Becoming College Ready
All California resident first-time freshmen admitted to San Diego State University who have remediation needs in English or mathematics will be required to enroll in a program to become college ready in the summer prior to fall enrollment. Participation in a college readiness program is mandatory and required system-wide. College readiness programs are offered at SDSU from early July to mid-August; students should make their summer plans accordingly.
San Diego State University's college readiness program, FAST (Freshmen Academic Success Track), is designed to prepare students to excel in their classes at SDSU. Students with remediation needs who will be attending SDSU in the fall are required to complete the FAST program. Students who will be attending another CSU campus are required to complete the CSU Early Start program, and may do so at SDSU.
Freshmen who are required to take the English Placement Test (EPT) and/or Entry-Level Mathematics (ELM) exam are strongly encouraged to prepare, study, and do well on the test(s). The test results will determine whether enrollment in a summer college readiness program is required.
Program Details and Requirements
The structure of FAST and the Early Start programs vary slightly depending on your location and the campus where you'll enroll this fall. Choose the situation that applies to you to get further details.
| Local* Students Attending SDSU |
Nonlocal* Students Attending SDSU |
Students Attending Another CSU |
|---|---|---|
Did you
| Did you
| Did you
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* You are in SDSU's local admission area if you graduated from a high school in San Diego County located south of state route 56 and extending eastward. If you graduated from an Imperial County high school, however, you will attend the FAST program at SDSU's Imperial Valley Campus—for details, please call Dolores Rivera, Imperial Valley Campus Registrar, at (760) 768-5517.
Clearing the Requirement
To clear remediation requirements, freshmen must present proof of one of the following in English and mathematics:
| TYPE | ENGLISH | MATHEMATICS |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Reasoning | Score of 500 or higher Critical Reading | Score of 550 or higher Mathematics |
| ACT | Score of 22 or higher English | Score of 23 or higher Mathematics |
| EPT and ELM | EPT score of 147 or higher | ELM score of 50 or higher |
| Early Assessment Program (EAP) | "Exempt" or "Ready for college-level English" (Score of 1 on the English Language portion) |
"Exempt" or "Ready for college-level mathematics course" (Score of 1 on the Mathematics portion) |
| EAP Conditional Status | Score of 2 on the English Language Arts portion. Must complete the specific senior English class. | Must complete an approved year-long, senior-year mathematics experience, intermediate algebra, or higher-level mathematics with C or higher. (Score of 2 on the Mathematics portion) |
| Advanced Placement (AP) Exam | Score of 3, 4, or 5 on either Language and Composition or Composition and Literature exam. | Score of 3, 4, or 5 on Calculus (AB or BC) or Statistics |
| College Board SAT Subject Test | Score of 550 or higher SAT Subject Test in Mathematics (Level 1 or 2) | |
| College course (C grade or higher) | English Composition with C or higher grade | Course must be above intermediate algebra level with C or higher grade |
Program Exemptions
Freshmen who are exempt from the college readiness programs:
- Freshmen who are nonresidents of California
- Freshmen who are international students
- EAP Conditionally Exempt—English: freshmen may clear the remediation in English requirement with successful completion of approved senior year English course.
- EAP Conditionally Exempt—Math: freshmen may clear the remediation in mathmatics requirement with successful completion of approved senior year mathematics course.
- Freshmen who clear both English and mathematics remediation requirements by high school graduation date
