APPLICATION TO SACRAMENTO STATE
Application Information and Forms
Office of Admissions
Lassen Hall Lobby - Room 1102
www.csus.edu/admr
The Office of Admissions and Outreach provides prospective students with information about academic programs, admission requirements, and the application process.
Requirements for admission to Sacramento State are in accordance with Title 5, Chapter 1, Subchapter 3, of the California Code of Regulations. Complete information is available at www.csumentor.edu/planning.
Electronic versions of the CSU undergraduate and graduate applications are accessible at www.csumentor.edu. The CSUMentor system is available 24 hours per day ,7 days per week and allows students to browse through general information about CSU’s twenty-three campuses, view multimedia campus presentations, send and receive electronic responses to specific questions, and apply for admission and financial aid.
Applying online via www.csumentor.edu is expected unless electronic submission is impossible, when online applications have been submitted. Application in "hard copy" form may be obtained online via www.csumentor.edu as a portable data format (PDF). Paper applications may be mailed to the campus Admissions Office.
Students who want to enroll for residence credit in either a fall or spring semester must file an application for admission. A student who has been in attendance at Sacramento State in either of the two preceding semesters is considered a continuing student and does not need to reapply or pay the $55 application fee. The application and fee are necessary when reentering California State University, Sacramento after an absence of two or more semesters, but are not required for students desiring to enroll only in extension or intersession.
Sacramento State Affirmative Action and Non-Discrimination Policy
Sacramento State seeks the participation in all its activities of all individuals without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, or all covered veteran status. Discrimination based on these factors is prohibited by University policy. Sacramento State has established nondiscrimination and affirmative action programs that conform to applicable federal statutes, as well as pertinent laws, regulations, and directives of the State of California. These statutes prohibit discrimination and harassment (including sexual harassment) against applicants, students and employees. Sacramento State is committed to provide equal opportunities to men and women CSU students in all campus programs, including intercollegiate athletics. For further information, or should you feel that you have been discriminated against in any one of the areas mentioned, including Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, contact the Office of Human Resources, Sacramento Hall 162, (916) 278-3522, or visit our website at www.csus.edu/hr/equal.
Social Security Number
Applicants are required to include their correct social security numbers in designated places on applications for admission pursuant to the authority contained in Section 41201, Title 5, California Code of Regulations, and Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 6109). The University uses the social security number to identify students and their records including identification for purposes of financial aid eligibility and disbursement and the repayment of financial aid and other debts payable to the institution. Also, the Internal Revenue Service requires the University to file information returns that include the student's social security number and other information such as the amount paid for qualified tuition, related expenses, and interest on educational loans. This information is used by the IRS to help determine whether a student, or a person claiming a student as a dependent, may take a credit or deduction to reduce federal income taxes.
The student's social security number is not used as the individual indentifier in all student records which may include: 1) application and admissions records, 2) registration records, 3) enrollment/transcript records, 4) financial aid records, 5) alumni records, and 6) records maintained by other University operated programs. A student is assigned a unique Sac State ID upon admittance to the University, which is used as the student identifier in all student records.
Such personally identifiable records are not shared or distributed to private individuals or agencies unless such sharing or distribution is authorized by the student or unless otherwise lawfully available. (See Appendix D).
Undergraduate Students
Prospective students applying for part-time or full-time undergraduate programs of study in day or evening classes must file a complete undergraduate application. The $55 nonrefundable application fee should be in the form of a check or money order payable to “The California State University” or by credit card and may not be transferred or used to apply to another term. An alternate major may be indicated on the application. The applications of persons denied admission to an impacted and/or closed campus may be re-routed to another campus at no cost, but only if the applicant is CSU eligible.
Importance of Filing Complete, Accurate, and Authentic Application Documents
Sacramento State advises prospective students that they must supply complete and accurate information on the application for admission, residence questionnaire, and financial aid forms. Further, applicants must, when requested, submit authentic and official transcripts of all previous academic work attempted. Failure to file complete, accurate, and authentic application documents may result in denial of admission, cancellation of registration or academic credit, suspension, or expulsion (Section 41301, Article 1.1, Title 5, California Code of Regulations).
CSU Impacted Programs
The CSU designates programs as impacted when more applications from CSU regularly eligible students are received in the initial filing period (October and November for fall terms, June for winter terms, August for spring terms, February for summer terms) than can be accommodated. Some programs are impacted at every campus where they are offered; others are impacted only at some campuses. Candidates for admission must meet supplementary admission criteria if applying to an impacted program or campus.
The CSU will announce during the fall filing period those programs that are impacted and the supplementary criteria campuses will use. Systemwide impaction of admission may be announced, when unexpected circumstances necessitate a curtailment of admission to specific campuses. Detailed information on campus and programs impaction is available at www.calstate.edu/impactioninfo.shtml and www.csumentor. That announcement will also be published in official CSU publications distributed to high school and college counselors, and made available online at www.calstate.edu. Information about the supplementary criteria also is provided to program applicants.
Applicants must file application for admission to an impacted program during the initial filing period. Applicants who wish to be considered in impacted programs at more than one campus should file an application at each campus for which they seek admisisons consideration.
The CSU will announce during the fall filing period those programs that are impacted and the supplementary criteria campuses will use. Detailed impaction information is available at www.calstate.edu/impactioninfo.shtml and via www.csumentor.edu.
Supplementary Admission Criteria
Each campus with impacted programs or admission categories uses supplementary admission criteria in screening applicants. Supplementary criteria may include rank-ordering of freshman applicants based on the CSU eligibility index or rank-ordering of transfer applicants based on the overall transfer grade point average, completion of specified prerequisite courses, and a combination of campus-developed criteria. Applicants for freshman admission to impacted campuses or programs are required to submit scores on either the SAT or the ACT. For fall admission, applicants should take the tests as early as possible and no later than October of the preceding year.
The supplementary admission criteria used by the individual campuses to screen applicants are made available by the campus to all applicants seeking admission to an impacted program. Details regarding the supplemental admission criteria are published at www.calstate.edu/impactioninfo.shtml.
Sacramento State Designated Impacted Programs
The upper division Clinical Nursing Program* has been officially designated as an impacted program on the Sacramento State campus. Check with the Division of Nursing to confirm current criteria at (916) 278-6525.
*See Academic Programs/Nursing.
Graphic Design and Interior Design have been officially designated as impacted programs on the Sacramento State campus. Check with the Department of Design, (916) 278-3962, to confirm current criteria.
*See Academic Programs/Graphic Design, Academic Programs/Interior Design.
In addition to the Clinical Nursing, Graphic Design, and Interior Design programs, it is possible that any class level or program categories may be impacted if more applications are received in the initial application filing period than can be accommodated by the University. Preapproved criteria are announced prior to the beginning of each application cycle. Admission criteria are subject to revision.
Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Application Procedures
All graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants (e.g., Ed.D., joint Ph.D. applicants, master’s degree applicants, those seeking educational credentials, and holders of baccalaureate degrees interested in taking courses for personal or professional growth) must file a complete graduate application as described in the graduate and post-baccalaureate admission materials at www.csumentor.edu. Applicants seeking a second bachelor’s degree should submit the undergraduate application for admission unless specifically requested to do otherwise. Applicants who completed undergraduate degree requirements and graduated the preceding term are also required to complete and submit an application and the $55 nonrefundable application fee. Since applicants for post-baccalaureate programs may be limited to the choice of a single campus on each application, re-routing to alternate campuses or later changes of campus choice are not guaranteed. To be assured of initial consideration by more than one campus, it is necessary to submit separate applications (including fees) to each. Applications submitted by way of www.csumentor.edu are expected unless submission of an electronic application is impossible. An electronic version of the CSU graduate application is available on the World Wide Web at www.csumentor.edu.
The application and fee are not required for students desiring to enroll only in extension, intersession, or Summer Open University.
*See Graduate Degree Requirements.
International Students
International students seeking entry to the United States on the basis of acceptance by Sacramento State must file a special foreign student application available from the International Admissions Office at least six months before the desired semester of admission. Applications received during the initial filing period of each admission cycle receive highest consideration for admission. Undergraduate international and non-California resident students are not admitted to impacted programs.
Both undergraduates and graduates must have adequate financial resources and be in good health. Students usually must have completed at least two years of acceptable college work before applying for admission to Sacramento State, unless they are eligible for admission based on secondary school coursework and graduation. Courses taken at colleges must be baccalaureate level to qualify for full-time status.*
Students with foreign academic work are required to submit official copies of academic records directly from their school, college, or university, along with a certified English translation. Academic records should include:
- secondary school records;
- yearly records from each college or university attended, indicating the number of hours per semester or per year devoted to each course and the grades received; and
- official documents that confirm awarding of a degree or diploma, with the title and date, if a postbaccalaureate applicant.
All official documents submitted become the property of the University. The University will determine the acceptability of any foreign work. The U.S. Immigration Service requires F-1 foreign visa students to enroll full-time, defined as follows:
• a minimum of 12 semester units for credit for undergraduates
• a minimum of 9 semester units for graduate students.
International students must comply with all University and U.S. Immigration Service regulations.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Requirement
All undergraduate applicants whose native language is not English and who have not attended schools at the secondary level or above for at least three years full-time where English is the principal language of instruction must present a minimum score of 510 or above on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).** Some majors require a score higher than the 510. Applicants taking the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language must present a of 180 or above. Those who have graduated from an accredited four-year U.S. college or university or who come from countries where English is the primary language need not take the TOEFL.
At the graduate level, a TOEFL score of 550 (or 213 on the computer-based test) is required for admission for all students, with the following exceptions:
• those applying for International Affairs, 570 or 230
• those applying for Communication Studies, Speech Pathology, and Audiology, 560 or 220
• those applying for English, 600 or 250
* Note: Refer above for the admissions requirement for undergraduate applicants.
** Note: Sacramento State interprets “where English was the principal language of instruction” to mean that a school is located in a country where English is the native language (the daily medium of communication of the majority of residents is English), and that the students receive academic instruction in all subjects (except foreign language courses) at all levels of education in English.
Returning and Adult Students
Returning Students
Sacramento State students are granted an automatic leave of absence for one semester. This leave maintains the continuous attendance status of the student with eligibility to register in the following semesters and holds the catalog that determines degree requirements.
Former Sacramento State students who have been absent for two or more semesters must apply for readmission, an application fee is charged. Following a mandatory interruption of one or more semesters, students who have been academically dismissed must file an appeal for readmission following dismissal.*
*See Academic Policies/Readmission of Academically Dismissed Students.
Adult Students
Application procedures are the same for adult students (age 25 or older). These procedures also apply to students who are coming back to school after a break in education or are transferring to Sacramento State from another college or university.
Academically eligible applicants 60 years or older may qualify for a waiver program.*
*See Admission to Sacramento State/Special Categories/Adult Students.
Reservation
The University reserves the right to select its students and deny admission to the University or any of its programs as the University, in its sole discretion, determines appropriate based on an applicant’s suitability and the best interests of the University.
Steps in the Application Process
1. Application Filing Periods
Sacramento State is on the semester system. The initial filing periods for applications are the previous October through November for fall semester and the previous August for spring semester. All applications postmarked or received during the initial filing period will be given equal consideration within established enrollment categories and quotas.
Additional selection criteria may be used to select applicants if more applications are received during the initial filing period than can be accommodated in specific enrollment categories. If the campus is designated an “impacted campus,” supplemental criteria may be used to select applicants.
If any enrollment categories are not filled during the initial filing period, the University will continue to accept applications during an extended filing period until capacity is reached. Enrollment priorities within the extended period will be in chronological order of receipt of applications.
| Terms in 2010-2011 | Applications First Accepted |
Initial Filing Period |
| Summer 2010 | Feb. 1, 2010 |
February 1-28, 2010 |
| Fall 2010 | Oct. 1, 2009 |
October 1-November 30, 2009 |
| Winter 2011 | June 1, 2010 |
June 1-30, 2010 |
| Spring 2011 | Aug. 1, 2010 |
August 1-31, 2010 |
2. Application Acknowledgment
On-time applicants may expect to receive an acknowledgment from the campuses to which they have applied within two to four weeks of filing the application. The notice may also include a request that applicants submit additional records necessary to evaluate academic qualifications. Applicants may be assured of admission if the evaluation of relevant qualifications indicates that applicants meet CSU admission requirements and in the case of admisison impaction, campus requirements for admission to an impacted program. Unless specific written approval/confirmation is received, an offer of admission is not transferable to another term or to another campus.
3. Transcript and Test Score Requirements
Undergraduate students are required to comply with the following transcript and test score requirements as part of the application procedures for admission. Applicants project their class level as of the date of intended initial enrollment.
- Applicants with No College Units:
Transcripts: One from high school showing work-in-progress through first senior semester; follow-up copy showing second semester senior grades and date of graduation. Tests: Either ACT or SAT I score. - Applicants with Fewer Than 60 Semester Units:
Sac State is not accepting applications from lower division transfer applicants with less than 60 transferable units. - Applicants with 60 or More Transferable Semester Units and Postbaccalaureate Applicants Seeking a Second Bachelor’s Degree:
Transcripts: One copy of final record from each college attended; one showing work-in-progress if currently enrolled. - Returning Students:
Transcripts: One copy of final record from each college attended since last enrollment at Sacramento State; one showing work in progress if currently enrolled. - Postbaccalaureate Students:
Sac State is not accepting applications from post-baccalaureate students.
All transcripts become the property of the University and will not be released or copied. Processing of applications cannot be guaranteed unless all required documents and test scores are received during the appropriate application period. Individuals who do not file an application for admission are advised that transcripts are retained for one year only. Failure to disclose enrollment in each college or university attended constitutes grounds for denial of admission or dismissal from the University for unethical conduct. The University reserves the right to determine whether or not a record can be accepted as official.
4. Notification of Admission
Applicants will receive confirmation of their admission or a statement of ineligibility beginning in December for fall semesters and September for spring semesters, if they filed during the first month of the filing periods and all necessary documents have been received. If the campus has been designated an “impacted campus,” notification of admission status may be delayed while supplemental criteria are applied to applications received after the initial filing period.
Applications filed later will be processed within approximately three weeks after necessary documents are received. Information about registration, placement testing, advising, and orientation will be mailed to all admitted students before registration when possible. Late applicants will be considered on a space available basis. may miss some of the options open to timely applicants.
5. Hardship Petitions
The University no longer accepts applications for admission once class level or program capacity is reached. In this event, there are established procedures for consideration of qualified applicants who would be faced with extreme hardship if not admitted. Prospective hardship petitioners should contact the Admissions and Outreach Office for specific policies governing hardship admission.