ADMISSION
TO SACRAMENTO STATE -
FIRST TIME FRESHMEN
First-time
Freshmen
Admissions and Records
Lassen Hall Lobby
(916) 278-3901
The following section outlines the requirements for admission to
Sacramento State and other CSU campuses. A high school or community
college counselor or the admissions office at California State
University, Sacramento should be contacted for further questions.
Generally, first-time freshman applicants will qualify for regular
admission if they:
1. have graduated high school, have earned a Certificate of General Education Development (GED) or have passed the Caifornia High School Proficiency Examination; and
2. have a qualifiable minimum eligibility index (see section on Eligibility Index), and
3. have completed with grades of “C” or better each of the
courses in the comprehensive pattern of college preparatory
subject requirements (see “Subject Requirements).
Honors
Courses
Up to eight semesters of approved honors courses taken in the
last two years of high school including up to two approved courses
taken in the tenth grade, can be accepted. Each unit (one year)
of grade “A” in an honors course will receive 5 points; grade “B”,
4 points; and grade “C”, 3 points.
Test
Requirements
Freshman applicants with grade point averages below 3.00 (3.61
for nonresidents) must submit scores from either the SAT I or
the ACT. Applicants with grade point averages of 3.00 or above
(3.61 for nonresidents) are not required to submit test scores.
However, applicants are urged to take and submit scores from
one of the two tests because these test results are used for advising
and placement purposes and may be required for admission
to impacted majors or programs.
Foreign
Language Subject Requirement
The foreign language subject requirement may be satisfied by
applicants who demonstrate competence in a language other than
English equivalent to or higher than expected of students who
complete two years of foreign language study. Consult with a
school counselor or any CSU admissions office for information.
Subject
Requirements
The California State University requires that first-time freshman
applicants complete, with grades of “C” or better, a comprehensive
pattern of college preparatory study totaling 15 units. A “unit”
is one year of study in high school.
• 2 years of social science, including 1 year of U.S. history, or
U.S. history and government
• 4 years of English
• 3 years of math (algebra, geometry and intermediate algebra)
• 2 years of laboratory science (l biological and 1 physical, both
with labs)
• 2 years in the same language foreign language (subject to
waiver for applicants demonstrating equivalent competence)
• 1 year of visual and performing arts: art, dance, drama/theater,
or music
• 1 year of electives: selected from English, advanced mathematics,
social science, history, laboratory science, foreign
language, and visual and performing arts.
Note: All admission requirements (i.e., grade point average, test scores
and subjects) must be completed prior to the summer semester for
International
Baccalaureate (IB)
Sacramento State recognizes completion of the International
Baccalaureate (IB) program as satisfying the college preparatory
subject requirements for admission.* The applicant’s high school
GPA and score on the ACT or SAT I will also be used in determining
eligibility for admission.
* See Academic
Policies/ Credit by Examination/ CSUS Equivalencies for IB Exams.
Subject
Requirement Substitution for Students with Disabilities
Applicants with disabilities are strongly encouraged to complete
college preparatory course requirements if at all possible. If an
applicant is judged unable to fulfill a specific course requirement
because of his or her disability, alternate college preparatory
courses may be substituted for specific subject requirements.
Substitutions may be authorized on an individual basis after review
and recommendation by the applicant’s academic advisor
or guidance counselor in consultation with the director of a CSU
disabled student services program. Although the distribution may
be slightly different from the course pattern required of other
students, students qualifying for substitutions will still be held
for 15 units of college preparatory study.
Students should be aware that course substitutions might limit
later enrollment in certain majors, particularly those involving
mathematics. For further information and substitution forms,
please call the director of disabled student services at the nearest
CSU campus.
Provisional
Admission
Sacramento State may provisionally admit first-time freshman
applicants based on their academic preparation through the junior
year of high school and planned for the senior year. The campus
will monitor the senior year of study to ensure that
admitted students complete their senior year of studies satisfactorily, including
the required college preparatory subjects, and graduate
from high school. Students are required to submit an official
transcript after graduation to certify that all course work has been
satisfactorily completed. Official high school transcripts must be received prior to deadline set by the university. In no case may documentation of high school graduation be received any later than the census date for a student's first term of CSU enrollment. A campus may rescind admission decisions, cancel financial aid awards, and cancel any university registration for students who are found not to be eligible after the final
transcript has been evaluated.
International Students
The CSU must assess the academic preparation of foreign students.
For this purpose, “foreign students” include those who
hold U.S. visas as students, exchange visitors, or in other nonimmigrant
classifications. Foreign visa students graduating from
U.S. high schools after three years of attendance will be admitted
as freshmen under the same requirements as graduates of
California high schools by use of the eligibility index.
Those graduating from foreign high schools (or from California
high schools after less than three years of attendance) may be
admitted if their achievement is equivalent to that of eligible
California high school graduates. They also may need to complete
the TOEFL requirement.*
* Refer to Application
to CSUS/ International Students/TOEFL Requirement.
Special Categories
Adult
Students
As an alternate to regular admission criteria, an applicant who is
25 years of age or older may be considered for admission as an
adult student if he/she meets all of the following conditions:
1. possesses a high school diploma (or has established equivalence
through either the General Educational Development
or the California High School Proficiency Examination);
2. has not been enrolled in college as a full-time student for
more than one term during the past five years; and
3. if there has been any college attendance in the last five years, has earned a “C” average or better in all college work attempted.
Consideration will be based upon a judgment as to whether the
applicant is as likely to succeed as a regularly admitted freshman
or transfer student and will include an assessment of basic skills in the English language
and mathematical computation.
See also Campus Life/Campus Services/Services for
Reentry Students.
Educational
Opportunity Program
EOP, a special admission and support program for students who
possess the potential and motivation to succeed, is designed to
improve access and retention of low-income and educationally
disadvantaged students among California residents who wish to
pursue a college education.*
*See Centers for Academic Support/EOP.
Veterans
Veterans of United States active duty military service with honorable
discharges applying for admission within four years of
their date of discharge who are also California residents may be
admitted as first-time freshmen, even though such applicants
are not otherwise eligible. Veterans who wish to be admitted
under this provision should contact an admission counselor.*
*See also Application
to SACRAMENTO STATE/CSU Impacted Programs/Supplemental Criteria.
High School Non-Graduates
Applicants over 18 years of age who have not graduated from
high school are considered for admission only when their preparation
in all other ways is such that Sacramento State believes
their promise of academic success is equivalent to that of eligible
California high school graduates. These applicants may be required
to submit scores of the ACT or SAT I. Applicants should
consult with an admissions counselor concerning eligibility for
admission.
High
School Students
Admissions and Records
Lassen Hall Lobby
Students still enrolled in high school will be considered for enrollment
in certain special programs if recommended by their
principal and the appropriate campus department chair and if
their preparation is equivalent to that required of eligible California
high school graduates. Such admission is only for a specific
program and does not constitute the right to continued
enrollment.
These programs include:
1. Accelerated College Entrance (ACE) for talented students
who can benefit from accelerated academic studies, (916)
278-7032;
2. Capitol Center MESA for underrepresented students in CSU
mathematics, engineering and science programs, (916) 278-
6699.
Students accepted into these programs qualify for reduced fees
(total of $5 per semester).
High school students other than those accepted into the above
programs may also enroll concurrently in college courses without
fee reduction upon approval of parents, high school principal
and appropriate Sacramento State academic department
chairs.
Applicants
Not Regularly Eligible
Applicants not admissible under one of the above provisions
should enroll at a community college or another appropriate institution
in preparatory courses to meet eligibility requirements.
Only under the most unusual circumstances and only by special
action will such applicants be admitted to Sacramento State.
Advanced Standing
Credit and Advanced Placement Exams
www.csus.edu/admr/evaltce.html
Sacramento State grants advanced standing credit for system approved,
college-level examinations or courses taken by students
while in high school.
• Students may be granted up to 6 units for each Advanced
Placement (AP) examination for which a score of 3, 4, or 5 is
earned.
• Transferable college courses completed as a high school student
will be evaluated for possible college credit upon receipt
of an official college transcript.
