Welcome to California State University, Northridge
Download and print the First-time Transfer Checklist
This transfer student checklist will guide you through the necessary steps to enroll successfully at Cal State Northridge. It’s an exciting time but it can be confusing. University policies and requirements may differ from those of your previous institution. This step-by-step advice should smooth your transition and help you avoid common pitfalls.
- The required coursework that you need to transfer to CSUN (minimum of 60 units, including the 4 basic subjects, and 2.0 GPA) must be completed by the end of the Spring 2011 term. No Summer 2011 coursework will be considered for Fall 2011 admission. All final, official transcripts must be received by August 12, 2011 (please see #11 below).
- All admitted first-time transfer students must file an "Intent to Register" no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 1, 2011.
- Activate your CSUN Account. Locate the “Activate CSUN User ID and Password” letter you received from Admissions and Records and log into “myNorthridge” Portal at www.csun.edu. Read and accept the campus information technology policy. Follow the instructions to set up your account and enter any other information as prompted. For help, visit the Information Technology Help Center. Use your User ID and Password to log into your CSUN Gmail account regularly to check for important University notices.
- Check your application status for missing items. Log into myNorthridge at www.csun.edu,
locate My Checklist, and review your Incomplete Tasks. Learn more at My Admissions Checklist. - Prepare to register and remember important dates. Beginning April 27, 2011, watch your mailbox for the Fall 2011 Registration Access Mailer. It contains your enrollment appointment, the earliest date and time you can go online to register in classes. Note: You will receive a paper Registration Access Mailer for your first semester only. Thereafter, visit the Semester Bulletin for registration news and calendars.
Beginning with your enrollment time, through July 17, 2011, you may enroll in classes online through “myNorthridge”and the SOLAR Student Center. Beginning July 18, 2011, you may continue to access online registration. No appointment is required. For additional dates, see the
Semester Bulletin.
Fall 2011 classes begin Monday, August 29, 2011. Saturday classes begin August 27.
- Purchase a 2010-2012 University Catalog from the Matador Bookstore. The Catalog describes every major, all courses CSUN offers, and provides vital information about academic policies and university regulations. Bring the Catalog to your advising appointment. The Catalog is also available online at www.csun.edu/catalog.
- Make an appointment with your academic advisor. Students who seek advisement before registering are more likely to enroll in the courses they need and less likely to make errors that can cost time and money. Meeting with an academic advisor is the best way to take all the necessary steps that will lead to timely graduation.
Find your major department at Academic Programs and contact the department to make an appointment with your academic advisor. Remember, University policies and deadlines will differ from those of your previous institution; your advisor will help with the transition.
Academic advisement is strongly encouraged for all transfer students; some majors require it. If your major requires advisement before registration, you will see an advisement hold in your account in two places: My Checklist and the SOLAR Student Center. The hold will be cleared only when you meet with your advisor. To view registration holds, log into “myNorthridge” with your CSUN User ID and Password, locate My Checklist and review the Incomplete Tasks section. - Be on time for your advisement appointment. Purchase a one-day campus parking permit for $6.00. Arrive on campus early to locate your major department. Download freeway directions and a campus map. While on campus, you may also want to visit Financial Aid and Scholarships, Housing, the Oviatt Library, or other campus resources that you can locate from the CSUN home page.
- Check out special General Education (GE) classes just for new transfers. Cal State Northridge offers special sections of some upper division GE classes just for new transfer students. These classes combine subject matter content with information about University resources, culture and requirements. The reserved classes are also a great place to make friends and get oriented to your new University (enrollment is based on availability).
Check out the offerings here - Find out if you need a department exam. The Math Placement Test (MPT) and/or Chemistry Placement Test (CPT) may be required for students planning to major in Engineering, Computer Sciences, Science or Math. For MPT and CPT information, including a list of courses requiring the tests as prerequisites, see Department Exams.
- Bring your unofficial transcripts for all courses taken at a community college or another four-year university to your advisement meeting. REMINDER: Official transcripts must be received by August 12, 2011. Your final transcript(s) must show that the minimum requirements for transfer admission (60 units, including the 4 basic subjects, and 2.0 GPA) have been met. A registration hold will be put in place for any transfer student who has not submitted final transcripts by August 12, 2011.
Use My Academic Planner (MAP), your interactive Degree Progress Report (DPR), to check the placement of your transfer courses into CSUN major and degree requirement sections. Your advisor will assist you with learning how to use these tools. For a preview, see the How To Guides Interpreting DPR and MAP and
Using MAP to Plan Courses.If your transcripts have not yet been evaluated, your transfer courses will not yet display in MAP/DPR. You may visit www.assist.org to find California community college and CSUN course equivalents. Bring a list of these courses with you to your advising appointment.
- Prepare questions and a tentative class schedule to review with your advisor. Review the transfer plan for your major at www.csun.edu/anr/plans for the suggested sequence of classes. Use Class Search to look up the courses you want. Prepare a tentative schedule with alternate choices using the Schedule Planning Worksheet. [WE UPDATED THE WORKSHEET. It’s at www.csun.edu/anr/soc/pdf/worksheet.doc
- Register for classes. As a transfer student, you may register for classes independently beginning with the date provided in your Registration Access Mailer if your holds are resolved. Registering on your set date will give you the best selection of classes and times. However, your access to the registration system continues from your priority date through August 28, 2011. When classes begin on August 29, 2011, permission numbers are required to add.
- Pay your tuition and other fees on time. Payment is due when you register in classes, but no later than the deadlines published in the Fee Payment Schedule. Due dates vary by registration date. If you do not pay on time, you will be disenrolled from courses. NOTE: It is the sole responsibility of the student to withdraw from classes. Failure to follow formal withdrawal procedures will result in an obligation to pay fees. Get details on tuition and fees, payment due dates, installment plans and more at University Cash Services.
- For important updates and University notices, log into “myNorthridge” with your CSUN User ID and Password. Regularly check your CSUN Gmail, too, by logging into http://my.csun.edu. CSUN Gmail is an official means of University communication.
- Be sure to meet the CSU immunization requirement for measles, rubella and hepatitis B. If you attended a California public middle or high school, you have probably met the requirement. If not, complete the measles and rubella immunization requirement before enrolling in the second semester of classes. Complete the hepatitis B requirement before enrolling in the third semester. For more information, see the Klotz Student Health Center website Immunization Requirements.
- Sign up for the New Transfer Student Orientation to learn about the University, receive useful information, and meet other transfer students. Call 818-677-2393 or go to www.csun.edu/nso to register before July 29, 2011 if possible.
For help navigating Class Search, “myNorthridge” and the SOLAR Student Center, see the How To Guides. For registration calendars, visit the Semester Bulletin.