Pre-arrival Information for International Students

Spring 2009


Welcome to California State University, Northridge

Our 333-acre campus is located in the northern part of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, a suburban area shadowed by the Santa Susana mountains. Restaurants, shopping malls, and movie theaters are close at hand. Los Angeles has attractive beaches, museums, professional athletic teams, theaters and concert sites, just 30-45 minutes away. CSUN offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as a variety of credential programs. Its diverse student body totals more than 33,000 and includes members of all races, ethnicities and ability groups.

Registration

All international students will have a "foreign" registration hold. To lift the hold, please contact the International and Exchange Student Center (IESC) to schedule an appointment for mandatory group advisement. This must be done as soon as possible by either calling our office or e-mailing your advisor. Ph: (818) 677-3053.

The Foreign Student Advisor (FSA) for last names beginning with A-M is Brenda Acosta, and the Foreign Student Advisor (FSA) for last names beginning with N-Z is Roopa Rawjee.


Spring 2009 Registration Dates

  • The Registration Access Mailer will be mailed/emailed to students the week of Oct 27, 2008. The packet may indicate a Priority Registration Date between November 03, 2008 and December 10, 2008. Registration on that date will give you the best selection of classes and class times. However, you may continue to access the system as often as you like from your priority date through January 19, 2009.
  • Nonrestrictive Registration begins on December 11 and continues until January 19, 2009.
  • Classes begin on January 20, 2009.
  • The Spring 2009 Schedule of Classes will be available online only at www.csun.edu/anr/soc. You are strongly urged to read all instructions carefully and to make an appointment with your academic advisor in your major department prior to registering.
  • Tuition and fees must be paid by the due date. Please refer to your Registration Access Mailer, University Cash Services or the Schedule of Classes for the fee payment and refund schedule.

IMPORTANT! You are required to arrive in the United States and report to the IESC no later than January 13, 2009. Failure to report to the IESC within 30 days of arrival and provide required documents will result in automatic termination of your SEVIS record by immigration.

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Important information:

ELM/EPT Exam

Those students who are required to take the English Placement Test (EPT) and/or the Entry Level Math Exam (ELM) may not register at all until test results are available. Therefore, these students must arrive soon enough to take the exam(s) in order to fulfill mandatory enrollment in the appropriate level English or math course during your first semester. An enclosed "Testing Invitation" will notify you of the testing dates and whether the exams are required.

If you are outside of the U.S., we encourage you to arrange an earlier test date in your area/country.

If you live outside of the state of California, have been admitted to a CSU campus and need to take the EPT and or the ELM before arriving, please call 1-925-808-2142 or e-mail csuout-of-state@ets.org. Out of state testing is arranged for the 2nd week of each month. There is an additional fee of $50.00 for testing outside of the State of California.

  • The EPT fee is $18.00
  • The ELM fee is $18.00
  • The school code for CSUN is 004707

You will need to call ETS to set up a proctor in your area (home country) and provide them with the following information:

  • Contact information (full name, mailing address, daytime phone number, e-mail, Social Security number (if you do not have a SSN, you may use your CSUN ID number for this purpose;
  • What exams you need to take; and
  • Name of two (2) institutions in your area where you could take the exams.

Please be advised that ETS takes up to four weeks to process scores and report them to the institution of your choice.

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Transportation from LAX to CSUN

  • The best option is the FLYAWAY bus, which can be boarded outside each terminal at LAX. It departs every half-hour (24hrs) and goes non-stop to the Flyway Bus Terminal at Van Nuys, California. Travel time is 50 minutes and costs $3.50. Take a taxi from the Van Nuys Terminal to the CSUN campus. Please visit http://www.lawa.org/vny/for more information.
  • Taxis are available from LAX to CSUN and cost about $35 to $50.
    Authorized Taxicab Supervision (ATS) (323) 776-5324
    L.A. Taxi/United Checker Cab (213) 627-7000.
    You may also visit http://www.layellowcab.com/ for services and other information.
  • A "shuttle van" is also available outside each terminal at LAX. These vans carry several passengers and make several stops. Board the San Fernando Valley shuttle. The estimated cost is approximately $15-$45 and the estimated travel time is one to one and one half hours. Advance reservations can be made at http://www.supershuttle.com/default.aspx

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Housing:

Students are responsible for making their own living arrangements. The following options are available:

On Campus: Campus housing is limited. Please act quickly if you plan to apply for on-campus housing. Information is available at housing.csun.edu. If you signed a housing contract, the early move-in date is generally the Friday before classes begin. Should you choose to arrive earlier, contact Karla Larosa at (818) 677-6106 so that you can get a referral to guest housing or a local hotel. The cost of guest housing for one night is $98 and each additional night after that will cost $73. However, if you plan to stay for more than five nights, each additional night after that will be $45. The estimated cost for a local hotel with tax included is $90 to $100. For information regarding off-campus housing call Marlyn Smith (818) 677-2160. Options include private residences, shared accommodations, apartments and condominiums. If you arrive earlier than the move-in date, there is no guarantee that you will be offered accommodations on campus without prior arrangements. Please call DaVon Henson at (818) 677-2160 to avoid any inconvenience.

Online:Several online resources including the campus newspaper The Daily Sundial carry classified advertisements for rooms for rent, or from students seeking roommates. CSUN Student Housing and Conference Services also offers an off-campus housing database.

Hotels/Motels:Students who need temporary accommodation may consider the possibility of local hotels or motels.

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Immunizations

Students who are under 19 years of age must provide proof of immunization to Hepatitis B. All students must show proof of immunization to Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Rubeola immunization at the Klotz Student Health Center prior to registering for their second semester at CSUN. Students who took the immunization in their home country may submit a letter from their doctor in English stating the date on which they received it. Students who are unable to submit written proof of immunization will have to either take the immunization, take a blood test to prove immunity, or sign a waiver. Contact the Student Health Center for more information on costs and availability.

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Orientation

All international students must attend a one-day mandatory International Student Orientation in January 2009. You may visit www.csun.edu/nso/ for more information or to register online.

For more information

We strongly recommend that you visit http://www.csun.edu//international immediately to review important information regarding your foreign student status. Click on New Student/ Spring 2009.

First time transfer students are encouraged to visit www.csun.edu/a&r/transferchecklist.html and First time freshmen are encouraged to visit www.csun.edu/a&r/freshmenchecklist.html to obtain important information.

Please contact the IESC at 818-677-3053 for more information. Our address is USU Building C, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330-8445.

Rev. RR 10/21/08

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