Freshman Student Admissions

A freshman student is a student who has earned no college credit after the summer immediately following high school graduation. You’re eligible for admission as a freshman student if you:  

• Have or will have graduated from high school or equivalent; and 

• Meet at least a 2.5 GPA or greater for California residents and graduates of California high schools or a 3.0 or greater for non-residents or graduates from non-California high schools; and 

• Have or will have completed 15 year-long college preparatory courses with a grade of C- or better upon graduation of high school (see table) 

 

College prep course requirements

Years Required	Subject	Notes
2	U.S. History and Social Sciences	Must include 1 year of U.S. History OR 1 semester of U.S. History and 1 semester of Government; and 1 year of history/social science from either the “a” or “g” category
4	English	4 years of college preparatory English composition/literature (including no more than 1 year of Advanced ESL/ELD)
3	Mathematics	A minimum of Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra II OR integrated math sequences
2	Laboratory Science	1 year physical and 1 year biological (one course from the “d” subject area and the other from the "d" or “g” area)
2	Language Other than English	2 years of the same language; American Sign Language is acceptable
1	Visual and Performing Arts	1 year or 2 semester-long courses in the same discipline, including from Dance, Music, Theatre, Drama, & Visual Arts
1	College Prep Electives	Chosen from the "a-f" courses beyond those used to satisfy the requirements of the "a-g" subjects, or courses that have been approved from the U.C. "a-g" list

 

 

Students who don’t meet the outlined GPA requirements may be evaluated on supplemental factors.

 

We’ll consider the following supplemental factors:

 

Supplemental factor: Academic achievement

• Admissions Requirement "A-G" (10th- 12th grade) GPA
• Admissions Requirement: "A-G" coursework beyond the minimum 30 semesters

 

Supplemental factor: Community commitment

• Graduating from a local admission area school

 

Supplemental factor: Other applicant attributes

• First-Generation College Student (either parent/guardian has not obtained a bachelor’s degree)
• Educational Programs Participation (e.g. AVID, Upward, Bound, Talent Search or Education Opportunity Center, Puente Project, MESA, etc.)

California State University no longer uses ACT or SAT examinations in determining admission eligibility for all campuses.  

 

If accepted to a Cal State school, these test scores can be used as one of the measures to place students in the proper mathematics and written communication courses. 

Cal State Channel Islands is proud to be part of a system-wide effort to streamline the admissions process for California's future students.  

 

Our innovative automated admissions system automatically evaluates applications nightly and notifies applicants of their admission eligibility status via email. By providing real-time updates, we aim to reduce uncertainty and offer a more efficient and transparent admissions experience. 

 

Please note that Automated Admissions is not a substitute for the traditional application review process. While it can provide an initial assessment based on self-reported information, it is essential to submit a complete application and meet all required criteria for a final admission decision.

Your Dolphin ID (number) and Dolphin Name (username) are emailed to the address provided on your application for admission. You will need this information to create a myCI account. Contact admissions@csuci.edu if you can't find the information.

Your Dolphin ID number is in myCI Records. Click the link “Demographic Data” under personal information, and your Dolphin student ID number should be listed there. If you haven't activated your account, you will need to go through that step first using the information emailed to you when you submitted your application.

You can check your admission status and next steps in your Applicant Portal. You will receive instructions on how to access the portal once a decision has been made about your application.

You may apply for financial aid between October 1 and March 2. Learn how to apply for financial aid.

You can apply for scholarships as soon as you've applied for admission to Cal State Channel Islands. Please refer to the Scholarships page for full details.

If admitted to Cal State Channel Islands, you will meet with an academic advisor and be guided into classes when attending your advising and registration session.

On-campus housing is guaranteed to all new students who apply for housing by the priority deadline. View the Housing page for application instructions.