Admissions Requirements

GPA Requirements
Student must receive a minimum A-G GPA of 2.5 or higher for California residents or graduates of California high schools (3.0 for non-California residents).

A-G Requirements
Students must complete all A-G college preparatory coursework with grades of C- or better. For Fall 2022, A-G coursework with a Pass/Credit taken during Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall 2020 terms and during Winter, Spring or Summer 2021 terms will be considered to fulfill A-G requirements.

Graduation Requirement
Students must graduate from high school or equivalent.

The A-G requirements, also called Academic Subject Requirements, represent the minimum academic preparation you must meet to be eligible for admission to the California State University (CSU) system. Students must also complete this A-G college preparatory pattern of courses with grades of C- or better:

*Language - Other than English (Foreign Language) Subject Requirement

The Language - Other than English (Foreign Language) requirement may be satisfied by applicants who demonstrate competence in a language other than English equivalent to or higher than expected of students who complete two years of foreign language study.

California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has implemented a multi-factor admissions review process to evaluate First-Time, First-Year applicants whose GPA fall between 2.0 – 2.49. Below is a list of the supplemental factors CSUDH will use to evaluate students with an A-G GPA between 2.0 – 2.49 with the most significant weight/consideration given to GPA:

• Additional A-G coursework and GPA
• Educational Partnership Programs
• Service Area High Schools
• First Generation
• Household Income
• Foster Youth
• Extracurricular Involvement
• Institutional Commitment Faculty Partnerships
• Employment (5 hours or more a week)

If you have questions or need help completing the Cal State Apply admissions application, register for a virtual workshop.

Before you start your application to CSUDH, please have these items ready:

1. Unofficial Transcripts

On your application, you’ll be asked to enter all the courses you’ve completed, in-progress, or plan to take. Admission decisions are based on self-reported information from your application and if needed, we’ll request official transcripts.

2. Social Security Number

If you have a US Social Security number, you are required to include it on the admission application.

3. Personal Email

Use your personal email address. Do not use your school or iCloud email, because it may mark our emails as spam, and you may not receive important information.

4. Annual Income

To determine if you qualify for an application fee waiver, you will be asked to enter your parents’ income. If you are an independent student, you must provide information about your household and income.

5. Payment Method

If you don’t qualify for a fee waiver, a $70 non-refundable application fee must be paid with a credit or debit card at the time of application submission.

• In March 2022, the CSU has removed the SAT and ACT tests from the undergraduate admissions processes  Students are recommended to submit their scores only for placement purposes but are not needed for admissions purposes.
  

  Nothing will change for the incoming class of fall 2024, applying in fall 2023. The index will still be based on the applicants’ high school GPA, with the option of submitting ACT and SAT scores.

• All initial admissions decisions are based on a students’ self-reported information provided on Cal State Apply.
  
  
• A-G coursework must be graded and receive a grade of C- or better to satisfy the A-G requirements.
  
  
• Students whose native language is not English or does not have three years (full-time) of secondary education (or higher) taught in English will need to provide proof of English proficiency. For more information, please review the “English Proficiency Requirement.” 
  
  
• Detailed information about the CSU Admissions requirements can be found on the CSU webpage.

Completing the Cal State Apply application accurately is a very critical step in being considered for admission. We understand that you may have questions as you go through the application. To help you with completing the application, please review the tips below.

1. Use the Cal State Apply Applicant Help Center

The Cal State Apply Applicant Help Center can be accessed in either of these two ways:

• Applicant Help Center
• After logging into the Cal State Apply application, click the blue question mark icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and select "Help Center" from the dropdown list.

In the Cal State Apply Applicant Help Center, you will be able to access pages and sections detailing various parts of the application, from creating an account, to clarifying how to answer specific questions in the application, through to submitting your application. A link to a "Live Chat" is also available in a blue box located on the lower right corner of the page.

2. Filling Out Your Cal State Apply Application

The California State University system has created comprehensive guides for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle (Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Summer 2024 applications).

For more information, please click on the specific section of the application:

• Personal Information
• Academic History
• Supporting Information
• Program Materials 

3. Email Communications

Cal State Dominguez Hills uses email as the official means of communication with applicants. To ensure that you receive all communications regarding your application, please use a personal email address rather than an email address provided by your current school. Some schools may have blocked University email communications or may restrict or terminate access to your school email once you are no longer attending. If you do not already have a personal email address, please considering using a free email service such as Google's Gmail, Yahoo Mail or Microsoft Outlook.

4. Online Application Fee Waiver

In case of financial hardship, the CSU allows for a limited number of undergraduate application fee waivers for residents of California. If you file the admission application via Cal State Apply, the fee waiver request is included in the online system as part of the application process. You will be notified at the time you apply online if you qualify for the fee waiver. If granted a fee waiver, it may be used for up to 4 campuses for each application term. To check if you qualify for an online fee waiver in Cal State Apply, click the "CHECK MY FEE WAIVER STATUS" link in the Submit Application page.

To be considered for the application fee waiver, you must be:

• An undergraduate student (you cannot be in an extension program)
• A California resident for more than one year
• A U.S. citizen, or someone without lawful immigration status who qualifies for an AB540 non-resident tuition exception.

Application fee waivers are not available for residents of other U.S. states, international students, and Graduate/post-bac program applicants. The CSU does not accept College Board fee waivers, nor any other external waiver form.

5. Mistakes to Avoid

The following common information reporting errors may cause an eligible applicant not to receive an application fee waiver:

• If you report yourself as a dependent applicant with a family size of one
• If you report the same dollar amount in the Adjusted Gross Income field as well as in the Untaxed Income field
• If you select "None" in answer to "What U.S. State/Possession do you regard as your permanent home?" 

Applicants who incorrectly report any of the items above will not be granted an application fee waiver.

For more information about the CSU Application Fee Waiver for undergraduate applicants, view the Application Fee Waiver Checklist.

6. Residency

Select the US state which you regard as your permanent home, regardless of your legal capacity to establish residency. If you select 'California,' indicate whether you claim California residency and, if so, whether you have lived in California continuously since birth. 

DACA, undocumented, or AB540 students:

• In your Cal State Apply Extended Profile, select "No" when it asks if you require an F1 or J1 visa.
• Select "California" as the state of residence if you consider California to be your permanent home.
• In the Citizenship/Residency Information section of the application, select "None" for your U.S. citizenship.

Be aware that missing or inaccurate information will result in you being considered a non-California resident for CSU tuition purposes.

1. How to Find Your High School

Accurately finding your high school(s) from the list of available schools in the Cal State Apply application is very important. Doing so will ensure a smoother application process by making it easier for you to complete the High School Coursework section.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when using the High School search:

• When searching by the school's address, do not use the city or zip code where you live; always use the school's address.
  • For example: Although many students from the city of Monterey Park, CA attend Mark Keppel High School, the school is located in Alhambra, CA. If these students search for a school in Monterey Park, they will not find their high school. They must search for the high school in Alhambra.
• If searching by city, do not abbreviate.
  • For example: "Los Angeles" should not be entered as "LA".
• If you can't find your school by location, you may also search by the College Board's CEEB code. You may also check your school's website or ask your guidance counselor for your high school's CEEB code.

2. High School Coursework

To learn how to enter your high school coursework in the Academic History section, review the High School Coursework Instructions.

3. Entering College Coursework and Matching to A-G Requirements

To use a college course to fulfill an A-G requirement for First-Time, First-Year (freshman) admission, you must make sure to assign the correct A-G subject category to the college course.

1. Add the college(s) in the "Colleges Attended" section.
2. Add the college course(s) in the "College Coursework" section.
3. Go to the "A-G Matching" section. It will display the number of years that you reported for each A-G subject.
4. Click the "Update A-G Courses" button.
5. For each college course taken, enter the appropriate category code in the A-G field.

4. Check your Calculated High School GPA

To view the Calculated GPA based on your entered high school coursework, check the A-G Subject Totals box in the A-G Matching area of the Academic History section of the Cal State Apply Application.

If the GPA or the subject year counts look incorrect (too high or too low), please double check your High School Coursework entry.

1. Do all CSUs have the same admission model?

Each CSU may have different criteria and will evaluate admission differently for the first year, first time (freshmen) students. Please check with each campus that you are considering applying to. 

2. How do you verify the non-academic criteria for the multi-factor admissions model?

Similar to the academic criteria, we use self-reported information from your application. If the items cannot be determined from your transcript, we may verify with your high school or request supporting documentation.

3. How will pass/credit grades earned during COVID-19 affect my admission decision?

Pass/Credit grades will be accepted for only the terms disrupted by COVID 19 (Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021). Such grades will not be calculated into your overall GPA but will be counted as satisfying the specific course requirement. Please note, additional terms may be added.

4. How will my A.P. and Honor classes impact my admission decision?

Advanced placement (A.P.) and honors courses will continue to earn extra GPA points for up to eight semesters of approved honors level, International Baccalaureate (I.B.) and Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses taken in the last three years of high school: A=5 points, B=4 points, C=3 points. No more than two approved honors level courses taken in the 10th grade may be given extra points.

5. Can I earn college credit while still attending high school?

Yes, all CSU campuses allow high school students to earn credit toward their degree. You can earn college credit for completing Advanced Placement (A.P.) examinations with a score of 3 or better or by passing higher-level International Baccalaureate (I.B.) examinations with passes of 4 or higher. You can also take college courses while in high school and, if transferable, they may be counted toward your bachelor's degree.

6. Can I still submit my SAT/ACT scores?

Yes, you may submit such test scores. However, it will NOT be used for admission purposes. If admitted, these scores may be used for first-year course placement.