Transfer Students

San Diego State University receives applications from thousands of highly qualified applicants each year. You must choose a major when applying to transfer to SDSU. Applicants are admitted based on preparation for the intended major. Learn how to make your application more competitive by closely reviewing the admission requirements before you apply.

Fall 2024

Applications are accepted between October 1 and November 30 for the following fall.

Steps to ApplyTransfer Pathways

Who is a Transfer Student?

You can apply as a transfer student if you will have completed 60 or more transferable semester (or 90 or more quarter) units by:

  • The end of spring 2024 for fall 2024 admission.

We do not accept transfer applications from lower-division students with fewer than 60 transferable semester units.

Fall 2024

SDSU is only accepting applications for a second bachelor's degree in nursing. Applicants to the second bachelor's degree in nursing must have earned their first bachelor's degree from an institution that carries United States regional accreditation.

Fall 2024

  • SDSU accepts applications from students with international coursework.
  • You must meet the Transfer Admission Minimum Requirements to be considered for admission.
  • If you have international coursework, please review the information below before applying to SDSU.

International Transcript Evaluation

San Diego State University requires transfer applicants with international coursework to submit official foreign transcripts to an approved international transcript evaluation service. All college/university transcripts from foreign institutions must be submitted for a detailed, course-by-course credential evaluation. Please select from the list of approved evaluation services providers below.

You should contact the evaluation service as soon as possible, as your request for official transcripts and completion of the evaluation will take several weeks to process. Refer to your my.SDSU account for required documents and deadlines.

World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 5087
New York, NY 10274-5087
Phone: (212) 966-6311
Fax: (212) 739-6100
wes.org

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
Phone: (414) 289-3400
ece.org

International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231-3665
Phone: (310) 258-9451
Fax: (310) 342-7086
ierf.org

Once your detailed course-by-course evaluation has been completed, your international evaluation service provider will send your evaluation and foreign transcripts directly to San Diego State University.

Before You Apply

Transfer Admission Minimum Requirements

SDSU is impacted at the undergraduate level in all majors and programs. Upper-division transfer applicants exceeding the minimum requirements will receive admission priority for available spaces.

Choose Your Major

  1. Select the major that you are going to pursue. If you completed 100% of your transferable courses from Palomar or MiraCosta colleges, review the Majors Not Offered by CSU San Marcos.
  2. Review the cumulative GPA requirements for your intended major.
  3. Review the transfer pathways to determine which pathway you are going to follow for admission.
  4. Be aware of majors with special instructions.

Majors with Special Instructions

You must meet the Transfer Admission Minimum Requirements and successfully pass an audition for acceptance to the major and the University. Please visit the Prospective Dance Student website for additional information.

Applicants to international business must choose a different language from the principal language of instruction used at the high school or secondary school from which they graduated. Please visit the Prospective International Business website for additional information.

You must meet the Transfer Admission Minimum Requirements and successfully pass an audition for acceptance to the major and the University. Please visit the Music Audition and Application Information website for additional information.

Prospective nursing transfer applicants must complete all nursing prerequisites by the end of the fall 2023 term in order to be eligible for fall 2024 admission consideration. Nursing prerequisite courses may not be in progress during spring 2024. No exceptions will be granted.

In addition to applying for admission online at Cal State Apply by November 30, 2023, you must also update your Cal State Apply colleges attended and college coursework, including courses completed or courses that are planned to fulfill prerequisites, by completing and submitting the Academic History Update on the Cal State Apply website and answer the specific nursing questions in January 2024 for fall 2024 admission. Upper-division and second bachelor's students applying to nursing must complete nursing prerequisite courses by the end of fall 2023. Please visit the School of Nursing website for additional information.

Transfer students admitted to the pre-major in television, film, and new media with an emphasis in production are required to submit a petition portfolio the second Monday in April. Please visit the department website for additional information on the portfolio requirements.

You must meet the Transfer Admission Minimum Requirements and successfully pass an audition for acceptance to the major and the University. Please visit the BA Emphasis in Performance web page for additional information.

Online Resources

Determine how transfer course credits can be used to meet SDSU General Education and major preparation course requirements:

Transfer Student Success

SDSU recognizes and values the wealth of experiences our transfer students bring to our community. You can find resources and opportunities to engage earlier in your academic and professional career, and connect with other transfer students through the official transfer student organization, the Transfer Student Outreach Alliance.

Invest in your future.

SDSU is ranked No. 11 among U.S. colleges offering the best value based on costs of attending and future earnings by Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. Learn just how affordable an SDSU education will be for you.

Students studying in Union Courtyard