CSU Admissions

California State University (CSU)

It is easy to understand the California State University admission requirements for California residents. Admission offices at the 23 campuses use three factors to determine eligibility.  Most applicants who are admitted meet the standards in each of the following areas:

  1. Specific high school courses

  2. Grades in specified courses and test scores

  3. Graduation from high school

Some CSU campuses have higher standards for particular majors or for students who live outside the local campus area. Because of the number of students who apply, a few campuses have higher standards (supplementary admission criteria) for all applicants.  Most CSU campuses utilize local admission guarantee policies for students who graduate or transfer from high schools and colleges that are historically served by a CSU campus in that region (i.e., Los Banos High School and Fresno State).  Students seeking additional information about CSU should visit CSUMentor (www.csumentor.edu) which is an online resource designed to help students and their families learn about the CSU system, select a CSU campus to attend, plan to finance higher education, and apply for admission.

For more information on the CSU system, visit The California State University.

CSU Eligibility Index - California Residents
The Eligibility Index Table shows the combination of test scores and grade point averages required to meet minimum eligibility requirements. The CSU does not use the SAT Writing section or the ACT Writing score to calculate the CSU Eligibility Index.

You can calculate your eligibility index by multiplying your grade point average by 800 and adding your combined score on the SAT, using the combined scores earned on the critical reading and math sections. The CSU does not use the SAT Writing score for admission purposes. You may use the best score earned in individual test dates. Or, if you took the ACT, multiply your grade point average by 200 and add ten times the ACT composite score. The ACT composite score can be calculated using the best scores earned in individual test dates. ACT Writing score is not considered in the composite score.

If you apply for admission before you graduate from high school, you should compute your GPA using grades earned in A-G courses completed after the 9th grade. Do not include grades you expect to earn in courses during the remainder of 12th grade.

If you are a California high school graduate (or a resident of California for tuition purposes), you need a minimum eligibility index of 2900 using the SAT combined score for critical reading and math sections or 694 using the ACT.


SAT Scores:    ACT Scores:
(Your GPA ) x 800 + Your SAT Total

My index is ______    (Your GPA ) x 200 + (10 x ACT Comp)

My index is ______


CSU English Placement Test (EPT)
The CSU requires new students to be tested in English as soon as possible after they are admitted and before enrolling at a CSU campus. The test is used to determine whether students are prepared for college work; and if they are not, to place the students in appropriate remediation courses or activities. Students may be exempt from the test if they have scored well on other specified tests or have completed appropriate courses.

PURPOSE OF THE EPT The EPT is designed to assess the level of reading and writing skills of entering undergraduate students so that they can be placed in appropriate baccalaureate courses. Those undergraduate students who do not demonstrate college-level skills will be enrolled in courses or programs designed to help them gain these skills. (The test is not part of the admission requirements to the CSU, but it is a condition of enrollment if the student is not exempt.)

WHO MUST TAKE THE EPT? The CSU English Placement Test (EPT) must be completed by all entering undergraduates, with the exception of those who present proof of one of the following:

  1. A score of 550 or above on the verbal section of the College Board SAT: Critical Reading Test taken April 1995 or later 

  2. A score of 24 or above on the enhanced ACT English Test taken October 1989 or later 

  3. A score of 680 or above on the adjusted College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken May 1998 or after 

  4. A score of 3, 4, or 5 on either the Language and Composition or Literature and Composition examination of the College Board Advanced Placement Program Tests 

  5. Completion and transfer to the CSU of a college course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth requirement or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum requirement in English Composition, provided such a course was completed with a grade of C or better.

CSU Entry Level Mathematics Exam (ELM)
The CSU requires new students to be tested in mathematics as soon as possible after they are admitted and before enrolling at CSU. The test is used to determine whether students are prepared for college work; and if they are not, to place the students in appropriate remediation courses or activities. Students may be exempt from this test if they have scored well on other specified tests or have completed appropriate courses.

The ELM examination tests for entry level mathematics skills acquired through three years of rigorous college preparatory mathematics course work (normally Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry). All undergraduate students must take the test or be exempt from it prior to placement in appropriate university mathematics courses. Specific policies regarding re-testing and placement will be determined by the campus. Exemptions from the test are given only to those students who can present proof of one of the following:

  1. A score of 550 or above on the mathematics section of the College Board SAT test or on the College Board SAT Subject Tests in Mathematics Level I, IC (Calculator), II, or IIC (Calculator). 

  2. A score of 23 or above on the American College Testing Mathematics Test (ACT)

  3. A score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement Calculus examination (AB or BC)

  4. A score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement Statistics examination

  5. Completion and transfer of a college course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) quantitative reasoning, provided the course was completed with a grade of C or better

  6. To support you in making good decisions to meet the EPT and ELM Requirements, the California State University has developed the English Success (www.csuenglishsuccess.org) and Math Success Websites (www.csumathsuccess.org).

On these sites you will find:

  1. Information about the CSU Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) Requirement and CSU English Placement Test (EPT) Requirement

  2. A personalized roadmap with an interactive checklist to track your progress 

  3. Information about the EPT and ELM tests including practice problems and assessments