CSU Eligibility Requirements

First-Time, First-Year/FTFY (Freshman)

1. Earn a high school diploma, or equivalent

Your graduation date must be included in your final transcripts.

2. Complete the required high school courses with grades of "C-" or better

SJSU will accept grades of "Credit" or "Pass" to satisfy "a-g" requirements completed during Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall 2020 terms and during Winter, Spring, or Summer 2021 terms. All prior coursework must be graded and a grade of C- or better must be earned for the course to satisfy “a-g” requirements. Grades of credit/pass or no credit/non-passing will not be included in the calculation of high school GPA.

All required high school courses must be completed by the end of the spring semester prior to fall admission. Any makeup coursework must be completed prior to the end of spring as you may not use summer to make up deficiencies. If you are a student that earned college level credit after the summer promptly following your high school graduation, you will be considered a transfer applicant and need to meet the CSU Eligibility Requirements for Transfer applicants.

CSU update for 2027-28 application cycle:

Area e: Two years or through the second level of high school instruction in the same language or two one-year courses through the first level of high school instruction. Applicants may not combine coursework from different languages (e.g., 1 semester of Spanish and 3 semesters of French) or use partial credit units to satisfy the requirement. Students are encouraged to complete two years of the same language.

Area f: One year-long course or two semester courses required. Courses should be chosen from the following disciplines: Dance, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, or Interdiscplinary Arts. Two semesters of coursework must be successfully completed before high school graduation.

These changes apply to both California and non-California applicants beginning with the 2027-28 application cycle. Campuses accepting first-time, first-year/FTFY (freshman) applications for spring 2027 may also use this updated guidance. 

3. SAT or ACT test scores

Official test scores will not be used in our consideration of applicants for admission. Students may submit their official SAT and/or ACT should they be offered admission to be used for course placement purposes, but the standardized tests will not be considered in the admission decision.

4. Meet or exceed the CSU Minimum Eligibility Index

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Your official GPA for admission to SJSU may be different from the GPA on your high school transcript. This is because we calculate your high school GPA using your 10th, 11th and 12th grade "a-g" courses when considering you for admission. Note that courses completed with “Pass” or “Credit” grades in Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall 2020 terms and during Winter or Spring 2021 terms will not be included in the calculation of your GPA.

Applicants will be eligible for admission consideration according to the following:

Applicants below these GPA minimum requirements will not be considered for admission at SJSU.

Admission Selection Process (Impaction)

Admission to San José State is competitive in all majors because SJSU continues to have more qualified applicants than available new student spaces. This situation is called "impaction" and it means that meeting the minimum California State University (CSU) requirements does not guarantee admission to SJSU. To learn about impaction and view the historical competitiveness of each major at SJSU, visit our Impaction Information page.

FTFY applicants who meet the CSU minimum eligibility requirements will be ranked in each major by the GPA earned in "a-g" course requirements (self-reported at the time of application). 

San José State gives preference in the competitive admission process to local applicants. For FTFY applicants, you are considered a local applicant if you will graduate from a high school in Santa Clara County.

Additional consideration will be given to applicants who qualify for the Cal State Apply fee waiver, are the first to attend college in their family (first-generation), or are a U.S. veteran.

Choose Your Major and Alternate Major Carefully

It is important to understand that though all majors are impacted, the admission threshold for each major varies, depending on the capacity of the major to take new students, and the number of students applying for that major in that term.

We encourage you to apply for the major in which you intend to earn a degree. Change of major is prohibited during the application and admission process. After you are admitted, change of major is never guaranteed and is by petition only. Your mandatory orientation, advising and registration will all be based on your choice of major. 

Alternate Major: You must enter an alternate major on your application to SJSU. We will consider the alternate major for those applicants who did not meet the impaction threshold to their first choice major. We will only admit to alternate majors if there is additional capacity for new student enrollment in that major.

View a complete list of degrees, including graduate degrees and credentials.