Spring 2012 Transfer Student Checklist

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This first-time transfer student checklist guides you through the necessary steps to enroll successfully at Cal State Northridge. It’s an exciting time but one that can be confusing. University policies and requirements may differ from those of your previous institution. Follow this step-by-step advice to smooth your transition and avoid common pitfalls.

  1. All coursework that you need to transfer to CSUN (minimum of 60 units including the 4 basic subjects) must be completed by the end of the fall 2011 term. Please send official “work-in-progress” transcripts as soon as your fall schedule is firm (see #13 below).
  2. Confirm that you plan to enroll in Northridge classes by electronically filing your Intent to Register no later than Tuesday, December 20, 2011. Learn more at Intent to Register.
  3. 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 other information as prompted. For help, visit the Information Technology Help Center. Use your User ID and Password to log into your CSUN Gmail accountregularly to check for important University notices.
  4. Check My Checklist frequently for missing items. Log into myNorthridge at www.csun.edu, locate My Checklist and review your Incomplete Tasks. Learn more at My Admissions Checklist.
  5. Prepare to register and remember important dates. Beginning November 1, 2011, watch your mailbox for the Spring 2012 Registration Access Mailer. It contains your enrollment appointment, the earliest date and time you can go online to add classes. Note: You will receive a paper Registration Access Mailer for your first semester only. Thereafter, go to the Semester Bulletin for registration news.

Beginning with your enrollment time through December 11, 2011, you may enroll in classes online through myNorthridge and the SOLAR Student Center. Beginning December 12, you may continue to access the online registration system. No appointment is required. For additional dates, visit the Semester Bulletin.

Spring 2012 classes begin Monday, January 23, 2012. Saturday-only classes begin January 21.

  1. Purchase a University Catalog 2010-2012 from the Matador Bookstore. The Catalog describes every major and course CSUN offers and provides vital information about academic policies and university regulations. The Catalog is also online at www.csun.edu/catalog. Bring the Catalog to your advising appointment.
  2. 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 make an appointment with your academic advisor. 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 My Checklist. 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.

  1. 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.
  2. Check out special general education classes just for new transfers. These upper division GE classes not only teach you the course subject matter but also help with the transition to University life, resources, and rules. Classes reserved just for you are also great places to make friends and get oriented to the University. Check out the offerings here.
  3. Take the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE) as early as possible after being admitted and definitely before the semester in which you complete 75 units. If you are entering the university with 75 units already completed, you must take the exam during your first semester at CSUN. Please consult your academic advisor. Learn more at Upper Division WPE.
  4. 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 more MPT and CPT information, including a list of courses that require the tests as prerequisites, see Department Exams.
  5. Bring unofficial transcripts to your advisement meeting, including transcripts for all courses taken at a community college or another four-year university.

REMINDER: Have your final, official transcripts sent to Admissions and Records postmarked or hand delivered by February 14, 2012. Your final transcript must verify that the minimum requirements for transfer admission (60 units and the 4 basic subjects) have been met.

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 to use these tools. See the How To Guide Interpreting DPR and MAP

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 CSU, Northridge course equivalents. Bring a list of these courses with you to your advising appointment.

  1. Prepare questions and a tentative class schedule to review with your advisor. List questions about your major and general education.  Review the suggested sequence of courses for your major at www.csun.edu/anr/plans.  Look up classes using Class Search. Prepare a tentative schedule with alternatives using the Schedule Planning Worksheet.

For help navigating Class Search and other online self-service tools, see the How To Guides.

  1. 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 that date will give you the best selection of classes and times.  However, your access to the registration system continues from your priority date through January 22, 2012. When classes begin on January 23, 2012, permission numbers are required to add.
  2. 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 your fees on time, your registration in classes will be cancelled. Get details at University Cash Services.
  3. For important 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Sign up for New Transfer Student Orientation to learn about the University, receive useful information, and meet other transfer students. Spring 2012 transfer student orientation will be held in the second week of January 2012. Call 818-677-2393 or go to www.csun.edu/nso.

Have a rewarding and productive semester!

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