Summary
California State University, Northridge will admit all CSU-eligible first-time freshman applicants who graduate from high schools in its local guarantee admissions area. First-time freshman applicants graduating from high schools outside the local area will be admitted by achieving the higher CSU eligibility index.
Overview
Freshman Applicants from Schools Inside the CSUN-Defined Local Area - California State University, Northridge (CSUN) will admit all first-time freshman applicants who graduate from high schools in the CSUN-defined local guarantee admissions area and who are eligible according to the standard California State University criteria and CSUN supplementary criteria.
Freshman Applicants from Schools Outside the CSUN-Defined Local Area - First-time freshman applicants graduating from high schools outside the CSUN-defined local area are required to achieve a higher California State University (CSU) eligibility index. Admission consideration will be given to applicants in descending order of eligibility (from higher to lower) until the freshman class is full.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is freshman impaction?
- Who is affected by freshman impaction?
- How has CSUN defined its local admission area?
- Who is a local area applicant?
- Who is a non-local area applicant?
- What is the CSU eligibility index?
- What are the admission eligibility requirements for non-local area applicants?
- What are the freshman admission requirements?
- When is the admissions application deadline?
- What can I do to be admitted?
1. What is freshman impaction?
Impaction means that a campus anticipates more qualified applicants than there are spots available. For Fall 2013, at least 16 of the 23 California State University (CSU) campuses have declared impaction for first-time freshmen (see CSU Campus Impaction Information 2013-2014).
In order to manage enrollment within current budget constraints while preserving the highest quality academic experience and services to students, Cal State Northridge has declared campus wide impaction for first-time freshmen only. This means that the University will give priority admission consideration to first-time freshman applicants who graduate from high schools located within a closely-defined geographic area.
The Cal State Northridge Local Guarantee Admissions Area school districts, are listed below in question 3.
2. Who is affected by freshman impaction?
When a CSU campus is impacted for a specific enrollment category such as first-time freshmen, all applicants in that category must:
- Apply for admission during the initial filing period (for fall admission, apply October 1 through November 30 of the previous year)
- Meet all regular admission criteria for the chosen CSU campus
- Meet all supplementary criteria for the chosen CSU campus
All first-time freshman applicants to Cal State Northridge (CSUN) must meet the regular and supplementary criteria listed at I Want to Apply - Freshman.
How non-local area applicants are affected by freshman impaction at CSUN:
- Only first-time freshman applicants graduating from a high school outside CSUN's Local Guarantee Admissions Area are required to attain a higher eligibility index score.
- These non-local area applicants will be considered for admission based on the strength of their eligibility index score and the total enrollment target of the University.
All CSUN applicants other than freshmen (e.g., transfer, graduate, etc., students) must meet the standard CSU admissions criteria for their class level and academic program. For details, select the "I Want to Apply" link for your student group on the Admissions and Records home page.
3. How has CSUN defined its local admission area?
CSUN's Local Guarantee Admissions Area includes public and private high schools in the following Los Angeles County and Ventura County districts:
Los Angeles County (district name and map number)
- Acton-Agua Dulce Unified (2)
- Alhambra City High (3)
- Antelope Valley Union High (4)
- Beverly Hills Unified (10)
- Burbank Unified (12)
- Compton Unified (16)
- Culver City Unified (19)
- Glendale Unified (26)
- Gorman Elementary (28)
- Inglewood Unified (30)
- La Canada Unified (31)
- Las Virgenes Unified (32)
- Lennox Unified (34)
- Los Angeles Unified (37)
- Lynwood Unified (38)
- Pasadena Unified (49)
- San Gabriel Unified (52)
- San Marino Unified (53)
- Santa Monica-Malibu Unified (54)
- South Pasadena Unified (59)
- William S. Hart Union High (66)
- All private high schools within the districts above
Ventura County (district name and map number)
- Conejo Valley Unified (17)
- Fillmore Unified (25)
- Moorpark Unified (42)
- Oak Park Unified (44)
- Ojai Unified (45)
- Oxnard Union High (46)
- Santa Paula Union High (55)
- Simi Valley Unified (57)
- Ventura Unified (62)
- All private high schools within the districts above
4. Who is a local area applicant?
First-time freshman applicants who graduate from high schools inside CSUN’s Local Guarantee Admissions Area are local area applicants. They are eligible for admission if they meet the California State University standard admission criteria and the CSUN supplementary criteria described at I Want to Apply - Freshman.
To be considered for Fall 2013 admission, all first-time freshmen—no matter where the high school they graduated from is located—must ensure that their SAT or ACT test scores are received by the CSUN Office of Admissions and Records no later than January 31, 2013.
5. Who is a non-local area applicant?
First-time freshman applicants who graduate from a high school outside CSUN’s Local Guarantee Admissions Area are non-local area applicants. These applicants will be considered for admission based on their achieving a higher CSU statewide eligibility index score and the extent to which the University has met its total enrollment target.
Admissions requirements for all freshmen applicants, including local and non-local applicants, are described at I Want to Apply.
6. What is the CSU eligibility index?
The CSU statewide eligibility index is a combination of your high school grade point average (GPA) and scores on either the ACT or the SAT. GPAs are based on grades earned in college preparatory courses ("a-g" subject requirements) taken during the final three years of high school. Included in calculating GPA are any bonus points earned for approved honors courses.
To calculate your eligibility index (EI), multiply your GPA by 800 and add your total score on the SAT mathematics and critical reading scores. If you took the ACT, multiply your GPA by 200 and add ten times the ACT composite score (do not include the writing score). In other words:
EI using SAT I Scores = (GPA) x 800 + SAT I Total
EI using ACT Scores = (GPA) x 200 + (10 x ACT composite score)
To learn more about the eligibility index including honors bonus points, see the University Catalog.
7. What are the admission eligibility requirements for non-local applicants?
If you will graduate from a high school located outside CSUN's Local Guarantee Admissions Area, your freshman admission will be determined by the CSU Eligibility Index based on high school GPA and ACT or SAT mathematics and critical reading scores. Non-local area applicants who achieve the higher eligibility index will be admitted first, so do your best to improve your SAT or ACT test scores.
In general, the academic characteristics of the non-local area freshman applicant population will determine the Eligibility Index cut-off, which may vary.
To calculate your eligibility index, see question 6, What is the CSU eligibility index?
Fall 2013 non-local area applicant admissions criteria are listed at I Want to Apply.
Reminder: CSUN Admissions and Records must receive your SAT or ACT score no later than January 31 , 2013.
8. What are the first-time freshman admission requirements?
Please review the admission requirements for all first-time freshmen at I Want to Apply.
9. When is the admissions application deadline?
Please see the Admissions Calendar. Even when an admissions cycle is closed, some majors may still be accepting students. Open programs are listed as exceptions in the Admissions Calendar.
10. What can I do to be admitted?
You can increase your chances of being admitted as a first-time freshman to Cal State Northridge by preparing for success! For Fall 2013 admission:
- Apply before November 30 at CSU Mentor
- Work to improve your SAT or ACT test scores
- Meet the admission requirements at I Want to Apply
- Become familiar with the campus and visit the Prospective Students website
We regret that CSU, Northridge may be unable to admit all non-local area applicants. You may want to consider applying to another CSU campus if you haven't done so already. To view a list of campuses that remain open to freshman applications, go to the CSU Mentor website and click Filing Status Report.
A small number of first-time freshmen may be admitted based on a combination of the eligibility index and additional characteristics including first generation college status, socioeconomic factors, skills or talents that align with or contribute to special university programs, and evidence of overcoming educational obstacles.
Whether you're a local area or non-local area applicant, be sure that Admissions and Records receives your:
- Official high school transcript showing completion of the first semester of your senior year (send as soon as your Fall 2012 grades are posted).
- Official, final high school transcript showing completion of your final senior-year semester and verifying graduation date. You must graduate by the end of your spring high school term.
- SAT or ACT test scores, or both. Have them forwarded electronically so that CSUN Admissions and Records receives them no later than January 31, 2013 to be considered for Fall 2013 admission:
For SAT scores, contact the College Board/ETS
For ACT scores, contact the American College Testing Program - English Placement Test (EPT) and Entry Level Math Test (ELM) scores*