4-Year College Information

Selecting the right college to meet your abilities and ambitions is one of the most important decisions you will make as a young adult. In most instances there is a wide selection of colleges available which will meet your needs. Selecting the college that is right for you can be an overwhelming task unless you study the differences between colleges and establish your personal priorities in regards to your college experience.

CAL STATE

The minimum requirements for admission as a freshman are:

Completing specific high school A-G approved courses, with a "C" or better
Meeting minimum eligibility determined by an index that combines GPA with test scores (ACT or SAT, excluding writing).

Determine your eligibility for admission into a CSU school below, using your GPA and/or SAT/ACT score!:

*Note: Meeting the minimum eligibility requirement does not guarantee admission. Some programs/campuses may establish a higher index which is not published prior to applying.

Cal State University Quick Links

Bakersfield	Fullerton	Northridge	San Jose
Channel Islands	Humboldt	Pomona	San Luis Obispo
Chico	Long Beach	Sacramento	San Marcos
Dominguez Hills	Los Angeles	San Bernardino	Sonoma
East Bay	Cal Maritime	San Diego	Stanislaus
Fresno	Monterey Bay	San Francisco

UC

Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above in all UC approved coursework. You can easily calculate your eligibility for UC by using the interactive eligibility calculator available online at admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman. Most UC campuses receive more applicants than they have room for, so they use a comprehensive review process to determine admission.

*Note: Although SAT Subject Tests are no longer required for admission, scores can still be submitted, and are sometimes recommended by certain campuses or programs.

University Of California Quicklinks

UC Berkeley	UCLA	UC San Diego
UC Davis	UC Merced	UC Santa Barbara
UC Irvine	UC Riverside	UC Santa Cruz
UC San Francisco (Graduate School Only)

PRIVATE/ OUT-OF-STATE

PRIVATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

There are hundreds of private colleges and universities from which to choose. There are 63 independent undergraduate colleges and universities in California alone. Private colleges and universities are quite diverse in nature, including research universities, small liberal arts colleges, faith-based colleges and universities, and specialized colleges.

The cost is higher than public colleges and universities. However, these institutions have a variety of financial aid programs that often make the cost comparable to a public institution. Your ability to graduate in 4 years at a private institution may be greater than at a public institution due to more courses being available to you as a student there.

Some independent institutions, such as USC, Stanford, and California Institute of Technology, are highly selective. Other universities are less selective in nature. Visit their websites for specific admission information. Transfer to a private college is possible after your freshman year at a community college or other institution.

Many schools take applications through the Common Application or Coalition Application. Others have their own independent applications.

*There are also numerous out-of-state public colleges and universities that are great options as well.

Did you know...

Through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program, you may be eligible to enroll in more than 150 participating two- and four-year public institutions at 150 percent of the enrolling institution's resident tuition?

California Independent and Private Colleges Quicklinks

American Academy of Dramatic Arts, LA	La Sierra University, Riverside	San Francisco Conservatory of Music, SF
American Jewish University, Los Angeles	Laguna College of Art & Design	Santa Clara University, Santa Clara
Antioch University, Los Angeles	Loma Linda University, Loma Linda	Scripps College, Claremont
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena	Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles	Simpson University, Redding
Azusa Pacific University, Azusa	Marymount Ca. University, Palos Verdes	Soka University, Aliso Viejo
Biola University, La Mirada	The Master's College, Santa Clarita	Southern Calif. Univ. of Health Sciences, Whittier
California Baptist University, Riverside	Mills College, Oakland	Stanford University, Stanford
California College of the Arts, San Francisco	Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles	Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena	National University, La Jolla	Touro University, Vallejo
California Institute of the Arts, Valencia	Notre Dame de Namur University, SF	University of La Verne, La Verne
California Lutheran U., Thousand Oaks	Occidental College, Los Angeles	University of Redlands, Redlands
Chapman University, Orange	Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles	University of San Diego, San Diego
Claremont McKenna, Claremont	Pacific Union College, Angwin	University of San Francisco, San Francisco
Concordia University, Irvine	Patten University, Oakland	University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Dominican University, San Rafael	Pepperdine University, Malibu	University of the Pacific, Stockton
Fresno Pacific University, Fresno	Pitzer College, Claremont	Vanguard University, Costa Mesa
Golden Gate University, San Francisco	Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego	Western University, Pomona
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont	Pomona College, Claremont	Westmont College, Santa Barbara
Holy Names University, Oakland	Saint Mary's College of California, Moraga	Whittier College, Whittier
Hope International University, Fullerton	Samuel Merritt University, Oakland	William Jessup University, Rocklin
Humphreys College, Stockton	San Diego Christian College, El Cajon	Woodbury University, Burbank