You are a freshman applicant if:

• You’ve never attended college, or all your college credits were earned before you graduated from high school
• Domestic Application Guide: You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or have DACA/undocumented status
• International Application Guide: You are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident and have a valid U.S. visa OR plan to apply for a student visa.

Freshman applicants use the Common App, a single online college application form used by more than 900 colleges and universities to make applying easier.

Key Dates

• The freshman application opens August 1 for next year's fall, spring, and summer semesters.
• Dates to submit your application are based on your starting semester. See the domestic and international application guides for more info.

You are a transfer applicant if:

• You’ve attended a regionally accredited college after high school graduation. If your only college classes were taken during high school, you’ll apply as a freshman applicant.
• Domestic Application Guide: You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or have DACA/undocumented status
• International Application Guide: You are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident and have a valid U.S. visa OR plan to apply for a student visa.

Transfer applicants use the CSU Application.

Key Dates

• The transfer student application for admission opens August 1 for the next year's fall and summer semesters and in March for the next year's spring semester.
• Dates to submit your application are based on your starting semester. See the domestic and international application guides for more info.

You are a graduate student applicant if:

• You have previously earned an undergraduate degree
• You want to pursue a master’s degree, Ph.D., or graduate certificate. We offer more than 200 graduate programs to choose from.

Graduate applicants use the CSU Graduate Application.

Key Dates
The graduate application opens in late August for the next year’s fall and summer terms and in February for the next year’s spring terms. Please check with the department you are interested in for deadlines, which vary by program.

You are a returning student applicant if:

• You previously attended CSU as a degree-seeking student and you left for at least one fall or spring semester while your degree was in progress.
• Or, you completed a degree at CSU and want to return as an admitted, degree-seeking student to finish a degree in progress OR to begin a new CSU degree program.