For those students planning to transfer to the California State University (CSU) system, including Sacramento State (CSUS), please follow the requirements below, based on if you were eligible for CSU admission directly after high school or only now as a community college transfer.
Eligible for CSU Admissions After High School
Students who were eligible for admission to a CSU when they graduated from high school, but decided to attend a community college can transfer to some CSUs at any time as long as a 2.0 grade point average or better is maintained for all transferable coursework completed at the community college. High school eligibility is based on test scores, grade point averages, and completion of specific subject area requirements.
Community College Transfer
Students who were not eligible for admission to a CSU when they graduated from high school may be eligible once they have completed a minimum of 60 transferable units with a 2.0 grade point average or better (2.4 for international or non-resident students) and the following additional requirements (refer to CSU General Education Requirements):
- Complete Area A, sections 1, 2, and 3 (C grade or better for each course)
- Complete Area B, section 4 (C grade or better)
- Complete a minimum of 30 semester units of general education with a 2.0 grade point average. This includes items listed above.
- Students may also refer to the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) which details the coursework required to fulfill lower division general education requirements at either CSU or UC.
GPA requirements are higher for more competitive campuses or majors. Students are highly encouraged to complete lower-division preparatory courses for their major as required by the CSU of their choice, in addition to general education requirements and graduation requirements. Lower-division major requirements can be obtained from ASSIST, the official state-wide repository for transfer and course articulation information.
The CSU will accept a maximum of 70 transferable semester units completed in the community colleges. Sacramento City College students should meet with a counselor to plan appropriate course selection in preparation for transfer.
CSU: Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT)
Application Dates & Deadlines
Priority application filing for fall admission is October 1 to November 30 for the following year, and for spring admission is August 1 to August 31. Some universities accept applications after the first filing month. Find out which CSU campuses are admitting students for a particular term.
Helpful Hints
- Make regular contact with a counselor to monitor your transfer progress.
- Many courses other than the ones listed in the CSU General Education Requirements and IGETC will transfer to CSU. The units from those other courses will count toward the 60 units required to transfer as a junior. Check the catalog for the transfer status of any course.
- CSU will accept a maximum of 70 community college units (excludes credit earned via AP and CLEP).
- Although transfers do not require an associate’s degree, it is easy to complete one while preparing to transfer. View the associate degree graduation requirements.
- Check with the counseling staff for other courses needed for your major. In many cases, it will be to your advantage to complete all pre-major requirements as well as general education requirements before you transfer, even if this exceeds 70 units.
There are 23 campuses in the California State University system.