applying to a Cal-State School? Here's What You Need to Know About the
Whether a particular school or major is impacted can vary from year to year, but some campuses, like Cal State Fullerton, are already known to be impacted for the 2017-2018 application season. Impacted Cal State colleges generally require a higher EI for admission than the others, and impacted majors may require a higher EI than other majors at ...
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The Cal State Apply application will automatically alert students if they're eligible to receive a fee waiver when they're about to submit. If an applicant does not automatically qualify for an application fee waiver, they may file a fee waiver appeal form with their desired CSU campus. ... Applicants do need to submit an essay and two letters ...
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This guide walks first-time freshman through completing most parts of the Cal State Apply application, including: preparing to apply, first steps in your application, completing the Academic History, Su pporting Information, and Program Materials quadrants (quadrants 2, 3 and 4), and lastly, submitting your application.
First-Time, First-Year Student Application Process
Applicants must apply during the CSU initial filing period (October 1 - November 30 for fall admission). Refer to current application deadlines to see if CSULB is open to applications for a specific term and the deadline to apply. To apply to CSULB, visit Cal State Apply.Once submitted, we will send you a notification by email to acknowledge receipt of your application.
Without SAT, ACT, what's next for CSU admissions?
Unlike the UC, Cal State has no admissions readers. The UC campuses hire hundreds of part-time application readers who undergo training to go through every application. The Cal States have no readers and never did. And unlike the UC, the Cal State application doesn't ask students to provide essays or extended written responses.
Do Cal State schools require an admissions essay?
Cal State schools generally do not require an admissions essay as part of the application process. The primary focus of their admissions is on your academic achievements, GPA, and standardized test scores (if applicable). However, some individual campuses or programs may have supplementary application requirements, such as an essay or personal statement.
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Updated: Sep 23, 2023. The California State University (CSU) is a public university system made up of 23 college campuses across the state of California . Whether your student is applying to one or four of the CSU colleges, they will still apply via the Cal State Apply Application. Here's what you need to know for the 2023-24 admissions cycle.
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Common App Personal Essay. Required. 650 words. The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores?
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California State University-Sacramento's 2023-24 Essay Prompts
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No essay, no problem
Cal Poly's application for the Fall 2019 term opened Oct. 1 on the university's online application portal, Cal State Apply. Cal State Apply allows applicants to apply to multiple California State University (CSU) campuses with the same application. Unlike many colleges and universities, Cal Poly's application does not require an essay.
64 Great Colleges That Don't Require Essays to Apply
Western Oregon University. Required only for students who don't meet minimum academic requirements. Admission primarily via GPA (3.0+) and recommendation; test optional except for students applying for scholarships and honors, or for those who don't meet minimum academic requirements. Eastern Oregon University.
How Long Are You Required To Keep Your Old Tax Returns?
Keep records for seven years if you file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction. 4. Keep records for six years if you do not report income that you should report and it ...
California State University-San Marcos's 2023-24 Essay Prompts
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