CSU Fully Online Courses

This is only a tutorial. No login is required.

INTRODUCTION

Looking for more opportunities to enroll in classes that meet degree requirements? The California State University (CSU) makes thousands of fully online courses at all CSU campuses available for concurrent enrollment through the CSU Fully Online Courses Program. With this program:

  • Full-time CSU students at any of the 22 campuses can enroll concurrently in one fully online course per semester at another CSU without paying additional state university tuition fees.*

  • Credit earned in the fully online course is automatically reported to your home campus.

For the all-CSU course listing, eligibility details, enrollment dates (they vary by campus) and FAQ, visit CSU Fully Online Courses.

Audience:

  • CSUN students: This guide explains how you can request and confirm enrollment in a fully online class at a host CSU through the CSUN Portal.

  • International students: If attending the CSU on a visa, you are not eligible to enroll in CSU Fully Online Courses.

  • Other CSU students: To take a fully online class at CSUN, begin by logging in to your home campus student portal.

*About Fees:

  • Domestic nonresident students will need to pay the host campus an additional per-unit nonresident tuition fee for the CSU Fully Online course.

  • CSU Fully Online participants will need to pay the host campus for any course material or lab fees.

Before Enrolling:

  • Confirm your eligibility at CSU Fully Online Courses.

  • Verify with your academic advisor that your desired fully online class satisfies a CSUN degree requirement.

  • Know that the grade you earn in the host CSU course will become part of your permanent academic record. To drop the class, contact the host CSU before their deadline. You must officially withdraw to avoid a grade of WU, which counts as an F and could harm your academic standing.

Learn more at CSU Fully Online Courses FAQ.

Step 1

Go to the CSUN home page at www.csun.edu and:

  1. Open the MyCSUN menu in the top navigation.

  2. Select the CSUN Portal link.

  3. Log in with your CSUN user ID and password.

MyCSUN menu with CSUN Portal login link on every CSUN webpage.

Step 2 

Your CSUN Portal home page displays. 

In the Top Tools area, select the Student Center backpack icon link.

 

CSUN Portal home page with Student Center backpack icon link in Top Tools area.

Step 3

The Student Center displays. Under the Academics heading, select the "CSU Fully Online" link.

SOLAR Student Center home page with CSU Fully Online link in the Academics section.

Step 4

The Select Term page displays and defaults to the available term.

  1. If you already know the CSU Fully Online class you want to add at host CSU, select Continue.

  2. The enrollment system will automatically check your eligibility for the program. If you are not eligible, an error message will display. If you are eligible, the Class Search page appears.

Request information icon.

To open a new window and view the CSU Fully Online Courses website, select the link What is CSU Fully Online? 

The CSU Fully Online Courses home page displays, including eligibility criteria, possible course prerequisites and other conditions of enrollment.

  1. From the all-CSU drop-down menu, choose CSU Northridge, your home campus.

  2. Then select Show me fully online courses.

Select Term page with option to visit the “What is CSU Fully Online?” Cal State page (shown in second, overlaid image).

The next page presents the all-CSU, global course listing and important general information about:

  • Transferable courses: CSU Fully Online Courses will satisfy degree requirements as elective credit, General Education, or a course equivalency. Your academic advisor can confirm the class will meet CSUN requirements.

  • Enrollment periods: You must enroll within the following time periods:

  • CSU Fully Online Course registration dates for CSUN students, AND

  • The host CSU’s enrollment period, available inside each course description.

  • Conditions for enrollment: For example, meet course prerequisites if any, follow the host CSU’s registration and withdrawal deadlines, seek academic advising or financial aid counseling only from CSUN, etc.

All-CSU course listing with instructions and important information on the same page.

Global Course Listing, All CSUs 

  • Open and closed fully online courses are listed on the public site. Choose more than one because only OPEN classes will display when you enroll through the CSUN Portal Student Center. 

  • Use the column headings and fields to sort, filter and search for courses. Find search tips at CSU Fully Online Courses FAQ in the “Course selection and approval” row. 

Course Descriptions

  1. To view a course you like, use the arrow on the left to open its course description. 

  1. Carefully read it for the enrollment period, course start date, delivery mode, etc. If delivery is synchronous, make sure the required online meeting times do not conflict with other classes in your schedule. 

  1. Download, save and review their Campus Welcome Document (PDF). You’ll need to log in to their student portal and online learning system, note their deadlines, be able to contact your professor or tech support, and more. You are a student at the host CSU!

If you're not logged in to the CSUN Portal, select Visit Student Portal to Request Enrollment to sign in.

If the Student Center window in your web browser is open, select "Continue" on the Select Term page (refer to Step 4 above).

Course description for Biology 010 at San Jose State on the CSU Fully Online Courses public course listing webpage.

 

Step 5

CSUN’s CSU Fully Online Class Search page displays. The enrollment cart is empty.

To add the fully online course you want, first select the host campus using the spyglass icon. Leave the other fields blank to retrieve a list of all open, fully online courses at the host CSU, San Jose State University in this example.

Select Search.

CSU Fully Online Class Search page in the CSUN Portal Student Center with spyglass look-up to select the host campus.

 

Step 6

The Select Class page now lists all OPEN fully online classes offered at San Jose State. Closed classes and those that will open later do not display.

Depending on your timing, you might see only CourseMatch courses listed — the ones with the red award ribbon in column 6. CourseMatch classes are published about one month earlier than all other CSU Fully Online Courses. Check back later for hundreds of additional courses!

Note the class section numbers, start/end dates and delivery mode.

  • To start over but keep the same CSU, select Return to Search or Modify Search.

  • To start over and erase the CSU you chose, select New Search.

This student wants to take English 22, Fantasy and Science Fiction.

  • To proceed, choose the Select button at the end of the English 22 row.

List of all CSU Fully Online CourseMatch classes currently available through San Jose State University.

Step 7

The Enrollment Preferences page displays details for the course you selected, including:

  • Course Subject and Number

  • Grading: If Credit/No Credit grading is available, you will see a CR/NC option. Check with your CSUN academic advisor before changing to CR/NC. English 22 is letter-graded only.

  • Units

  • Days and Times: If the class requires any synchronous, set times for online meetings, you’ll see a meeting pattern.

  • Start/End Dates

If all looks good, select the Next button.

Enrollment Preferences page showing basic information for the English 22 course, Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Step 8

The Identify Course Requisites page displays the CSU Fully Online Course description and lists all the classes you have ever enrolled in at CSUN.

To proceed:

  1. Check the box for the CSUN course(s) you’ve taken that, in your best judgement, meet the prerequisite.

  2. If none of your CSUN classes meet the prerequisite, fill in the text box below the course list with a class you took at another institution and transferred to CSUN, or indicate another method of eligibility. Provide details.

  3. Check the Requisites Confirmed box.

  4. If satisfied, choose Confirm. (To go back, select Return to Add Classes or View Search Results.)

Identify Course Requisites page: English 22 description, your CSUN coursework and Requisites Confirmed check box.

Step 9

The Confirm Classes page displays the following:

  • The CSU Fully Online Course you selected,

  • A message describing your responsibilities to conduct the activities related to the online course, to pay any additional lab or supplemental instruction fees, to follow host-campus withdrawal deadlines and procedures if you need to drop, etc.

  • A reminder that the host CSU will contact you when they process your enrollment request and that your grade will be reported to CSUN at the end of the term.

To continue, select Submit Request.

Confirm Classes page with message stating your responsibilities before you submit your enrollment request.

Step 10

The View Results page displays the status of your request.

  • A red “X” means an error occurred.

  • A green check mark means your request was submitted to the host campus successfully.

If your request was successful, a message reminds you that you are not yet enrolled in the class. The host CSU will process your request and send you a confirmation email that includes important instructions.

Select OK.

View Results page with enrollment request successfully submitted; it is only a request until San Jose State confirms.

Step 11

The CSU Fully Online Class Search page now displays your enrollment cart. 

The cart lists the class you selected and indicates the status of your request:

  • Initially, the status will be "requested" (not enrolled).

  • When the host campus processes your request, the status will change to "enrolled.” 

This is the LAST CHANCE to cancel your request.

  • Select Cancel Request if you do not want the class.

  • If you don’t cancel, you will be enrolled and you must contact the host CSU to drop the class. You will be subject to host-campus withdrawal policies and procedures. Refer to the host CSU's Welcome Document (PDF) and their confirmation email for details.

Check back in 24 hours to confirm that you are enrolled in the course. It can take one to three days for the host CSU to process your request. (Please see "For Assistance" in the next step.)

If finished, use the back arrow to return to the Student Center, or log out.

But there’s one more important step….

CSU Fully Online enrollment shopping cart with the status "requested," but you are not yet enrolled.

Step 12

In about 24 hours, log back in to the CSUN Portal and return to the Student Center.

After you've been enrolled in a CSU Fully Online course, you should see a temporary "placeholder" class in your CSUN schedule in the Student Center Academics section. The placeholders are:

  • A/R 103: For CSUN undergraduate students

  • A/R 500: For CSUN graduate students

At the end of the semester, the host campus will automatically report your grade to CSUN as a transfer credit, and the course and grade will appear in your academic record. Then the "A/R" placeholder class will be removed from your schedule.

Student Center home page Academics section with CSU Fully Online placeholder class in your CSUN class schedule.

For Assistance