California State University, Long Beach began as Los Angeles-Orange County State College in 1949. It is part of the California State University system and has the second-largest campus of any school in the system.
After a series of name changes as the institution grew, it changed its name to California State University, Long Beach in 1972 after the California State University Board of Trustees raised it to the status of a university.
As of the fall of 2021, the university has 33,605 undergraduate and 5,830 graduate students enrolled in the more than 190 academic programs at the school.
The student body at CSULB is one of the most diverse in the nation, with both Times Higher Education and the Wall Street Journal placing it at number 8 for campus diversity.
CSULB is known for the affordable education it provides to its students, with in-state tuition at $5,742 and out-of-state tuition at $16,038.
The low cost of tuition combined with the quality of education the university provides has led to its ranking by the 2022 U.S. News and World Report at number 3 for promoting social mobility.
Considering all of the attractive qualities California State University, Long Beach offers to its students, it is no surprise that many students at other colleges or universities seek to transfer into the school.
CSULB Transfer Acceptance Rate
The transfer acceptance rate at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is about 38%.
This statistic is according to data available on the school’s Institutional Research and Analytics website,
In 2021, the school saw 33,768 students apply as transfers, and it admitted 12,980 of the applicants.
Of the students who were admitted to the university, 4,461 ultimately decided to attend school at CSULB, giving an enrollment rate of 34.37%.
For comparison, the university saw 67,092 first-time freshmen apply in the fall of 2021 and admitted 31,448 of these students for an acceptance rate of 46.87%.
However, only 4,865 of these students chose to enroll at CSULB, giving an enrollment rate of 15.47%.
The total number of transfer students accepted into the university for the fall of 2021 is a drop from the peak in recent years.
2019 saw more transfer students admitted than did 2021, with the school accepting 13,199 of the students who applied to transfer to CSULB in the fall semester.
The school’s liberal arts college received the largest percentage of 2021 transfer students, accounting for 34.92% of the population of transfer students.
Application Requirements & GPA for CSULB Transfer Students
Except for certain nursing students, CSULB only accepts upper-division transfer students into the school.
In order to be considered an upper-division transfer applicant, a student must have 60 transferable semester units of college-level coursework or 90 transferable quarter units of coursework at the college level.
At least half of the transferable college-level coursework must also be deemed acceptable for meeting California State University’s General Education requirements.
Furthermore, the grade point average for all courses attempted by a potential transfer student must be at least 2.00, and certain CSU General Education courses must have been passed with a C or better in order to be eligible to transfer to CSULB.
Transfer students are also required to pick a major when applying to the school, and specific departments will have further requirements for acceptance.
Transfer students are directed to refer to the school’s Major-Specific Requirements for Transfer Students webpage to check on additional requirements they may face.
Students wishing to transfer to the university will only be considered for admission into the major they list on their applications.
If a student does not meet the requirements for that major, they will not be considered for acceptance into another major.
Those who wish to transfer to CSULB apply through the California State University application website.
Transfer students may also be required to complete and submit a supplemental application that is specific to the student, CSULB, and the student’s intended major.
CSULB Transfer Deadline
Students who wish to transfer to California State University, Long Beach may apply for admission into the fall or spring semesters, and they face the deadline of November 30 for admission into the fall semester or the deadline of August 31 for admission into the spring semester.
Applications for the fall semester can be submitted as early as October 1, and applications for the spring semester can be submitted as early as August 1.
If accepted into the university, fall transfer students must pay the enrollment deposit no later than the 1st of May, and spring transfer students must pay the deposit no later than the 15th of November.
This fee is $150 and is non-refundable, but students who demonstrate financial need may qualify to have the fee waived.
Along with the application and fee deadlines, transfer students who have been admitted must inform the school of their intent to enroll by the same deadlines that apply to enrollment deposit deadlines.
Transfer students may be conditionally admitted to CSULB based on the self-reported information they supplied on the supplemental application.
In this case, they will face additional deadlines as they meet the conditions of their offers for admission.
Conditionally admitted students must submit official transcripts by March if applying for admission into the fall semester or October if seeking admission into the spring semester.
Students who are conditionally admitted will be given specific dates in the same communication that provides notice of their conditional status.
Once a student has completed the last term before they would transfer to CSULB, they must submit updated official transcripts by July 15 for fall admission or by January 10 for spring admission.
What Is the Decision Date for CSULB Transfer Students?
Admission offers for transfer students will be made from the middle of February to April for those applying into the fall semester, and admission offers for students applying to transfer into the spring semester will be made by October. Students will be notified of the university’s decision via email.
While this will be the case for any transfer student, it is particularly important for students who have been conditionally and provisionally accepted to ensure that they continue to perform well in all classes in which they are currently taking.
CSULB is quite thorough in verifying the progress provisionally and conditionally accepted students are making, requiring official transcripts to verify previous coursework as well as a final transcript upon completion of the final courses taken at a student’s first university.
New students applying for financial aid from the school for the fall semester will receive notifications about their aid awards in March or April, while new students applying for financial aid for the spring semester will receive notifications from the school starting in October.
Although the waiting period can be a stressful time for many students, the time spent waiting will be well worth it upon acceptance into California State University, Long Beach.
The school’s low tuition rates will afford transfer students the opportunity to study at a highly regarded university without accumulating a potentially burdensome load of student loan debt.
Deciding Whether You Should Apply to CSULB As a Transfer Student
As mentioned earlier, CSULB is an attractive option for many students due to the low cost of attending the university.
The cost of in-state tuition at the university is $5,742 and the cost of out-of-state tuition is $16,038. With the continually rising cost of obtaining a higher education, the low cost of tuition alone makes California State University, Long Beach an excellent choice for any student concerned with being able to afford to attend any university.
Despite the transfer acceptance rate being lower than the regular admission rate, transfer students are still accepted at a favorable rate compared to many other universities in the country.
Particularly for students who have begun their collegiate studies at a community college or similar institution, transferring to CSULB is an excellent choice to continue their studies at a larger school with more educational opportunities while still keeping the cost of their education low.
CSULB’s rankings will also attract many students to transfer to the school. Along with its high rankings for social mobility and diversity, usnews.com ranks the school at number 137 among universities in the nation and at number 64 among leading public schools.
Furthermore, niche.com ranks the school at number 6 in its Best Hispanic-Serving Institutions in America category and at number 37 for its Best College Campuses in America category.
For all of these reasons and more, many students will find transferring to CSULB a compelling option as they contemplate the next phases of their higher education experiences.
Recap: How To Apply to CSULB As a Transfer Student
The process of applying as a transfer student to CSULB begins with ensuring that a student has completed the minimum course requirements outlined by the California State University system and those outlined by the campus itself.
Transfer students should also check on major-specific requirements as they are required to select a major when transferring, and each department may have more stringent requirements for admittance.
Transfer students will then need to complete their application on the Cal State Apply website, and they may also need to complete a supplemental application depending on the strength of their initial application.
Students required to complete a supplemental application will also need to be prepared to periodically submit official transcripts from their current college or university in order to verify their academic progress.
Applications and supporting documentation will need to be submitted between October 1 and November 30 for students who are applying for admission into the fall semester, and students applying for admission into the spring semester will need to complete the application process between August 1 and August 31.
Students will learn of the school’s decision between February and April for fall applicants and by October for those who have applied for admission into the spring semester.
Upon acceptance into the university, students will need to confirm their intent to enroll and pay the enrollment deposit by May 1 for fall applicants and by November 15 for spring applicants.
Once these steps are completed, transfer students need to make sure they complete their remaining courses with good grades as they await the opportunity to continue their studies at California State University, Long Beach.
