Cal State Apply Quick Start Information and FAQs (2023)

FAQs

What is required for the Cal State application? ›

California residents and graduates of California high schools will be eligible for admission by earning a 2.50 or greater “a-g” GPA. Any California high school graduate or resident of California earning a GPA between 2.00 and 2.49 may be evaluated for admission based upon supplemental factors.

Early action will give you access to event options for admitted students only. You'll have more time to take a deep dive into all aspects of CSU and can schedule meetings with faculty or researchers from your chosen major.

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.

All 23 California State Universities (CSU) will start accepting applications for admission to the fall 2023 term on Saturday, October 1, 2022. Students can apply for admission to any CSU through the Cal State Apply systemwide portal at calstate.edu/apply​​. The priority application period closes on November 30, 2022.

This is the place to start your own journey to a successful college career —​ and a degree. The fee to apply to the CSU is $70 per campus. Some students may qualify for an application fee waiver.

California applicants must earn at least a 3.0 GPA and nonresidents must earn a minimum 3.4 GPA in all A-G or college-preparatory courses to meet this requirement. To see how to calculate your UC GPA, follow our instructions below.

Timing and application strategy are key in selective admissions, and applying in the early round can improve the chances of getting an acceptance letter – but only if students are ready.

Most students will receive a decision within four weeks after submitting a complete application with required documents.

Some students and high school counselors believe that applying early decision gives them better odds of acceptance, but the truth is early acceptance rates and admissions standards vary from school to school.

Visit our Applicant Help Center for additional assistance. For fall 2022 undergraduate admissions, some campuses have extended their deadlines for Cal State Apply applications to December 15, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

What is the last day to apply for a Cal State? ›

You Would Be Breaking a Contract with the Colleges

The first and foremost reason is that when you submit your application to any college or university, you electronically sign something that says you will only accept an offer from one school. So, theoretically, this should be the end of discussion.

I made a mistake on my application. How can I make corrections? After you submit your application, you can't make any changes. Contact your campus(es) directly with any updated information.

Applying for Fall Semester

Students can complete the document submission after completing the application on Cal State Apply. Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis until spaces are filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.

To be considered for the application fee waiver, you must be: An undergraduate student (you cannot be in an extension program) A California resident for more than one year. A U.S. citizen or someone without lawful immigration status who qualifies for an AB540 non-resident tuition exception.

Why are CSU schools cheaper than UC schools? UC schools charge around $13,000 in tuition per year, while CSU schools charge around $5,700 per year.

Applicants who are eligible for the application fee waiver may apply to up to four CSU campuses per application term (i.e., fall, spring).

The easiest Cal State to get into is the California State University, Los Angeles. Founded in 1947, it enrolls about 27,672 students and has an acceptance rate of 70%. Its high acceptance rate and the quantum of students admitted yearly make it the easiest CSU to get into.

The acceptance rate at Cal State Los Angeles is 41.5%.

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.

Who qualifies Cal Grant? ›

Eligibility Requirements

be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen or meet AB540 eligibility criteria. be a California resident for 1 year. attend a qualifying California college. not have a bachelor's or professional degree.

Nothing, If You Back Out With Good Reason

Yes, early decision is binding. However, if you have a good reason for backing out of an early decision offer from a college, the school will often let you leave without penalty.

This means that the average student is more likely to get in when they apply early decision than when the same student applies regular decision to the same school. On average, applying ED is going to result in a 1.6x or a 60% increase in your chances of admission to super selective schools.

The hardest Cal State to get into is the Cal Poly San Luis, Obispo. It has an acceptance rate of 28%, the lowest among CSUs. It also has the highest average SAT score requirement of 1340 and an average ACT score of 29, also the highest among the CSUs.

Once you are logged in, on the left hand side under “CUNYfirst Menu” click 'Student Center' Scroll down to the 'Admissions' section and click 'View Details' To accept an offer of admission, you should click 'I accept offer' and then confirm your acceptance.

There are very few disadvantages to applying early. The main drawback to early action is that only a few institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Yale, offer early action. Selective colleges can safely provide this option because they know you will probably accept their offer even if it's not binding.

ADVANTAGES OF EARLY DECISION

You don't have to wait around as long to find out if you're in. You don't have to spend time and money filling out applications. You have more time to plan how to pay for college.

What About Early Action? Applying EA may or may not increase your chances of admission, but it can't hurt unless you need: more time to write a really great application, higher test scores, or to count senior year grades. If you need more time to do these things, you may want to apply Regular Decision.

When should I start applying for fall 2022 University? ›

Most US college applications opened in August 2021 for students who plan to apply to colleges for fall 2022 enrollment. The application open dates may vary somewhat, but generally, college applications become available by late August or early September.

There is no application opening date for the University of Pretoria late application for the 2022 academic year admissions. This is because UP does not consider late applications.

Where do I apply to the CSU? You can apply to any of the 23 CSU campuses through Cal State Apply. Whether you're a U.S. or international student, undergraduate, transfer or graduate student, this website handles the entire application process.

For information on how to submit documents, visit the Submitting Documents webpage. The Spring 2022 application filing period opens on August 1, 2021.

California State University

Application opens October 1st. Deadline for submission is November 30th. CSU's do NOT need letters of recommendation letters.

Colleges can revoke an admitted student's acceptance at any time. The most common reasons include poor grades, disciplinary infractions, and honor code violations. Students at risk of not graduating high school can have their admission revoked. Colleges typically reach out before revoking an admission offer.

Can you reject a college after accepting? Certainly! From the day you accept your acceptance offer to the day of your graduation, you can choose to no longer attend the university you're currently at. This is even true for those who accept an early decision acceptance offer, which are usually binding.

If you do decide that you want to decline your offer, even if you accepted it initially but have now decided to change your mind, you can do so through UCAS Hub. This can be done by logging in to your UCAS Hub account and clicking the 'decline my place' button.

colleges normally start to read applications at the same day for regular decision applicants. unless you are apply early decision, no benefit to submit ahead of the deadline.

Do colleges care if you submit early? ›

Applying EA/ED often increases a student's shot at admissions. Colleges also love EA/ED because most early acceptances will end up enrolling, which increases a college's yield and allows them to better estimate incoming class sizes.

Applying for Fall Semester

Students can complete the document submission after completing the application on Cal State Apply. Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis until spaces are filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.

Applying early gives you a higher chance of getting accepted. You'll find out if you got accepted sooner than those who apply in the regular decision round. If you are accepted, it cuts down on additional admission stress.

Some colleges require you to send in all of your SAT scores. As such, it's wise to use your four free reports if the schools you're applying to have this requirement. Otherwise, it's best to wait until you know your scores before sending out a report.

It can have a small impact but it's nothing too worry about. A school won't decide to reject or accept you simply based on when you submitted your application. They understand that some students won't receive their test scores until close to the application date, especially for this year.

When should I start applying to college? You should start the application process the summer before your senior year. However, you can do a lot of prep work in your junior year, such as taking the SAT, researching and visiting campuses, getting recommendation letters, adding to your extracurriculars, etc.

Applying early to colleges isn't absolutely necessary, but it's certainly advantageous. Colleges like to see early applicants, and the statistics show it. Both early decision and early action applicants are accepted at a higher rate than their standard deadline counterparts.

There is some truth to the fact that admission rates are higher for those who apply early. For example, applicants for Harvard may have a 7-8% chance at early admission, as opposed to a 3% chance for regular admission.

The easiest Cal State to get into is the California State University, Los Angeles. Founded in 1947, it enrolls about 27,672 students and has an acceptance rate of 70%. Its high acceptance rate and the quantum of students admitted yearly make it the easiest CSU to get into.

I made a mistake on my application. How can I make corrections? After you submit your application, you can't make any changes. Contact your campus(es) directly with any updated information.

How many people get their first CAO choice? ›

82% have received an offer for one of their top three preferences, which up from last year's 79%. Nine out of 10 applicants to Level 7/6 courses have been offered a place on the course that was their top choice.

Nothing, If You Back Out With Good Reason

Yes, early decision is binding. However, if you have a good reason for backing out of an early decision offer from a college, the school will often let you leave without penalty.

About 450 colleges offer early admission plans. Under these plans, students can apply to colleges early — well before the usual deadline — and get a decision early. Some students who apply under these plans have a better chance of getting in than they would through the regular admission process.

Early decision plans are binding: A student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college. Early action plans are nonbinding: Students receive an early response to their application but do not have to commit to the college until the normal reply date of May 1.