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Colleges Attended

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For the 2028 Application

Requirements

  • Report all institutions attended regardless of their relevance to the programs you are applying to. Report all institutions attended, including but not limited to:
    • courses taken in high school for college or university credit. Remember to visit A-G Matching after completing the College Coursework section.
    • summer courses
    • community college courses
    • US military academies (note that this does not include courses on SMART or JST transcripts)
    • post-baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral work
    • study abroad, Canadian, foreign work, etc.
  • List all institutions on your application even if the coursework completed there was transferred to another institution.
  • Report each institution only once, regardless of the number of degrees earned or gaps in the dates of attendance.

You can either manually enter all your colleges attended or you can upload your transcript(s) and use the Coursework Import Tool to extract the information, along with your coursework, into your application.  

Review the 2027-2028 Transfer Application Guide for more detailed information on entering your Colleges Attended.

Importing Colleges and Coursework

Use the Coursework Import Tool to upload your transcript and extract its data to complete the Colleges Attended and College Coursework sections of the application. You will need to manually review and approve the data that is uploaded, as well as manually add some additional information. See below for which information is imported and which must be added manually. 

Note that:

  • Only PDF files types are accepted. PDF file size cannot exceed 15 MB per document. If your file exceeds this size, you can use a PDF compressor tool to reduce it.
  • You can upload 10 transcripts per day.
  • If you manually added your college and/or coursework, you cannot later use the Coursework Import Tool to add data for that college or transcript. You must continue adding information manually for that college or transcript. 
  • The Coursework Import Tool is not available after you submit your application. Any colleges or coursework added after submission must be added manually. 
  • If you delete a college or university from the Colleges Attended page, it will remove all coursework associated with that institution. 

Information that is typically imported for applicable US and English-Canadian transcripts:

  • College names
  • College terms and their start and end dates
  • Course names, grades, and credits
  • Transferable courses (if available in the ASSIST database)

Information that is not imported and must be manually added:

  • Degrees earned
  • Exam credits
  • Tuition status (resident or non-resident)

Uploading Your Transcript

  1. Click Upload Transcript. 
  2. Drag and drop your transcript PDF or click Select File to locate it. Select the transcript PDF you want to upload. 
  3. Click Continue to start the data extraction process. Do not click the back button or close or refresh your browser while it is processing. 
  4. Click Review College to review the uploaded data. A red warning icon next to the Review College button indicates there is missing data you need to manually enter.  
  5. Review the college or university name, term system, tuition status, attendance information, and degree information. Add missing information or update as needed. Once you're sure the information is correct, click Save. If you cannot locate your college or university in the search field, you must enter your colleges attended and coursework manually. See Manually Adding Colleges below for more information. 
  6. Your college will be marked as Reviewed in green. If you need to edit any information, click the pencil icon. 
  7. Click Continue and then Review Coursework to review the course information that was uploaded.
  8. Verify that the course information accurately reflects what is listed on your transcript. You must review and approve the course's term, code, title, credits, grade, and whether it is transferable. Click the pencil icon in a row to edit any information or delete the course. If a row has a red warning icon, there is missing data that you need to manually enter. If you need to edit information about the term, click the pencil icon next to the semester. 
  9. Click the checkbox in each row to approve it. Once you've approved all courses, click Save. You must approve every course to proceed. 
  10. Repeat this process to upload more transcripts as needed. You can also choose to enter other coursework manually. 
  11. When you're done, click I'm Done Adding Colleges Attended. You can review the coursework uploaded and manually enter additional courses on the Coursework Entry page.  

Uploading Transcripts with Multiple Colleges Listed

  1. Click Upload Transcript.  
  2. Drag and drop your transcript PDF or click Select File to locate it. Select the transcript PDF you want to upload.  
  3. Click Continue to start the data extraction process. Do not click the back button or close or refresh your browser while it is processing.  
  4. If prompted, manually confirm that Cal State Apply is matching your transcript information to the correct schools. Click the Select button next to each school that is listed on your transcript. Ensure that the button changes to Selected. If our system cannot identify matching schools (e.g., if the transcript contains an abbreviation instead of the full institution name), you must manually select your school's name before you can continue. If you cannot locate your college or university in the search field, you must enter your colleges attended and coursework manually. See Manually Adding Colleges below for more information. 
  5. Click Review College to review the uploaded data for each school. A red warning icon next to the Review College button indicates there is missing data you need to manually enter.   
  6. Review the college or university name, term system, tuition status, attendance information, and degree information. Add missing information or update as needed. Once you're sure the information is correct, click Save. 
  7. Your college will be marked as Reviewed in green. If you need to edit any information, click the pencil icon. Repeat this process until all colleges are reviewed. 
  8. Click Continue and then Review Coursework to review the course information that was uploaded. 
  9. Review the coursework for each college individually. Verify that the uploaded course information accurately reflects what is listed on your transcript. You must review and approve the course's term, code, title, credits, grade, and whether it is transferable. Click the pencil icon in a row to edit any information or delete the course. If a row has a red warning icon, there is missing data that you need to manually enter.  
  10. Click the checkmark at the end of each row to approve it. Once you've approved all courses, click Save. You must approve every course to proceed.  
  11. Repeat this process until all courses at all colleges are reviewed. Then, upload more transcripts as needed. You can also choose to enter other coursework manually.  
  12. When you’re done, click I’m Done Adding Colleges Attended. You can review the coursework uploaded and manually enter additional courses on the Coursework Entry page. 

Uploading Transcripts from Foreign Institutions

If you attended or are attending an institution outside the United States or Canada, you must report these institutions in the Colleges Attended section, but college coursework is not required or accepted. You can use the import tool to extract college names and their start/end dates, but no coursework information will be imported. 

Instead, you can order a credential evaluation from World Education Services (WES), our preferred service, or another credential evaluation service. See Foreign Evaluations for more information. Alternatively, you can upload an unofficial transcript along with an English, word-for-word translation on the Academic Records page. This is not required for every program, but will help expedite application processing. For more information on application requirements, check with your program directly.  

Manually Adding Colleges

To manually enter your institutions, click Enter Manually and follow the steps below.  

  1. Click Add a College or University.
  2. Type and select your college or university.
    • Begin typing the full institution name. The system will display results that match the information you typed. Select the correct matching institution. Additional matches may be further down on the list. Scroll down or use the down arrow to see additional potential matches.
    • It may take several tries to find your school, especially if it shares its name with others or could be spelled differently. For example, if you attended "Saint John's University," you may need to try "Saint John," "St. John," or "St John" (no period) to bring the school up on the list.
    • If you exhausted all options and it does not appear, select Can't find your school? Then, indicate if your school is an Unlisted English Speaking Canadian Institution, Unlisted US Institution, or Unlisted French Speaking Canadian Institution or Other Foreign Institution.
    • If you select Unlisted French Speaking Canadian Institution or Other Foreign Institution, select the school's country from the drop-down.
  3. Select if you obtained (or plan to obtain) a degree from the selected institution.
    • If you earned or plan to earn a degree, provide details about the earned or expected degree. If your major is not found exactly as your school identifies, select the closest related major.
    • Associate Degree for Transfer applicants can identify their degree(s) but this does not classify you as an AA-T or AS-T applicant. You must also identify the degree in your Extended Profile.
    • Click Add another Degree to add additional degrees, as needed.
  4. Select your college's and university's term system. You can usually find this on the back of your official transcripts, or you can contact your college's and university's registrar.
    • Term system refers to the type of hours your credits are worth, not the length of the term or how many terms a year your college or university offered.
    • If your transcript lists some courses as quarter and others as semester, enter the term type that is most common (i.e., if you have six quarter terms and two semester terms, enter quarter).
  5. Select your tuition status (resident or non-resident) at this college or university during the last term attended.
  6. Enter dates of the first and last terms you attended. Entering the last semester of attendance is helpful to the campus to which you’re applying as opposed to selecting the checkbox. Be sure to only enter each college or university you attended once, regardless of gaps in your attendance there.
  7. Click Save to complete the entry.

For the 2027 Application

Requirements

  • Report all institutions attended regardless of their relevance to the programs you are applying to. Report all institutions attended, including but not limited to:
    • courses taken in high school for college or university credit. Remember to visit A-G Matching after completing the College Coursework section.
    • summer courses
    • community college courses
    • US military academies (note that this does not include courses on SMART or JST transcripts)
    • post-baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral work
    • study abroad, Canadian, foreign work, etc.
  • List all institutions on your application even if the coursework completed there was transferred to another institution.
  • Report each institution only once, regardless of the number of degrees earned or gaps in the dates of attendance.

Adding a College

  1. Click Add a College or University.
  2. Type and select your college or university.
    • Begin typing the full institution name. The system will display results that match the information you typed. Select the correct matching institution. Additional matches may be further down on the list. Scroll down or use the down arrow to see additional potential matches.
    • It may take several tries to find your school, especially if it shares its name with others or could be spelled differently. For example, if you attended "Saint John's University," you may need to try "Saint John," "St. John," or "St John" (no period) to bring the school up on the list.
    • If you exhausted all options and it does not appear, select Can't find your school? Then, indicate if your school is an Unlisted English Speaking Canadian Institution, Unlisted US Institution, or Unlisted French Speaking Canadian Institution or Other Foreign Institution.
    • If you select Unlisted French Speaking Canadian Institution or Other Foreign Institution, select the school's country from the drop-down.
  3. Select if you obtained (or plan to obtain) a degree from the selected institution.
    • If you earned or plan to earn a degree, provide details about the earned or expected degree. If your major is not found exactly as your school identifies, select the closest related major.
    • Associate Degree for Transfer applicants can identify their degree(s) but this does not classify you as an AA-T or AS-T applicant. You must also identify the degree in your Extended Profile.
    • Click Add another Degree to add additional degrees, as needed.
  4. Select your college's and university's term system. You can usually find this on the back of your official transcripts, or you can contact your college's and university's registrar.
    • Term system refers to the type of hours your credits are worth, not the length of the term or how many terms a year your college or university offered.
    • If your transcript lists some courses as quarter and others as semester, enter the term type that is most common (i.e., if you have six quarter terms and two semester terms, enter quarter).
  5. Select your tuition status (resident or non-resident) at this college or university during the last term attended.
  6. Enter dates of the first and last terms you attended. Entering the last semester of attendance is helpful to the campus to which you’re applying as opposed to selecting the checkbox. Be sure to only enter each college or university you attended once, regardless of gaps in your attendance there.
  7. Click Save to complete the entry.

Review the 2026-2027 Transfer Application Guide for more detailed information on entering your Colleges Attended.

Transcripts from Foreign Institutions

If you attended or are attending an institution outside the United States or Canada, you can order a credential evaluation from World Education Services (WES), our preferred service, or another credential evaluation service. See Foreign Evaluations for more information. Alternatively, you can upload an unofficial transcript along with an English, word-for-word translation. This is not required for every program, but will help expedite application processing. For more information on application requirements, check with your program directly. 

 

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