CSU Eligibility Requirements
Freshman
1. Earn a high school diploma, or equivalent
Your graduation date must be included in your final transcripts.
2. Complete the required high school courses with grades of "C-" or better
91ΑΤΖζ will accept grades of "Credit" or "Pass" to satisfy "a-g" requirements completed during Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall 2020 terms and during Winter, Spring, or Summer 2021 terms. All prior coursework must be graded and a grade of C- or better must be earned for the course to satisfy βa-gβ requirements. Grades of credit/pass or no credit/non-passing will not be included in the calculation of high school GPA.
All required high school courses must be completed by the end of the spring semester prior to fall admission. Any makeup coursework must be completed prior to the end of spring as you may not use summer to make up deficiencies. If you are a student that earned college level credit after the summer promptly following your high school graduation, you will be considered a transfer applicant and need to meet the CSU Eligibility Requirements for Transfer applicants.
Area |
Subject |
Years |
Description |
a |
History/Social Science |
2 years required |
Including one year of U.S. History or U.S. history and government |
b |
English |
4 years required |
Composition and literature |
c |
Mathematics |
3 years required
|
Algebra, geometry, intermediate algebra; or integrated mathematics |
d |
Laboratory Science |
2 years required
|
One year of biological science and one year of physical science; both with lab |
e |
Language other than English |
2 years required |
Study in the same language |
f |
Visual and |
1 year required |
Select a year-long course from art, theatre/drama, music or dance |
g |
Elective |
1 year required |
Select from the areas a-f (above) or from other approved college prep "a-g" courses |
3. SAT or ACT test scores
Official test scores will not be used in our consideration of applicants for admission. Students may submit their official SAT and/or ACT should they be offered admission to be used for course placement purposes, but the standardized tests will not be considered in the admission decision.
4. Meet or exceed the CSU Minimum Eligibility Index
Grade Point Average
Your official GPA for admission to 91ΑΤΖζ may be different from the GPA on your high school transcript. This is because we calculate your high school GPA using your 10th, 11th and 12th grade a-g courses when considering you for admission. Note that courses completed with βPassβ or βCreditβ grades in Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall 2020 terms and during Winter or Spring 2021 terms will not be included in the calculation of your GPA.
Applicants will be eligible for admission consideration according to the following:
Residency |
Minimum GPA Requirement (a-g coursework) |
California Resident or graduate of a California high school |
2.50 or greater |
Nonresident of California |
3.00 or greater |
Applicants below these GPA minimum requirements will not be considered for admission at 91ΑΤΖζ.
Admission Selection Process (Impaction)
Admission to San JosΓ© State is competitive in all majors because 91ΑΤΖζ continues to have more qualified applicants than available new student spaces. This situation is called "impaction" and it means that meeting the minimum California State University (CSU) requirements does not guarantee admission to 91ΑΤΖζ. To learn about impaction and view the historical competitiveness of each major at 91ΑΤΖζ, visit our Impaction Information page.
Freshmen applicants who meet the CSU minimum eligibility requirements will be ranked in each major by the GPA earned in a-g course requirements (self-reported at the time of application).
San JosΓ© State gives preference in the competitive admission process to local applicants.
For freshmen, you are considered a local applicant if you will graduate from a high
school in Santa Clara County.
Additional consideration will be given to applicants who qualify for the Cal State Apply fee waiver, are the first to attend
college in their family (first-generation), or are a U.S. veteran.
Choose Your Major and Alternate Major Carefully
It is important to understand that though all majors are impacted, the admission threshold for each major varies, depending on the capacity of the major to take new students, and the number of students applying for that major in that term.
We encourage you to apply for the major in which you intend to earn a degree. Change of major is prohibited during the application and admission process. After you are admitted, change of major is never guaranteed and is by petition only. Your mandatory orientation, advising and registration will all be based on your choice of major.
Alternate Major: You must enter an alternate major on your application to 91ΑΤΖζ. We will consider the alternate major for those applicants who did not meet the impaction threshold to their first choice major. We will only admit to alternate majors if there is additional capacity for new student enrollment in that major.
View a complete list of , including graduate degrees and credentials.