California State University:

With 23 campuses and thousands of degree choices, the California State University (CSU) can be a great option to start your college journey. If you plan to apply to a CSU as a first-time freshman, you must meet certain requirements for admission. In addition to your graduation from high school, CSU will take into account the courses you have taken, your grades, and your test scores when reviewing your application. Familiarize yourself with the CSU requirements and meet with your counselor regularly to monitor your progress.

To qualify for CSU as an incoming freshman:

What is “a-g?”

Your high school "a-g" courses refer to classes that fall into subject areas labeled "a" through "g". For example, area “a” is History, area “b” is English, and so on. All CSU campuses have the same minimum requirements for freshmen to ensure that every student is equally prepared to be academically successful.

Here is a quick overview of the “a-g” subject requirements for CSU:

Area “a” History/Social Science: 2 years required.
Area “b” English: 4 years required.
Area “c” Mathematics: 3 years required, 4 years recommended.
Area “d” Science: 2 years required, 3 years recommended.
Area “e” Language other than English (LOTE): 2 years required, 3 years recommended.
Area “f” Visual and Performing Arts (VPA): 1 year required.
Area “g” College Preparatory Electives: 1 year required.

You must pass “a-g” classes with a letter grade of C- or better.

Due to COVID-19, “Credit” or “Pass” grades are allowed for classes you completed during the following terms.
- Academic Year 2019-2020.
  - Winter, Spring or Summer terms.
- Academic year 2020-2021.
  - All terms—Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.
For 2021-2022 and beyond, only letter grades can count toward “a-g.”

For more details about the “a-g” requirements see this chart (pdf).

Be sure to review the “a-g” requirements often with your counselor to stay on track.

Certain Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses may be used to meet these subject area requirements. Also, certain classes completed in 7th or 8th grade may be used to satisfy "c" (Math) and "e" (Language other than English) requirements. Ask your counselor for information.

If you earned a D or F in an “a-g” course, you may repeat it as many times as needed to earn a C- or better. Alternatively, you can meet the requirements for some courses through validation, which means that you earn a C- or better in a higher-level course than the one in which you earned a D or F. Talk to your counselor about the options available to you.

All CSU campuses will require you to submit your final high school transcript to verify course grades and completion. While the minimum coursework above is the requirement for CSU admission, pursuing coursework beyond the minimum can help you gain more knowledge and skills that better prepare you for college. For example, many first-time freshmen enrolled in a CSU complete four years of math.

GPA

Completing all the “a-g” courses is the first step to meeting CSU eligibility. The CSU will also look at your High School GPA. That’s your GPA for all “a-g” courses you completed after 9th grade. It may be different from the overall GPA listed on your high school transcripts.

Use the CSU GPA Calculator to figure out your GPA. Remember to enter your GPA for “a-g” classes you took after 9th grade. If you’re in a partner district (Los Banos Unified is a partner district), you can find it in the CSU Eligibility tab in your Academic Planner.

How are honors courses treated in the GPA calculation?

You can earn honors points when you pass an approved honors course with a grade of A, B, or C. A maximum of eight extra points are awarded for a maximum of eight semester courses taken in 11th and 12th grades, including up to two International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Honors courses taken in the 10th grade that have 11th or 12th grade content may receive up to two honors points. There are no honors points awarded for grades of D and F.

Is there an exam requirement?

The CSU recently made some big changes to the exam requirement.

For Fall 2022 and beyond:

CSU will not look at ACT or SAT scores when making admissions decisions or awarding scholarships.
You can submit SAT or ACT scores if you want to. It’s not required. If you don’t submit scores, it won’t hurt your chances of getting in.
SAT or ACT scores could still be used for first-year course placement in English or math courses.

How do validations work?

A validation is when you successfully complete advanced coursework (earning a letter grade of C- or better) in an area of sequential knowledge. Doing so presumes you have mastered the lower-level coursework. There are two types of validation:

Validation of coursework: Validation of a lower-level course even if the lower-level course was not actually completed (“subject omission”).
Validation of grades: Validation of a D or F grade (“grade deficiency”) in a lower-level course after completion of a higher-level course with a grade of C- or better.

Note the following validations for Math, Language other than English (LOTE), and Chemistry courses:

Math
- Earning a grade of C- or better in the first semester of Algebra II can replace both semesters of Algebra I.
- Earning a grade of C- or better in Trigonometry or Pre-calculus replaces the entire high school college preparatory requirement.
- Integrated style Math 2 will be accepted in place of a geometry course.
Language other than English (LOTE)
Chemistry
- Earning a grade of C- or better in the second semester of Chemistry will replace the first semester.

Discuss course validation options with your school counselor.

Satisfying Subject Requirements with Test Scores:

Required "a-g" courses may be satisfied with appropriate test scores on Advanced Placement (AP) exams or designated International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.

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