Changes to CSU Admission Requirements Due to Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Interim Changes on California State University (CSU) and Cal Maritime Undergraduate Admissions Policies & Practices

The California State University (CSU) system and campuses, including Cal Maritime, will take all necessary steps to ease the disruptions caused by COVID-19 while ensuring the health and safety for our students, faculty, staff, and communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adjustments to some CSU and Cal Maritime admission requirements to incoming students for Fall 2020 and beyond. The CSU and Cal Maritime will exercise flexibility and accommodation when working with students, families, and schools regarding the application process, meeting admission requirements and the subsequent steps toward enrollment. for Fall 2020 and beyond.

We offer the following information for prospective students, applicants, school districts, schools, community colleges, colleges, and educators, regarding CSU and Cal Maritime admission (read the official CSU statement):

 

Changes in High School Admission Requirements and Processes

1. Fall 2020 (First-year Students, Current High School Seniors)

2. 1. The CSU and Cal Maritime will accept grades of "Credit" or "Pass" to satisfy "a-g" requirements completed during the Winter, Spring, or Summer 2020 terms.  Grades of "Credit/Pass" or "No Credit/Non-passing" will not factor into the calculation of high school GPA.

3. 2. CSU campuses including Cal Maritime will assess and initially place students in first-year English/math based on multiple measures: High school and college courses completed; cumulative high school/high school math GPAs; and ACT, SAT, and CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessments scores students previously submitted.

4. 3. Cal Maritime will not require any students to participate in the Early Start program in Summer 2020.

5. 4. The CSU and Cal Maritime requests high schools attempt to provide transcripts by Wednesday, July 15, 2020. However, Cal Maritime will continue to accept transcripts through the Fall 2020 term. Cal Maritime will not rescind conditional offers of admission based on the non-receipt of transcripts. If a student cannot provide an official transcript due to extended school closure, Cal Maritime will use unofficial or self-reported data for senior year grades and graduation status.

6. 5. New first-year students will remain in a "conditionally admitted" status until the CSU campus receives and reviews final transcript documents for completed "a-g" requirements.¹

7. 6. For students not yet meeting all "a-g" requirements after review of their final transcript document, Cal Maritime will use use one of its limited number of admission exceptions on a case-by-case basis if students no longer meet eligibility standards, based on the inability to complete all "a-g" courses in which they enrolled into Spring 2020.² Consideration may include how well the student performs academically in Fall 2020. Students should in no way assume enrollment in Fall 2020 courses means an automatically granted exception.

8. 7. The College Board announced changes to the AP exam content and format for Spring 2020. Cal Maritime will honor all existing transferable credit articulation for Spring 2020 AP exam scores of three or higher.

9. 8. Cal Maritime will individually consider extending enrollment item deadlines or waive them all together based on student request.

10. Fall 2021 (Prospective Students, Current Juniors)

11. 1. The CSU and Cal Maritime will accept grades of "Credit" or "Pass" to satisfy "a-g" requirements completed during the Winter, Spring, or Summer 2020 terms.  Grades of "Credit/Pass" or "No Credit/Non-passing" will not factor into the calculation of high school GPA.
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13. 2. The CSU and Cal Maritime strongly recommends all students enroll in year-long Grade 12 English and math/quantitative reasoning courses, including Advanced Placement (AP), CSU Expository Reading and Writing (ERWC), CSU Math Reasoning with Connections (MRWC), International Baccalaureate (IB), weighted honors, and other advanced courses.
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15. 3. Given the current and indefinite suspension of ACT, SAT, and CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessments, the CSU and Cal Maritime will evaluate its admission process for entering first-year students in 2021.  In consultation with its internal constituents, including the statewide academic senate and governing board, the CSU will determine the appropriate path forward for eligibility criteria for Fall 2021 applicants.  Likewise, the CSU will soon issue final decisions on how the CSU will adapt its admissions process for the Fall 2021 term. Cal Maritime will follow the CSU's lead on this topic.
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17. 4. The College Board announced changes to the AP exam content and format for Spring 2020.  The CSU will honor all existing transferable credit articulation for Spring 2020 AP exam scores of three or above.
     

18. Middle School to Grade 10

19. 1.The CSU and Cal Maritime will accept grades of "Credit" or "Pass" to satisfy "a-g" requirements completed during the Winter, Spring, or Summer 2020 terms.  Grades of "Credit/Pass" or "No Credit/Non-passing" will not factor into the calculation of high school GPA.

 

Changes in Transfer Student Admission Requirements and Processes

1. Fall 2020 Transfers

2. 1. The CSU and Cal Maritime will accept "Credit" or "Pass" for transferable college courses completed in Winter, Spring or Summer 2020 taken to satisfy:

a. The Golden Four: Oral Communication (A1), English Language (A2), Critical Thinking (A3), Math/Quantitative Reasoning (B4)
b. All other General Education (GE) courses
c. Major prerequisite courses

1. 2. CSU campuses including Cal Maritime will clear admission for upper-division transfer applicants with 48 semester or 72 quarter transferable units who have completed English Language (A2) and math/quantitative reasoning (B4) by the start of Fall 2020, including courses completed in Summer 2020.

a. Cal Maritime will work with students to enroll in the appropriate GE and major preparation courses to fulfill lower division requirements prior to enrolling in major coursework.
b. Students will still need to fulfill all major requirements to receive their degree.

1. 3. If Cal Maritime conditionally admitted a student as a lower-division transfer, the student will need to meet eligibility and have completed English Language (A2) and math/quantitative reasoning (B4) by the start of Fall 2020, including courses taken in summer 2020.

2. 4. Cal Maritime requests community colleges attempt to provide transcripts by Wednesday, July 15, 2020.  However, Cal Maritime will continue to accept transcripts through the Fall 2020 term.  Cal Maritime will not rescind conditional offers of admission based on the non-receipt of transcripts.  If a student cannot provide an official transcript due to extended school closure, Cal Maritime may use unofficial or self-reported data for spring or summer grades and graduation status.

3. 5. New transfer students will remain in a "conditionally admitted" status until the CSU campus receives and reviews final transcript documents for completed admission requirements.

4. 6. For students not yet completing at least 48 transferable units and fulfilled A2 and B4 requirements after review of their final transcript document, Cal Maritime may use its limited number of admission exceptions on a case-by-case basis if students do not meet criteria from item 2.  Students should in no way assume enrollment in Fall 2020 courses means an automatically granted exception.

5. 7. For students "conditionally accepted" for Fall 2020 choosing to remain at their community college to finish their transfer requirements or Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), Cal Maritime may defer their admission to Winter/Spring 2021 terms at its discretion

6. 8. A transfer student who anticipated completing an ADT enrolling for Fall 2020 without completing the ADT and matriculated with less than 60 units completed would need to obtain a special advising agreement at Cal Maritime.

7. 9. The College Board announced changes to the AP exam content and format for Spring 2020.  Cal Maritime will honor all existing transferable credit articulation for Spring 2020 AP exam scores of three or above.

8. 10.  Cal Maritime will individually consider extending enrollment item deadlines or waive them all together based on student request.

9. Spring 2021 Transfers (& Beyond)

10. 1. Cal Maritime will accept "Credit" or "Pass" for transferable college courses completed in Winter, Spring or Summer 2020 taken to satisfy:

a. The Golden Four: Oral Communication (A1), English Language (A2), Critical Thinking (A3), Math/Quantitative Reasoning (B4)
b. All other General Education (GE) courses
c. Major prerequisite courses

1. 2. The College Board announced changes to the AP exam content and format for Spring 2020.  Cal Maritime will honor all existing transferable credit articulation for Spring 2020 AP exam scores of ≥3.

 

1. ¹ Should not preclude campuses from awarding federal financial aid to students for Fall 2020.  Applies to both first-year freshmen and transfer students.  Federal financial aid eligibility thereafter subject to federal regulations and CSU policies.
    
2. ²CSU ensures either campus allocations for admissions exceptions will increase or use of special code for these exceptions (excluded from the total count).  Applies to both first-year freshmen and transfer students.
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