California State University Monterey Bay

Cal State Monterey Bay provides over 7,500 students an extraordinary opportunity to learn on a residential campus just one mile from the shores of the beautiful Monterey Bay. Their diverse student body receives personal attention in small classes while pursuing degrees in 25 undergraduate and seven graduate majors. Founded in 1994 on the former site of Fort Ord by educators and community leaders, Cal State Monterey Bay faculty and staff build on that legacy as they explore innovative ways to meet the needs of a new generation of students while simultaneously powering the Monterey County economy.

Undergraduate Admission Requirements:

Students must meet academic and English proficiency requirement.

All admissions requirements must be met by the end of the term/semester prior to enrollment. No summer coursework is allowed for eligibility purposes for Fall terms. All documents must be submitted in their original language and as certified English translations.

Academic requirements:

First-time freshmen:

First-time freshmen are students applying directly from secondary school (high school) with no university credit.

Academic requirements:

• Equivalent of a 2.40 Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale in high school
• High school diploma equivalent or certificate of graduation
• Official high school transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)
• National Test Scores (if required by home country)
• SAT or ACT scores required for students who graduate from a US high school or a US accredited international school
• Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit accepted but not required

Low division transfer:

Lower division transfer students have fewer than 60 transferrable university credits.

All undergraduate applicants must file one official transcript from each college in which they have enrolled. This includes special sessions, correspondence, and audited courses, as well as any college in which the student was enrolled and withdrew without earning credit. 

Academic requirements:

• Minimum 2.0 GPA in all transferable university credits
• Must be in "good standing" with current or most recent college or university
• Official university or college transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)
• Must have completed high school with a minimum 2.4 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
• High school diploma equivalent or certificate of graduation
• Official high school transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)
• National Test Scores (if required by home country)
• SAT or ACT scores required for students who graduate from a US high school or a US accredited international school
• Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit accepted but not required

Upper division transfer:

Upper division transfer students have 60 or more transferrable university credits.

All undergraduate applicants must file one official transcript from each college in which they have enrolled. This includes special sessions, correspondence, and audited courses, as well as any college in which the student was enrolled and withdrew without earning credit. All documents must be submitted in their original language and as certified English translations.

Academic requirements:

• Minimum 2.0 GPA in all transferable university credits
• Must be in "good standing" with current or most recent college or university
• Official university or college transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)

English proficiency requirement:

The English proficiency requirement can be satisfied by any of the following:

• Duolingo score of 90
• TOEFL iBT score of 61, or paper-based score of 500
• IELTS score of 6.0
• PTE score of 45
• Attending a school full-time where English was the primary language of instruction for at least three years immediately preceding admission to CSUMB

If you do not meet the minimum English proficiency requirements, you may be eligible for Conditional admission. There may be alternate options for proving English proficiency.

Transfer credit information:

Credit by exam:

Students who have passed certain exams can earn university credit. We accept AS-Level and A-Level scores from all of the major testing companies. 

• IB (International Baccalaureate)
• AP (Advanced Placement)
• AS-Level (Advanced Subsidiary), and A-Level (Advanced)

Please email a copy of your AS- or A-level score report to International Admissions for a preliminary evaluation of credit.

13th year of high school:

Students who come from countries where standard pre-university education is 13 years (ex. Norway) may earn a maximum of 30 semester units of university-level credit for coursework and/or exams passed in their 13th year.

Please email a copy of your transcript to International Admissions for a preliminary evaluation of credit.

Graduate Admission Requirements:

Degree students:

First-time freshmen:

For students applying directly from secondary school (high school) with no university credit.

All admissions requirements must be met by the end of the term/semester prior to enrollment. No summer coursework is allowed for eligibility purposes for Fall terms. All documents must be submitted in their original language and as certified English translations.

Academic requirements:

• Equivalent of a 2.40 Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale in high school
• High school diploma equivalent or certificate of graduation
• Official high school transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)
• National Test Scores (if required by home country)
• SAT or ACT scores required for students who graduate from a US high school or a US accredited international school
• Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit accepted but not required

English language proficiency:

The English Proficiency requirement can be satisfied by any of the following:

• Duolingo score of 90
• TOEFL iBT score of 61, or paper-based score of 500
• IELTS score of 6.0
• PTE score of 45
• Attending a school full-time where English was the primary language of instruction for at least three years immediately preceding admission to CSUMB
• There may be alternate options for proving English proficiency.

If you do not meet the minimum English proficiency requirements, you may be eligible for Conditional Admission.

Lower division transfer:

For students with fewer than 60 transferrable university credits.

All admissions requirements must be met by the end of the term/semester prior to enrollment. No summer coursework is allowed for eligibility purposes for Fall terms. All undergraduate applicants must file one official transcript from each college in which they have enrolled. This includes special sessions, correspondence, and audited courses, as well as any college in which the student was enrolled and withdrew without earning credit. All documents must be submitted in their original language and as certified English translations.

Academic requirements:

• Minimum 2.0 GPA in all transferable university credits
• Must be in "good standing" with current or most recent college or university
• Official university or college transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)
• Must have completed high school with a minimum 2.4 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
• High school diploma equivalent or certificate of graduation
• Official high school transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)
• National Test Scores (if required by home country)
• SAT or ACT scores required for students who graduate from a US high school or a US accredited international school
• Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit accepted but not required

English language proficiency:

The English Proficiency requirement can be satisfied by any of the following:

• Duolingo score of 90
• TOEFL iBT score of 61, or paper-based score of 500
• IELTS score of 6.0
• PTE score of 45
• Attending a school full-time where English was the primary language of instruction for at least three years immediately preceding admission to CSUMB
• Transferring with college credit that meets the CSUMB General Education Area A2 (Written Communication) requirement
• There may be alternate options for proving English proficiency.

Upper division transfer:

For students with 60 or more transferrable university credits.

All admissions requirements must be met by the end of the term/semester prior to enrollment. No summer coursework is allowed for eligibility purposes for Fall terms. All undergraduate applicants must file one official transcript from each college in which they have enrolled. This includes special sessions, correspondence, and audited courses, as well as any college in which the student was enrolled and withdrew without earning credit. All documents must be submitted in their original language and as certified English translations.

Academic requirements:

• Minimum 2.0 GPA in all transferable university credits
• Must be in "good standing" with current or most recent college or university
• Official university or college transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)

English language proficiency:

The English Proficiency requirement can be satisfied by any of the following:

• Duolingo score of 90
• TOEFL iBT score of 61, or paper-based score of 500
• IELTS score of 6.0
• PTE score of 45
• Attending a school full-time where English was the primary language of instruction for at least three years immediately preceding admission to CSUMB
• Transferring with college credit that meets the CSUMB General Education Area A2 (Written Communication) requirement
• There may be alternate options for proving English proficiency.

Graduate students:

For students who have completed the equivalent of four-year US Bachelor’s Degree.

All admissions requirements must be met by the end of the term/semester prior to enrollment. No summer coursework is allowed for eligibility purposes for Fall terms. All documents must be submitted in their original language and as certified English translations.

Academic requirements:

• Must have a GPA of 2.5 overall or in the last 60 units completed - some programs required higher GPA's
• Official university or college transcript (official record of marks/scores/grades)
• GRE or GMAT, depending on major
• Some programs require subject tests, secondary application information, resume, letters of recommendation and statement of purpose

English language proficiency:

The English Proficiency requirement can be satisfied by any of the following:

• Duolingo score of 105
• iBT TOEFL score of 80, or paper-based score of 550
• IELTS score of 6.5
• PTE score of 65
• Attending a school full-time where English was the primary language of instruction for at least three years immediately preceding admission to CSUMB
• There may be alternate options for proving English proficiency.

Transfer credit information:

Credit by exam:

Students who have passed certain IB (International Baccalaureate), AP (Advanced Placement), AS-Level (Advanced Subsidiary), and A-Level (Advanced) exams can earn university credit. We accept AS-Level and A-Level scores from all of the major testing companies.

Students can earn 4 semester units of university-level credit for many AS-level exams, and 8 semester units of university-level credit for many A-level exams.

Please email a copy of your AS- or A-level score report for a preliminary evaluation of credit.

13th year of high school:

Students who come from countries where standard pre-university education is 13 years (Norway, for example) may earn a maximum of 30 semester units of university-level credit for coursework and/or exams passed in their 13th year.

Please email a copy of your transcript for a preliminary evaluation of credit. 

Semester/year long:

Requirements:

For students looking to apply for the following semester or year long programs:

• International Exchange
• Semester@ CSUMB
• Summer@ CSUMB
• National Student Exchange (NSE)
• CSU International Programs (CSU IP)

Academic requirements:

• Good standing at current university or institution
• No minimum GPA
• No test scores required
• Copy of Transcripts in English required for course placement

English language proficiency:

The English Proficiency requirement can be satisfied by any of the following:

• Duolingo score of 90
• Minimum TOEFL iBT score of 61 or paper-based score of 500
• IELTS score of 6.0
• PTE score of 45
• If you attended a school full-time where English was the primary language of instruction for at least three years immediately preceding admission to CSUMB
• There may be alternate options for proving English proficiency.