How to Apply to Engineering at California State University, Northridge: ABET-Accredited Civil, Electrical, Computer, Mechanical and Manufacturing Systems Degrees, Apply Directly to the Major with Engineering Not on the Impacted List, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is in Northridge, California, and its engineering undergraduate programs are offered by the Andrew J. Anagnost College of Engineering & Computer Science (ACECS), with five departments: Civil Engineering and Construction Management, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management, and Mechanical Engineering. This guide follows CSUN’s website, for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer Science has its own guide on this site and is not covered here.

1. Engineering degrees

• Civil Engineering and Construction Management: the B.S. in Civil Engineering and the B.S. in Construction Management. The accreditation page says the Civil Engineering degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET and the Construction Management degree by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission of ABET; the page also lists American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) accreditation information.
• Electrical and Computer Engineering: the B.S. in Computer Engineering and the B.S. in Electrical Engineering, both accredited by the EAC of ABET per the accreditation page. Electrical Engineering seniors take an approved concentration: biomedical engineering, communications, digital systems design, control systems, electronics, microwave and antenna engineering, or power systems.
• Mechanical Engineering: the B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, accredited by the EAC of ABET, with specialization areas in aerospace, automotive, energy and power, mechanical design, mechatronics and robotics, and thermal-fluids; all majors complete the same requirements and differ only in senior electives. The page lists 99 units in the major and 126 units required for the degree.
• Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management: the B.S. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering and the B.S. in Engineering Management Technology (the department page’s name; the accreditation page says “Engineering Management”). The accreditation page says both are accredited by the EAC of ABET.
• Experience programs: the college’s Honors Co-Op is selective, uses faculty-supervised work with industry partners, and requires a full-year commitment (full-time in the summer, part-time during the following terms); the page says 93% of participants receive full-time offers from their sponsoring companies. The Electrical Engineering page says it lets juniors and seniors finish their studies while working as engineers. Senior design is a one-year course for Electrical and Computer Engineering students and two semesters in Mechanical Engineering (other departments’ arrangements were not read).
• CPT for international students: the college’s academic policies page says international undergraduate and graduate students may take part-time CPT (up to 20 hours a week in fall and spring) after completing two academic semesters, and full-time CPT in a summer or final semester (with chair approval and a part-time course load); up to three CPTs; students enroll in CECS 594A.
• ABET: the department pages state accreditation for the degrees above; check ABET’s website for the scope of each accreditation.

2. Admission: apply directly to the major

• Application: apply through the CSU’s online application (Cal State Apply) and choose a major. The freshman page says that if you do not know what to choose you can pick “Exploratory” and change later; whether engineering is available that way is not stated on the page we read.
• Impaction: the impaction page says that for 2026–2027 and 2027–2028 only two majors are impacted: Cinema and Television Arts (the Film Production and Television Production options) and Music. Engineering majors are not on the list; impacted majors are reviewed annually. The page adds that impaction affects only domestic first-time freshman and first-time transfer applicants who attended high schools or colleges in California; out-of-state freshmen already meet a higher Eligibility Index, and international applicants follow the international admissions pages.
• Once in the major: the Civil Engineering page requires a C- or better in all major courses and a C or better in transfer courses, a C or better in MATH 150B for the next math courses, the lower-division writing requirement before 300-level engineering courses, and that senior-level courses not be taken before completing or concurrently completing all earlier core requirements. The Electrical Engineering page lists C- for major courses, C for transfer courses and C- for Basic Skills Section A.
• Moving into engineering from another college at CSUN: not described on the pages we read; ask the college’s Student Services Center (Jacaranda Hall 1501, 818-677-2191, as listed on the Electrical Engineering page for freshman to junior students).

3. Prerequisites and credit

• High school courses (“A–G”) for first-time freshmen, each with a C- or better: English 4 years; mathematics 3 years (algebra, geometry and intermediate algebra required, 4 recommended); social science/history 2 years (including one year of U.S. history or U.S. history and government); science 2 years (one year of biological science with lab and one of physical science with lab); foreign language 2 years in the same language (waivable with documented equivalent competence); visual and performing arts 1 year; electives 1 year.
• Preparation for engineering (Electrical Engineering page): algebra, plane geometry, trigonometry, chemistry or physics (both desirable) and four years of English. Students without adequate pre-engineering preparation may need extra first-year coursework and may not finish in eight semesters. Entering engineering students must take or be exempt from the Entry Level Mathematics Test and the Mathematics, Chemistry and English Placement Tests before registering for basic courses.
• Placement tests (Civil and Electrical pages): the Chemistry Placement Test with a minimum score of 40 before CHEM 101 (Civil) or CHEM 107 (Electrical), otherwise CHEM 100 with a C or better, even if you took AP Chemistry; the Mathematics Placement Test before MATH 150A (Civil page), and scores of 4 or 5 on AP Calculus AB or BC exempt you from it (Civil page).
• Testing: the SAT/ACT is not required for admission. The freshman page says AP, CLEP, IB or SAT/ACT scores are optional, not required, but help with placement in first-year math and writing courses.
• Credit: the transfer page says AP, CLEP and IB scores may help satisfy admission and college preparatory subject requirements and help with course placement. Which engineering required courses they replace is not stated on the pages we read.

4. Deadlines, materials and fees

• First-time freshmen: for fall 2027, applications are accepted from August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027; Music and the Film Production and Television Production options close earlier, and all other majors accept applications through May 15. Decisions may be available as early as mid- or late October.
• Application fee: $70, paid by credit or debit card; California residents’ online application calculates fee-waiver eligibility.
• Materials: unofficial transcripts (enter all completed, in-progress and planned courses); a final official high school transcript as soon as graduation is posted; official transcripts for any college courses taken in high school; AP/CLEP/IB/SAT/ACT optional. Courses in progress must finish with C- or better and you must maintain the GPA you reported or admission may be withdrawn.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• California residents: Eligibility Index. The minimum is 2500, or an HSGPA of 2.50. If your HSGPA is below 2.50, multifactor points can make up the difference (for example 10 points per A–G course beyond 15 courses, up to 100; 25 for attending a free and reduced lunch school; 75 for first-generation status; 25 for foster youth; 25 for an application fee waiver).
• Out-of-state U.S. applicants: a minimum Eligibility Index of 3000, or an A–G HSGPA of 3.0, and they are exempt from impacted-major criteria. Residents of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education members can get reduced nonresident tuition through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE).
• Cost (2026–2027): estimated full-time cost for a California resident living with a relative: tuition and fees $8,328, books and supplies $1,438, housing and food $9,530, transportation $1,808, personal $2,798 and loan fees $76, $23,978 in all. For nonresident tuition the page says to add $471 per unit (about $14,130 for 30 units, $22,458 together with the $8,328). Whether engineering carries an additional fee is not stated on the pages we read.
• Aid and scholarships: the FAFSA for federal aid (open from October 1, 2025 for 2026–2027), the Cal Grant for California residents, and the California Dream Act Application for AB 540 students. Institutional scholarships are applied for in myMatadorScholarships (need-based awards also need the FAFSA or CADAA), and colleges and departments have their own. The 2026–2027 priority dates on the page were March 2, 2026 (FAFSA extended to March 3); dates for 2027–2028 are not published there.
• In-state preference: the lower Eligibility Index for California residents is described above; no other preference or guarantee appears on the pages we read.

6. International applicants

• Who: someone wishing to study on an F-1 or J-1 visa, applying to a bachelor’s program, with no post-secondary coursework.
• Grades: a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or an average of “B”; CSUN converts your international GPA.
• English tests (undergraduate minimums): TOEFL iBT 61 (old) or 3.5 (new), paper-based 500 (TOEFL ITP not accepted; school code 4707); IELTS Academic 6.0; PTE Academic 50; Duolingo 95; Cambridge C1 Advanced 172; iTEP Academic 3.8; EIKEN CSE 2304 (Pre-1); GTEC CBT 1125. Exception: three or more years at a U.S. high school, or at a high school where English is the principal language of instruction. The page lists Australia, Belize, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Trinidad and Tobago, defining the standard as a country where English is the daily medium for most residents and used at all levels of education.
• Materials: official secondary-school records (certificates, exam results, diplomas, in the original language, with official verification of high school completion); official English translations; TOEFL or another accepted English test; the $70 application fee; the Affidavit of Financial Support and a bank statement; and a copy of the passport photo page.
• Deadlines: fall 2027: apply August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027, documents due June 15; spring 2027: apply July 1 to October 31, 2026, documents due November 15.
• Aid: the cost page says international students are not eligible for federal or state student aid. Whether international students can receive CSUN institutional scholarships, and how much, is not stated on the pages we read; ask the Financial Aid and Scholarships Department.
• Decisions and appeals: the Office of International Admissions notifies you of admissibility, and a denial can be appealed. Contact: intladm@csun.edu, Bayramian Hall 160.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the international, freshman and college pages we read do not mention the Gaokao, and there is no China-specific page. Whether it is considered and how to submit it is not published there; contact International Admissions (intladm@csun.edu).
• Transcripts and credentials: per the international first-time freshman page, send original-language secondary records with official English translations; CSUN converts your international GPA. The page does not say whether a third-party credential evaluation is required.
• Testing and English: SAT/ACT is not required for admission; see the English test minimums above; China is not on the page’s list of exempt countries.
• Country page, interviews: not published.

8. Transfer students

• Domestic transfer applicants: beginning with spring 2027, you can apply whether you have fewer than 60 or 60 or more transferable semester units (90 quarter units). Requirements: at least two of the Golden Four CSU General Education courses (the page names English Composition and Mathematics) with C- or better, and an overall college GPA of 2.0 or better (higher for impacted majors). Deadlines: spring 2027, July 1 to October 15, 2026; fall 2027, August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027. Transcripts: for fall, preliminary February 15 and final July 15; for spring, October 1 and January 15. The fee is $70. California community college students can use the Associate Degree for Transfer (complete the bachelor’s with only 60 more units), Through in Two and the Transfer Success Pathway.
• Engineering transfer requirements (Electrical Engineering page): all engineering degrees accept freshmen and transfer students; transfer students should have completed lower-division writing, mathematics, physics and chemistry courses; courses transferred into the major need a C or better and are reviewed to match Northridge courses. Courses with an articulation agreement transfer automatically; otherwise you submit a course substitution form.
• International transfer: four categories. From a U.S. school with fewer than 60 units: meet all international first-time freshman requirements, a 2.0 overall GPA, and written composition and mathematics general education courses with C- or better. From a U.S. school with 60 or more units: a 2.0 overall GPA and the four Basic Skills courses (written composition, critical thinking, mathematics, oral communication) with C- or better, except that applicants to Engineering or Computer Science majors need not complete critical thinking before admission. From outside the U.S.: a 2.00 GPA (calculated by your advisor), a mathematics general education course at C- equivalent, and English proof or an exemption, plus all international first-time freshman requirements if you have fewer than 60 units. Deadlines match the international freshman ones: fall May 15 with documents June 15; spring October 31 with documents November 15.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Apply through Cal State Apply from August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027 with the $70 fee, naming your engineering major
• A–G courses at C- or better; Eligibility Index 2500 (California) or 3000 (out of state); take the chemistry and math placement tests as required
• File the FAFSA (and the Cal Grant for California residents)

International applicants (including China):

• GPA of at least 3.0; English score or exemption; original-language transcripts plus official English translations; affidavit of financial support and bank statement; passport page
• Fall 2027: apply August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027 and send documents by June 15; ask International Admissions how the Gaokao is handled
• No federal or state aid; internships follow the CPT rules

Transfer students:

• Two of the writing and math courses at C- or better and a 2.0 overall GPA; ideally finish lower-division writing, math, physics and chemistry before entering engineering

Sources: California State University, Northridge, Anagnost College of Engineering and Computer Science; College: prospective students; College: academic policies; Honors Co-op; B.S. Civil Engineering; Civil engineering department accreditation; B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering; ECE accreditation; B.S. Mechanical Engineering; ME accreditation; Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management; MSEM accreditation; First-time freshman admissions; Freshman requirements; Impaction; International first-time freshmen; International transfer students; Transfer admissions; Dates and deadlines; Cost and financial aid. The timeline is for fall 2027 entry and costs are for 2026-2027; check CSUN for the latest. The course catalog site (catalog.csun.edu) was blocked in an earlier scan and was not used.