Prospective transfer students may obtain general information on Sacramento State educational opportunities and matriculation procedures from Sacramento State admission and outreach representatives at northern California community college transfer day and regional college night programs. Representatives are also available at selected transfer centers on a regular basis to provide specific information on CSU matriculation procedures, eligibility for admission, and evaluation of credit. Prospective students who don’t have access to a transfer center can schedule an appointment with an admission counselor for a pre-admission session. Applicants should bring unofficial transcripts to these sessions.
To make an appointment with academic department faculty to discuss academic program requirements and career alternatives, prospective students should call the relevant department office. Hour-long student-led weekday campus tours are scheduled one week in advance for small and large groups. To schedule a tour on line go to www.csus.edu/admr/tour.
Sacramento State annually enrolls more than 5,000 new transfer students from more than 300 different colleges and universities, mostly California community colleges.
Frequently, course titles and numbers differ from campus to campus, making it difficult for transfer students to know in advance which courses will be accepted for transfer to another college. In order to provide students with the assurance that courses taken at their campus prior to transfer will meet Sacramento State lower-division requirements for either General Education or a specific major, three methods of prior approval exist.
The CSU system has authorized California community colleges and other approved colleges to designate “transferable” courses planned for use in a four-year baccalaureate program. In addition, they have jointly designated courses that may be used to certify a portion of the CSU General Education objectives to a maximum of 39 semester units. Sacramento State will apply courses completed at a California community college toward the CSU General Education objectives as listed on the community college certification form.
Students may have their lower division General Education courses certified by a California community college as meeting either the CSU GE Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Core Curriculum (IGETC) in partial completion of the General Education requirements for the baccalaureate degree.*
Upon matriculation, the Degree Evaluations Office will review courses completed at non-CSU colleges and universities; credit will be granted toward the Sacramento State General Education requirements in compliance with applicable CSU system, Sacramento State, and academic department policies.
*See General Education Policies/Transfer Students.
Sacramento State also has developed an extensive program of major preparation agreements called “Articulation” or “Transfer Credit Agreements.” These are official documents prepared by Sacramento State faculty who carefully review coursework at other institutions and identify courses at those campuses that would be acceptable in lieu of Sacramento State courses. Students who take these courses can be assured they will receive credit toward their academic major at Sacramento State.
Sacramento State has thousands of Articulation Agreements with community colleges and four-year institutions throughout the state. These Articulation Agreements are widely distributed and should be readily available to students at their home campus Counseling Centers or online at www.assist.org.
University representatives staffing Transfer Centers on community college campuses advise community college students on transfer issues, providing an excellent resource for prospective transfer students.
Students may receive assistance in transferring to Sacramento State through the Transfer Centers at the following campuses:
American River College (916) 484-8685
Cosumnes River College (916) 691-7456
Folsom Lake College (916) 608-6510
Napa Valley College (707) 253-3115
Sacramento City College (916) 558-2181
San Joaquin Delta College (209) 954-5634
Santa Rosa Junior College (707) 527-4874
Sierra College (916) 660-7441
Solano College (707) 864-7158
Yuba College (530) 741-6790
Most commonly, college level credits earned from an institution of higher education accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education is accepted for transfer to campuses of the CSU; however, authority for decisions regarding the transfer of undergraduate credits is delegated to each CSU campus.
The CSU General Education-Breadth (GE-Breadth) program allows California Community College (CCC) transfer students to fulfill lower-division general education requirements for any CSU campus prior to transfer. Up to 39 of the 48 GE-Breadth units required can be transferred from and certified by a California community college. “Certification” is the official notification from a California community college that a transfer student has completed courses fulfilling lower-division general education requirements. The CSU GE-Breadth certification course list for particular community colleges can be accessed at www.assist.org.
CSU campuses may enter course-to-course or program-to-program articulation agreements with other CSU campuses and any or all of the California community colleges, and other institutions. Established CSU and CCC articulations may be found on www.assist.org. Students may be permitted to transfer no more than 70 semester (105 quarter) units to a CSU campus from an institution which does not offer bachelor’s degrees or their equivalents, e.g., community colleges. Given the university’s 30-semester (45-quarter) unit residency requirement, no more than a total of 90-semester (135-quarter) units may be transferred into the university from all sources.
Applicants who have completed fewer than 60 transferable semester college units (fewer than 90 quarter units) are considered lower-division transfer students. Applicants who have completed 60 or more transferable semester college units (90 or more quarter units) are considered upper-division transfer students. Applicants who complete college units during high school or through the summer immediately following high school graduation are considered first-time freshmen and must meet the CSU minimum eligibility requirements for admission. Transferable courses are those designated for baccalaureate credit by the college or university offering the courses and accepted as such by the campus to which the applicant seeks admission.
Applicants who graduated from high school prior to 1988 should contact the admission office to inquire about alternative admission programs. (Due to increased enrollment demands, many CSU campuses do not admit lower-division transfer applicants.)
Lower-division applicants who did not complete subject requirements while in high school may make up missing subjects in any of the following ways:
1. Complete appropriate courses with a "C" or better in adult school or high school summer sessions.
2. Complete appropriate college courses with a "C" or better. One college course of at least three semester or four quarter units will be considered equivalent to one year of high school study.
3. Earn acceptable scores on specified examinations, e.g., SAT subject tests.
Please consult with the CSU campus admission office, to which you are applying for further information about alternative ways to satisfy the subject requirements. (Due to increased enrollment demands, many CSU campuses do not admit lower-division transfer applicants.)
Freshman and transfer applicants who have fewer than 60 semester or 90 quarter units of transferable college credit are strongly encouraged to submit scores, unless exempt (see Eligibility Index), from either the ACT or the SAT of the College Board. Persons who apply to an impacted program may be required to submit test scores and should take the test no later than November or December. Test scores also are used for advising and placement purposes. Registration forms and dates for the SAT or ACT are available from school or college counselors or from a CSU campus testing office http://www.csus.edu/testing/. Or Students may write or call:
The College Board (SAT)
Registration Unit, Box 6200
Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6200
(609) 771-7588
www.collegeboard.org
ACT Registration Unit
P.O. Box 414
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
(319) 337-1270
www.act.org
Generally, applicants will qualify for admission as an upper-division transfer student if they meet all of the following requirements:
The Associate in Arts (AA-T) and the Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) degrees offered at the California Community College (CCC) are designed to provide clear pathways to corresponding CSU degree majors for CCC transfer applicants earning these degrees.
California Community College students who earn a transfer associate (AA-T or AS-T) degree are guaranteed admission with junior standing to a CSU and given priority admission over other transfer applicants when applying to a local CSU campus, or non-impacted CSU program. AA-T or AS-T admission applicants are given priority consideration to an impacted campus/program or to campuses/programs that have been deemed similar to the degree completed at the community college. Students who have completed an AA-T/AS-T in a program deemed similar to a CSU major are able to complete remaining requirements for graduation within 60 semester units.
Sacramento State may provisionally or conditionally admit transfer applicants based on their academic preparation and courses planned for completion. The campus will monitor the final terms to insure that those admitted complete all required courses satisfactorily. All accepted applicants are required to submit an official transcript of all college level work completed. Campuses may rescind admission for any student who is found not to be eligible after the final transcript has been evaluated. In no case may such documents be received and validated by the University any later than a student's registration for their second term of CSU enrollment.
The CSU must assess the academic preparation of foreign students. For this purpose, "foreign students" include those who hold U.S. visas as students, exchange visitors, or in other nonimmigrant classifications.
The CSU uses separate requirements and application filing dates in the admission of "foreign students." Verification of English proficiency* for undergraduate applicants, financial resources, and academic performance are each important considerations for admission. Academic records from foreign institutions must be on file at least eight weeks before registration for the first term and, if not in English, must be accompanied by certified English translations.
Priority in admission is given to residents of California. Undergraduate international and non-California resident students are not admitted to impacted programs.
International transfer students must have completed at least two years (60 semester units or the equivalent) of college work with a 2.4 grade point average. An exception to the two-year requirement may be made for foreign visa students whose secondary school preparation is equivalent to that of eligible California high school graduates.
*See TOEFL Requirement.
*Refer to Admission to Sacramento State/Special Categories.
*Veterans also refer to Application to Sacramento State/CSU Impacted Programs/Supplemental Criteria.
Admission as auditor may be restricted during periods of over-enrollment. Applicants may check with the Office of Admissions and Outreach.
To obtain the most current information on impacted programs and supplemental criteria, please contact the Admissions and Outreach Office.
Transfer students may choose Sacramento State requirements in effect (1) at the time they began their college study at a California community college or a CSU, (2) at the time they entered Sacramento State, or (3) at the time they graduate from Sacramento State, provided they maintain attendance in college.*
*See Degree Requirements/Catalog Rights.
The University reserves the right to select its students and deny admission to the University or any of its programs as the University, in its sole discretion, determines appropriate based on an applicant's suitability and the best interests of the University.
Generally, students will be granted credit for baccalaureate level courses successfully completed at regionally accredited two or four-year colleges.
All courses, except remedial, are accepted for degree credit from institutions awarding four-year degrees. Credit is reviewed by the Degree Evaluations Office and is granted in compliance with applicable national, state, Title 5, CSU system, and University policies and procedures. Such credit may be applied toward fulfillment of major, minor, or general education requirements when applicable; other courses may count as elective credit toward the baccalaureate degree. This credit will be listed in summary form on the Sacramento State transcript of academic record.
Transfer credit generally is not posted to the Sacramento State transcript of postbaccalaureate students, including those seeking a Second Bachelor’s degree. Check with the Office of Graduate Studies (278-6470) for exceptions.
Sacramento State grants credit toward its undergraduate degrees for successful completion of examinations of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board. Students who present scores of three or better will be granted up to six semester units of college credit.
Office of the Registrar
Degree Evaluations
Lassen Hall Lobby
(916) 278-4862
Sacramento State grants undergraduate degree credit for successful completion of non-collegiate instruction either military or civilian, appropriate to the baccalaureate degree, which has been recommended by the Commission on Educational Credit and Credentials of the American Council on Education. The number of units allowed are those recommended in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services and the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs.
College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
Amador Hall 255
(916) 278-6504
Up to six units of credit may be awarded for learning, knowledge, or skills-based experience that has been documented and evaluated according to campus policy.
Office of Global Education (OGE)
Lassen Hall 2304
(916) 278-6686
Credit is granted from recognized overseas institutions. Awarding of advanced standing varies depending on the educational system of the country. Certified copies of transcripts and degrees must be submitted in English translation. Sacramento State students who plan to study abroad through independent programs should contact OGE for information and referral.
Sacramento State allows the following degree credit, based on evaluation of nontraditional academic experiences and/or examinations to apply toward the baccalaureate degree:
*See Academic Policies/System wide Credit by Examination.
Unit limitations apply to specific categories of credit that may be used to meet baccalaureate degree requirements:
Sacramento State utilizes the following policies in evaluating grades earned in courses accepted for transfer:
Office of the University Registrar
Degree Evaluations Office
Lassen Hall Lobby
(916) 278-4862
The Degree Evaluations Office will prepare an official transfer credit evaluation summarizing prior college credit and indicating Sacramento State General Education requirements met. It will be mailed to first-time Sacramento State students by the end of their first semester. Questions about the evaluation should be discussed with the Degree Evaluations Office.
Use of Advanced Placement Credit