Transfer Impaction

Impaction continues for the 2021-2022 academic year and thereafter. For an overview, please see CSUN Impaction.

All first-time transfer applicants need to meet the minimum standard CSU admission requirements described at Upper Division Transfer Applicant. Transfer applicants affected by CSUN impaction must also meet CSUN's supplementary admission criteria described on this page. 

Topics on this page:

• Does transfer impaction affect you?
• Local vs. Non-Local Area
• Impacted Majors
• Fall 2020 Admission Criteria (last fall)
  

Does transfer impaction affect you?

To find out whether or not impaction affects you, take the following steps in the suggested order:

1.  Determine if you are a "local-area" or a "non-local area" applicant. 

• If the majority of your transferable units come from one or more California community colleges inside CSUN’s local admissions area, you will be considered a "local-area" applicant.
• If the majority of your transferable units come from post-secondary institutions outside CSUN's local area but still in California, you will be considered a "non-local-area" applicant.

2.  Determine if you will be applying to an impacted major.

• Choose your major carefully. You will not be able to change it during the admission process.

3.  You are NOT affected by impaction if you are a nonresident of California or a U.S. service member (active duty or veteran). Find application instructions at:

• Domestic Out-of-State Applicants
• International Admissions
• Veterans Admissions

Local vs. Non-Local Area

• Local area applicants from schools inside CSUN's local admission area must first meet the standard minimum CSU admission requirements listed at Upper Division Transfer Applicant. 

• Non-local area applicants from the rest of California must first meet any CSUN supplementary admission criteria based on the GPA in addition to the standard eligibility requirements listed at Upper Division Transfer Applicant. The supplementary GPA requirement will be determined by the number and academic characteristics of the non-local area applicant pool. Space permitting, non-local area applicants who achieve the supplementary GPA criteria will be admitted until the transfer admission capacity is full. This could require non-local area applicants to achieve a higher GPA than is required for local-area applicants.

• View a list and map of the California community colleges inside CSUN's local admission area.

Impacted Majors

For Fall 2021, several undergraduate majors are impacted. The academic department for each impacted major may set supplementary admission criteria for that major.

If you are choosing one of the impacted majors listed below and you are a student from California, you will need to meet that major’s supplementary admission criteria if any. For Fall 2021, first-time transfer students within CSUN's local admission area will receive a 0.10 bump up to their transfer GPA.

The number and academic characteristics apparent in the first-time transfer applications from California residents will determine the need for supplementary admission criteria. In all impacted majors except Music, this could mean achieving a higher GPA than is required for a non-impacted major. Space permitting, applicants who meet any supplementary criteria will be admitted first, until the impacted major is full.

Choose your major carefully because you will not be able to change it during the admission process.

• Explore CSUN undergraduate majors.
• Find out which of the Associate Degrees for Transfer (AA-T and AS-T) majors will transfer to CSUN.
• The list of impacted majors may change in future academic years.

The impacted majors for Fall 2021 are listed below.

The following four (4) impacted business majors and their options admit applicants to the pre-major program. Then, after successfully completing the pre-major program, students file for a change of major:

1. Accountancy - Information Systems and Professional Accountancy options
2. Business Administration - Financial Analysis, Financial Planning, and Risk Management/Insurance options

The following impacted majors and their options admit applicants directly to the major program based on their GPA.

3. Biology B.A. and B.S. 
4. Cinema and Television Arts
5. Communication Studies 
6. Health Sciences majors:

• Health Administration
• Public Health
• Radiologic Sciences

7. Kinesiology
8. Psychology

Applicants to the following impacted major are required to pass an audition:
9. Music - See Audition & Placement.

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Fall 2020 Admission Criteria for First-Time Transfer Students (last year)

The following section describes admission criteria for Fall 2020 impaction only. Please note: This section will be updated for Fall 2021 admission when the characteristics of the applicant pool are known. Please check back later.

The academic characteristics of the non-local applicant pool, as well as the academic characteristics of California transfer applicants to impacted majors, will determine the supplementary criteria for both kinds of impaction.

The two tables below describe the admission requirements for Fall 2020 first-time transfer applicants who have completed the majority of their transferable units at one or more California community colleges located within and outside of CSUN’s local admission area. Table 1 shows the admission criteria for CSUN’s non-impacted majors and Table 2 the criteria for impacted majors. Please note:

• Applicants who meet the minimum GPA for their group will be admitted.
• These impaction criteria were set for Fall 2020 admission only and may vary for future admission cycles.
• The minimum standard CSU admission requirements are published at transfer applicant.

California Transfer Students Applying to Non-impacted Majors

California Transfer Students Applying to Impacted Majors

If you are choosing one of the impacted majors listed in Table 2 below and you are a student from California, you will need to meet that major’s supplementary admission criteria if any. For Fall 2020, first-time transfer students within CSUN's local admission area received a 0.10 bump up to their transfer GPA.

See Table 2 below for the minimum GPA admission criteria for local and non-local area applicants to impacted majors.

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