[UPDATE: AS OF 12/1/2020, THE CAL STATE APPLY PRIORITY DEADLINE WAS EXTENDED TO DEC. 15, 2020.]
Beginning October 1, 2020, all 23 California State University (CSU) campuses will accept applications for admission to the fall 2021 term. Students interested in attending any CSU campus can apply online at the university's application portal: Cal State Apply.
Cal State Apply enables all CSU incoming freshman, transfer, graduate and international students to apply to multiple CSU campuses with just one application.
The website provides prospective students and their parents important information about degree offerings across the CSU. The site includes a comprehensive database detailing undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered at each campus, as well as information about the campus community, student housing, financial aid and campus life.
Applying early during the priority application process is encouraged;
impacted campuses cannot accept applications after December 15. Campuses or programs that are "impacted" have higher demand from qualified applicants than can be accommodated.
For fall 2021 applications, the fee is $70 per campus. However, the CSU expects that about half of this year’s undergraduate applicants will qualify to have the application fee waived based on income criteria.
To better serve prospective students and parents, the CSU is
facilitating live information sessions October 5-9, 2020, as an alternative to in-person college fairs, which have been halted due to social distancing regulations. Each campus will present a short live session to provide a campus overview, information about the admission process and a question-and-answer portion.
The CSU is committed to helping high school and community college students overcome university admissions challenges caused by COVID-19. The university has taken steps to ensure students are not adversely impacted by these disruptions and can pursue their degree as planned, including
temporarily suspending the use of ACT/SAT examinations in determining eligibility for all campuses for the 2021-2022 academic year.
After applying, prospective students should visit the university's
financial aid website to learn more about financial aid options. The CSU represents the best value of all
comparable institutions with one of the lowest tuition fees in the nation and robust financial aid totaling more than $4.5 billion per year. In fact, 80 percent of all CSU students receive some type of financial aid, and 60 percent of undergraduates receive sufficient grant and scholarship financial aid to cover the full cost of tuition.
The CSU is working to ensure all students are successful in college, especially first-generation students and those from underrepresented communities. As part of
Graduation Initiative 2025, CSU campuses continue to remove barriers to student achievement and provide students with additional support inside and outside the classroom, resulting in record graduation rates.