Transfer Impaction

CSUN is Easing Impaction!

CSUN is easing impaction criteria for the current and coming academic years — fall 2024 and spring 2025, and fall 2025 and spring 2026 — as follows:

• Campus (local/nonlocal-area) “regional” impaction is no longer in effect.
• All first-time transfer students in California must meet the same standard CSU admission criteria for non-impacted majors. Visit Transfer Admissions for details.
• All California first-time transfer students must meet the same higher, supplementary criteria for impacted majors.

While four majors are impacted for 2024-2025, only three majors are impacted for 2025-2026.

Impacted Majors Overview

The academic department for each impacted major may set supplementary admission criteria for its applicants.

• If you are choosing one of the impacted majors listed below and you are a student from California, you will need to meet that major’s supplementary admission criteria if any.
• In all impacted majors except Music, this could mean achieving a higher GPA than is required for a non-impacted major. Space permitting, applicants who meet any supplementary criteria will be admitted first, until the impacted major is full.

The list of impacted majors may change annually in future academic years.

To find out whether or not impaction affects you, consider the following:

1. All applicants to non-impacted majors must meet the minimum CSU minimum 2.00 transfer GPA for the standard eligibility requirements listed at Upper Division Transfer Applicant.
2. You are affected by impaction if you are applying to an impacted major. 

• • Choose your major carefully. Ask your college counselor for tools to explore careers or contact a CSUN preadmissions counselor to talk through options.
  • Explore your options with CSUN's Majors & Programs search tool.
  • Find out which of the California community college Associate Degrees for Transfer (AA-T and AS-T) majors will transfer to CSUN.

3. You are NOT affected by impaction if you are a nonresident of California or a U.S. servicemember (active duty or veteran). Learn how to apply at:

• • Transfer Admissions
  • International Admissions (A higher admission standard is already required.)
  • Veterans Admissions (While active duty service members and veterans are not subject to impaction, their dependents are.)

No matter when you apply for admission to CSUN, be sure to apply during CSUN's application filing period.

Majors Impacted for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026

For admission to the 2025-2026 academic year, only three majors are impacted.

Only one business major with two options is impacted. Students apply to the pre-major program. Then, after successfully completing the pre-major, students may file for a change of major:

• Accountancy — two options:
  • Information Systems option
  • Professional Accountancy option

Applicants to the following impacted major are required to pass an audition:

• Music - Refer to Audition & Placement.

Cinema and Television Arts (CTVA) will set supplementary impaction criteria (a higher GPA) and admit applicants directly to the major program based on their GPA.

• Only two CTVA options are impacted for fall 2025:
  • Film Production
  • Television Production

Majors Impacted for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025

For admission to the 2024-2025 academic year, four majors are impacted.

The following impacted business majors and options admit applicants to the pre-major program. Then, after successfully completing the pre-major, students may file for a change of major:

• Accountancy — Information Systems and Professional Accountancy options
• Business Administration — Financial Analysis, Financial Planning, and Risk Management/Insurance options

Applicants to the following impacted major are required to pass an audition:

• Music - Refer to Audition & Placement.

Cinema and Television Arts (CTVA), will set supplementary impaction criteria (a higher GPA) and admit applicants directly to the major program based on their GPA.

The following section describes admission criteria for fall 2024 and spring 2025 impaction only. These criteria may vary for future admission cycles.

Table 1 shows the admission criteria for CSUN’s non-impacted majors and Table 2 the criteria for impacted majors. Please note:

• Applicants who meet the minimum GPA for their group will be admitted.
• The minimum standard CSU admission requirements are published at Transfer Student Requirements.

California Transfer Students Applying to Non-impacted Majors

California Transfer Students Applying to Impacted Majors

If you are choosing one of the impacted majors listed in Table 2 below and you are a student from California, you will need to meet that major’s supplementary admission criteria if any.

Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 admissions criteria for first-time transfer students applying to impacted majors will be published here in coming months, probably in June 2025.