Admitted Returning Undergraduate Students

Ask your college or university to send your final, official transcripts to the CSUN Office of the Registrar on your college's official letterhead. Transcripts may be sent directly from your school, electronically or via sealed envelope.

Transcript Deadlines

• For fall admission, send transcripts for receipt by July 15.
• For spring admission, send transcripts for receipt by Jan. 15.

Transcripts may be sent directly from your school, electronically or via sealed, unopened envelope.

Tips on Sending Transcripts

Electronic transcripts

• If sending California community college transcripts, save time with  eTranscript California.
• To send other college transcripts from your school’s transcript ordering system, choose “CSU Northridge” as the recipient. If this option is not available, use registrar@csun.edu as the recipient email address.
• Please do not send identical, duplicate electronic and paper transcripts.

Paper transcripts

• If your college doesn’t offer electronic transcripts, have paper transcripts sent to the address below in a sealed, unopened envelope.

   California State University, Northridge
   Office of the Registrar
   18111 Nordhoff Street
   Northridge, CA 91330-8207

Transcripts are not required if:

• If you were previously disqualified and have only taken courses in CSUN’s Tseng College since your disqualification.
• If you are a returning student in good academic standing who has not taken courses elsewhere since your last attendance at CSUN.

NOTE: If you attended CSUN before 1992 and submitted official transcripts for transfer courses at that time, you must submit new transfer course transcripts.

Start Planning Early

• Before developing a plan to finance your education, review CSUN’s estimated cost of attendance which includes basic tuition and fees, books, housing, transportation and personal expenses.
• Through the combination of grants, loans, scholarships, part-time employment, savings and contributions from family, a college education at CSUN is affordable. With much of the grant and scholarship aid eligibility based on FAFSA need, it’s important to start planning early.
• For additional information on financing your education, contact the Financial Aid & Scholarship Department. Visit the Student Financial Services website for the latest on tuition and fees.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

To be considered for federal financial aid, as well as state aid if you’re a California resident, you’ll need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA).

It helps to submit your FAFSA and CADAA applications by March 3 for priority consideration in the coming 2025-2026 academic year for California. You can request aid at any time and aid can be awarded all year long, but more aid is available if you apply by March 3.

Federal and state financial aid include resources such as grants, part-time job opportunities and student loan for eligible students. If you’ve already submitted a FAFSA or CADAA application, log in to your account to add CSUN’s federal school code 001153 to the list of colleges you want to receive your information.

Important Deadlines:

• The FAFSA and CADAA applications open in early December for the the fall 2025 and spring 2026 academic year.
• File your FAFSA and CADAA applications by March 3 for priority consideration in the 2025-2026 academic year for California.
• FAFSA Tip: Use the IRS data retrieval option to reduce errors and list CSUN's federal school code 001153 on your FAFSA. If you’ve already submitted a FAFSA or CADAA application, visit How do I add a college to my FAFSA form?

To apply for a Cal Grant:

• If you are a California resident applying for a new Cal Grant from the California Student Aid Commission, you must submit both the FAFSA or CADAA and your Cal Grant GPA Verification Form by March 3 to be considered for an award in the 2025-2026 academic year.
• You can apply for a Cal Grant at any time, however. Visit Cal Grant FAQs to learn more.
• If you already have a Cal Grant and want to renew it, you don’t have to complete the GPA Verification Form again. Just be sure to add CSUN’s federal school code 001153 to your FAFSA or CADAA application.

How to Apply for CSUN Scholarships

To apply for institutional scholarships, login to my Matador Scholarships with your CSUN user ID and password. You will see the list of scholarships including eligibility and application requirements for each one. Please note that each CSUN scholarship requires a separate application and essay. 

Students awarded CSUN scholarships will be notified in late spring.

Visit the CSUN Portal for updates on your application and award status. You can also visit the CSUN on-campus scholarships page for additional scholarship opportunities posted throughout the year.

How to Apply for External Scholarships

In addition to the scholarships available through CSUN, a number of external companies and organizations offer scholarships each year. To maximize external scholarship possibilities, apply for as many relevant scholarships as possible. As some grants are limited, you should submit your application and any required documents as soon as possible.

To learn more about external scholarships, visit our off-campus scholarships website.

Guidelines for Financial Aid and Scholarships

Based on available funding, financial aid and scholarship applications are reviewed and awarded throughout the year.

Log in to the CSUN Portal to view your Financial Aid awards. For navigation help, visit Financial Aid How To Guides.

If registered for classes and your aid is available, University Cash Services will apply financial aid funds to any charges on your account and issue refunds for any remaining amount. University Cash Services will send you an email once your funds have disbursed.

To receive your refund via direct deposit, sign up for eRefund by early August.

Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to set up your academic plan before enrolling in classes. Advisement depends on your academic college and major. 

• Check your CSUN email regularly for advisement information.
• Find your advisor at I’m a Continuing Student.

Look for your registration appointment in the CSUN Portal Checklist. Clear any registration holds before registering.

Learn about self-service registration with these resources:

• CSUN Portal Checklist Guide 
• How-To Guides
• Registration Calendar
• Registration Guide

Tuition and other fees are due at the time you register, but no later than the deadline, about one week before weekday classes begin. Find the exact deadline by semester at payment due dates.

How to Pay Your Fees

1. Log in to the CSUN Portal.
2. In the list of links below the Top Tools icons, select Make a Payment.
3. On the Student Account Information page, review your Current Balance Outstanding.
4. Select CSUN Payment button.

For additional information, visit the Student Finance and University Cash Services website.

Please be aware of the student disclosure regarding the Schedule of Tuition and Other Fees.

So that we can keep in contact, please:

• Check your CSUN email often for the latest information.
• Verify your mailing address, phone number, alternate email address, emergency contacts and preferred pronouns in the CSUN Portal. Learn how at Update Personal Information.

Start with these three links to discover a ton of interesting things to do and services to take advantage of:

• Admitted Students Events 
• Admitted Students Resources 
• Student Life and Support

Best wishes for your first semester back at CSUN!