Transfer Student Requirements

Our admission requirements for transfer students include:

  • Your transfer GPA,
  • Completion of specific CSU General Education courses,
  • Good academic standing at the last college or university you attended,
  • Submitting required transcripts by the published deadlines, and
  • Submitting optional AP, CLEP and/or IB test scores (if any) by the published deadlines.

You’ll need to meet additional requirements based on the number of college units you will transfer to CSUN.

For spring 2027 admission, you can apply to CSUN as a transfer student whether you have completed:

  • 59 or fewer transferable semester units (90 quarter units), or
  • 60 or more transferable semester units (90 quarter units).

Determine which set of eligibility criteria you’ll need to meet in the two sections below.

Transferring 59 or Fewer Units

Beginning with spring 2027 admissions, you’ll be eligible to apply as a transfer student with 59 or fewer semester units (89 or fewer quarter units) if you:

  • Have met the minimum first-time freshman CSU admission eligibility requirements, including:

    • Completing the A to G course requirements in high school,
    • Receiving a high school diploma or equivalent,
    • Meeting CSUN’s eligibility index requirement for first-time freshmen; and

  • Have attained an overall college GPA of 2.0 or higher;* and

  • Will earn a C minus or better in both of the following lower-division CSU General Education courses:

    • English Composition (Written Communication)
    • Mathematical Concepts/Quantitative Reasoning; and you

  • Are in good standing at the last college or university you attended.

*Note: GPA requirements may be higher for applicants who chose a competitive major. Visit our Transfer Impaction page to see if your major is impacted.

If transferring fewer than 60 semester units to CSUN, you may select “Undeclared” as your major in Cal State Apply. Refer to “Get Help Choosing a Major” on this page.

Admission is provisional until all eligibility requirements and deadlines have been met.

Transferring 60 or More Units

For fall 2026 or spring 2027 admission, you are eligible to apply as a transfer student with 60 or more semester units (90 or more quarter units) if you:

  • Have earned an overall college GPA of 2.0 or higher.*

  • Attained a C minus or better in each of the CSU General Education Courses known as the Golden Four:

    • English Composition (Written Communication)
    • Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
    • Critical Thinking (not required prior to admission for Engineering or Computer Science majors)
    • Oral Communication (Speech)

  • Are in good standing at the last college or university you attended.

And you:

  • Select a major on your Cal State Apply application.

*Note: GPA requirements may be higher for applicants who chose a competitive major. Visit our Transfer Impaction page to see if your major is impacted.

Admission is provisional until all eligibility requirements and deadlines have been met.

Get Help Choosing a Major

You’ll need to declare a major on your Cal State Apply application if you have completed 60 or more transferable semester units (90 quarter units) by the time you plan to enter CSUN.

If you haven’t chosen a major yet, you may want to:

You might also be interested in earning an Associate Degree for Transfer from your local California community college. Find out which Associate Degrees for Transfer (AA-T and AS-T) majors will transfer to CSUN as “like majors.”

Is Your Major Impacted?

For admission, impacted (competitive) majors typically require applicants to meet a supplementary admissions requirement that exceeds the minimum standard, such as a higher overall college GPA or an audition. While only two CSUN majors are impacted, you’ll want to know what the supplementary criteria are.

  1. Determine if you will be applying to an impacted major.
  2. Confirm if impaction applies to you. You are NOT affected by impaction if you are:
  • A nonresident of California, or
  • An active U.S. service member or veteran.

Course Completion

Complete all coursework required for admission by the end of the following terms:

  • Fall admission: Complete all requirements by the end of the previous spring term.
  • Spring admission: Complete all requirements by the end of the previous fall term.