Admissions & Aid

CSU Monterey Bay Accepts Lower and Upper Division Transfer Students for Fall and Spring! 

To qualify for regular admission, you first need to determine if you will be applying as a lower or upper division transfer student. The requirements for both are listed below. 

Upper Division Transfer Student Requirements

Have completed 60 or more transferable semester (90 quarter) units.

If you will have at least 60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units completed by the time you enter CSUMB, you are considered an upper-division transfer applicant. To be admissible as an upper division transfer student, California residency transfer applicants must:

• have completed a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units of transferable coursework;
• have an overall college GPA of at least 2.00; your GPA is calculated using all your transfer units attempted; 
• be in good standing at the last college or university attended. "Good standing" means you are eligible to re-enroll at your last college or university; 
• have completed general education courses (30 semester units or 45 quarter units) of basic skills courses, with a grade of C- or better, and specifically, four courses completed in the following areas below (in either section):

General Education-Breadth 

Area A - English Language Communication & Critical Thinking

• A1: Oral Communication (Speech)
• A2: Written Communication (English)
• A3: Critical Thinking

Area B - Scientific Inquiry & Quantitative Reasoning

• B4 - Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum* (IGETC)

Area 1 - English Communication

• 1A: Written Communication (English)
• 1B: Critical Thinking
• 1C: Oral Communication (Speech) 

Area 2 - Mathematical Concept & Quantitative Reasoning

Notes: 

• All admission requirements must be completed before your first term at CSUMB. Admission is considered conditional until any in-progress coursework is satisfactorily completed and documented on official transcripts sent to CSUMB.
• CSUMB will accept "Credit" or "Pass" for all courses completed including courses taken to satisfy: the "Golden Four" (A1, A2, A3, and B4); all other General Education courses; and major prerequisite courses.
• CSU Monterey Bay accepts transferable coursework from regionally accredited institutions.

Lower Division Transfer Student Requirements 

Have completed fewer than 60 transferable semester (90 quarter) units. 

If you have completed 59 or fewer transferable semester units, or 89 or fewer transferable quarter units, by the time you plan to begin courses at CSU Monterey, you are considered a lower-division transfer applicant.

To be admissible as a lower division transfer student, California resident transfer applicants must:

• have achieved an overall college GPA of a least a 2.00. This GPA is calculated using all your transfer units attempted;
• be in good standing at the last college or university you attended. ("Good Standing" means you are eligible to re-enroll at your last college or university); 
• have completed (or will complete before the first term at CSUMB), with a grade of C- or better, a course in Written Communication (GE Section A2) and a course in Mathematics or Quantitative Reasoning (GE Section B4);
• have graduated from high school (received a high school diploma or General Education Development, or GED, certificate);
• have completed "a-g" course requirements in high school.

Notes: 

• All admission requirements must be completed before the first term at CSUMB. Admission is considered conditional until any in-progress college coursework is satisfactorily completed and documented on official transcripts sent to CSUMB.
• California high school graduates or residents of California earning a GPA between 2.00 and 2.49, or non-California high school graduates or non-residents of California earning a GPA between 2.47and 2.99, will be evaluated based upon supplemental factors posted on the Freshman Admissions webpage: https://csumb.edu/admissions/freshmen/admission-requirements-/
• CSU campuses will accept "Credit" or "Pass" for all transferable college courses including courses taken to satisfy the “Golden Four” General-Breadth Requirements (A1, A2, A3, and B4); all other General Education courses; and major prerequisite courses.
• The CSU will consider course grades of “credit” or “pass” as fulfilling “a-g” requirements.
• If you did not complete all the subject requirements in high school, appropriate college courses may be used to make up the missing subjects. One baccalaureate-level course of at least 3 semester (4 quarter) units is usually considered equivalent to one year of high school study. Non-California residents must meet the eligibility index for nonresidents.