CSU Transfer Acceptance Rates by Campus, Fall 2027 Guide

Every CSU campus

Campus	Admit rate	Applicants	Campus impacted	Spring 2027
Cal Poly HumboldtCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Humboldt	86%	4,845	No	Open
Cal Poly PomonaCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona	71.4%	12,677	No	Open
Cal Poly SLOCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo	18.8%	10,728	Impacted	Closed
Cal State East BayCalifornia State University, East Bay	—	—	No	—
Cal State FullertonCalifornia State University, Fullerton	—	—	Impacted	Open
Cal State LACalifornia State University, Los Angeles	86.6%	12,742	No	Closed
Cal State Monterey BayCalifornia State University, Monterey Bay	—	—	No	Open
Cal State San MarcosCalifornia State University San Marcos	—	—	No	Open
Chico StateCalifornia State University, Chico	76%	8,280	No	Closed
CSU BakersfieldCalifornia State University, Bakersfield	—	—	No	Open
CSU Channel IslandsCalifornia State University Channel Islands	—	4,693	No	Open
CSU Dominguez HillsCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills	—	—	No	—
CSULBCalifornia State University, Long Beach	50.2%	26,319	Impacted	—
CSUNCalifornia State University, Northridge	—	—	No	Open
CSUSBCalifornia State University, San Bernardino	—	—	No	Closed
Fresno StateCalifornia State University, Fresno	—	—	No	Open
Sacramento StateCalifornia State University, Sacramento	89.9%	12,472	No	Open
SDSUSan Diego State University	54.9%	16,556	Impacted	Closed
SF StateSan Francisco State University	—	—	No	Open
SJSUSan José State University	82.9%	9,242	Impacted	—
Sonoma StateSonoma State University	—	—	No	Open
Stanislaus StateCalifornia State University, Stanislaus	—	—	No	Open

Admit rates are each campus’s newest fall figure for all transfer applicants, from its Common Data Set. Campus pages give the term and source.

Who can transfer to the CSU

Upper-division transfer applicants must have completed at least 60 semester (90 quarter) units of transferable college credit. At least 30 semester (45 quarter) of those units must be at a level equivalent to general education courses.
Applicants need a GPA of 2.0 or better across all transferable college courses attempted. A higher GPA may be required for high-demand programs or campuses.
CSU says nonresident transfer applicants are often held to higher admission standards. The page recommends nonresidents complete at least 60 semester (90 quarter) units but gives no separate GPA figure.
Applicants must be in good standing at the last college or university attended, meaning they are eligible to re-enroll there.
Applicants must complete one course in each of the four Golden Four areas with a grade of C- or better.
CSU's Golden Four page says most semester campuses require the four courses to be finished by the end of the spring term before fall admission. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also requires completion by the end of the prior spring for fall. This page still lists Cal Maritime, so it may predate the merger.
CSU's 2027-2028 admission guide defines upper-division transfers as students who will have completed 60 or more transferable semester units (90 or more quarter units) by the time they enroll at a CSU.

The Golden Four and CSU eligibility, in detail

When to apply

For fall 2027, applicants can start the Cal State Apply application on August 1, 2026, and can submit it starting October 1, 2026. The priority filing deadline is November 30, 2026. CSU says many campuses and majors still accept applications after the priority period.

Cal State Apply charges a $70 application fee for each CSU campus. Applicants are automatically considered for a fee waiver based on their application, and an approved waiver covers up to four CSU campuses per application term. Waivers are for California residents of more than one year seeking a first bachelor's degree who are U.S. citizens or qualify for AB 540 nonresident tuition exemption.

The spring 2027 priority filing period on Cal State Apply ran from July 1 to August 31, 2026. CSU does not post a fixed list of campuses open for spring 2027. Its dates page instead offers a lookup tool to check whether a campus is still accepting applications for a given term.

The ADT guarantee

Students with an Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) who meet CSU minimum eligibility are guaranteed priority admission to a CSU campus. The guarantee does not cover a particular campus or major.
To receive priority admission, students must choose a CSU degree program that is similar to what they studied at community college. Those admitted to a similar program are guaranteed to finish the bachelor's degree within 60 semester (90 quarter) units if they do not repeat courses or add minors or emphases and stay continuously enrolled in the same major.
Cal State Long Beach's fall 2027 transfer requirements page for its College of Liberal Arts says ADT recipients have their cumulative GPA increased by 0.1. That calculated GPA is used when ranking applicants.
CSUN's 2026-27 catalog says ADT holders get priority admission consideration over other transfer applicants at a local CSU or in a non-impacted program. In impacted programs they receive limited priority consideration based on their eligibility ranking.
ADT holders who meet upper-division eligibility but are not admitted to their chosen campus because of lack of space are redirected to an alternate campus.
Cal State Long Beach says the ADT must be granted no later than the prior spring term to qualify for fall admission.

ADT and the Transfer Success Pathway, in detail

Impaction and local areas

A CSU campus or program is impacted when qualified applicants outnumber available spaces, and impacted universities may use additional screening criteria. Universities without program or university impaction are open to all CSU-eligible applicants.
For 2027-28, CSU lists five universities where all undergraduate programs, pre-programs and undeclared options are impacted. They are Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, San Diego State and San José State.
Campus impaction means a campus has reached its enrollment capacity and cannot accommodate all eligible undergraduate applicants. Impacted universities may use additional criteria to screen applications.
CSU's 2025 impaction report says several programs ended impaction for fall 2026 or sooner under AB 2973. They include Television, Film and Media Studies and Computer Science at Cal State LA, Criminal Justice at Sacramento State, Criminal Justice, Psychology and Kinesiology (Allied Health) at Cal State San Bernardino, and Psychology at Sonoma State.
Impacted CSU campuses set a local admission area, and applicants from outside it are held to higher admission requirements. CSU's local admission chart, updated September 2026, lists 17 campuses whose upper-division transfer admission area is the whole state of California. Fullerton, Long Beach, San Diego, San José and San Luis Obispo define their own local areas or local preference for transfers.

Impacted majors at every CSU campus

If no campus admits you

CSU redirects California residents who applied as upper-division transfers or ADT students and have not been admitted to any CSU because of limited enrollment capacity. Eligible applicants get an email, sent in mid-March for fall, and choose a first- and second-choice campus in Cal State Apply or decline. Choices cannot be changed once made, and the receiving campus contacts the student directly.

Questions

Which CSU is hardest to transfer to?

By admit rate, Cal Poly SLO (18.8%), CSULB (50.2%), SDSU (54.9%), from each campus’s newest Common Data Set.

Which CSU is easiest to transfer to?

By admit rate, Sacramento State (89.9%), Cal State LA (86.6%), Cal Poly Humboldt (86%). Impacted majors can still be competitive there.

What are the CSU Golden Four?

Upper-division transfers need one course each in oral communication, written communication, critical thinking and composition, and mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning, the four courses known as the Golden Four. Each needs a C- or better.

When is the CSU transfer application due for fall 2027?