How to Apply to Computer Science at San José State University: Cal State Apply, Ranked Admission by Major, an Impacted Major and a 3.7 GPA to Change In, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

San José State University (SJSU) is part of the California State University (CSU) system. Undergraduate computer science is the BS in Computer Science (BSCS) in the Department of Computer Science, with advising through the College of Science Student Success Center. The department also offers BS degrees in Data Science, Computer Science and Linguistics, and Computer Science and Geology. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on SJSU’s website, for students at high schools in China (including A-level and IB students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. Curriculum

• The department describes the degree as preparation for programming, systems analysis, software engineering and related careers, and points to the catalog at catalog.sjsu.edu for course requirements. Our request to the catalog was blocked, so we have not checked the courses or units; look up “BS - Computer Science” there.

2. Cal State Apply and impaction

• Application: through the CSU’s Cal State Apply, US$70 fee. It opens on 1 August 2026, and submissions start on 1 October.
• Deadlines (fall 2027):
  • US first-year and transfer applicants: 30 November 2026;
  • international first-year (F-1) applicants: 1 April 2027, with partial transcripts by 23 March and international documents by 2 May;
  • intent to enroll by 1 May; final transcripts by 15 July.
• Impaction: all SJSU majors are impacted, so meeting CSU minimums does not guarantee admission. First-year applicants are ranked by major and admitted to capacity; graduates of Santa Clara County high schools get local preference.
• Points: SJSU will not consider SAT/ACT for fall 2027. Points are 800 × A-G GPA, plus 200 for local applicants and 40 each for fee-waiver eligibility, military status and first-generation status. Majors in the College of Engineering also add 400 × maths GPA; Computer Science is in the College of Science, and the admissions page does not say whether this applies to it.
• Earlier threshold: for fall 2025, the minimum impaction point index for Computer Science first-year applicants was 3440, and the major had no capacity for alternate-major applicants. Non-residents of California, including international students, needed at least a 3.0 GPA.
• Alternate major: admitted only if capacity remains after first-choice applicants.
• Changing major: not allowed during the application and admission process; after admission it is by petition only and never guaranteed.

3. Changing into Computer Science after enrolling

• 2027 requirements: good academic standing, and both your SJSU cumulative GPA and the GPA in the required courses must be 3.7 or higher.
• Required courses (C or better):
  • fewer than 60 units: CS 46A, CS 46B, MATH 42, and a Java course if needed;
  • 60 to 89 units: CS 46A, CS 46B, MATH 30, MATH 31, MATH 42 and CS 146.
• Limits: no applications from students with 90 or more units; at most two applications. Deadlines are 1 December (spring) and 1 May (fall), submitted to the College of Science Student Success Center. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee admission; applicants are ranked by required-course GPA and cumulative GPA.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Two or more years of coursework outside the US: a GPA of at least 3.0 (or a B average); three years of college-prep maths and four of college-prep English, each C or better; official transcripts from your school. How the Gaokao is used is not published.
• SAT/ACT: optional and used only for course placement after admission.
• English (non-engineering majors): TOEFL 3.5 on the new scale (61 for tests before 21 January 2026), IELTS 6.0, PTE 44, Duolingo 95; engineering majors need more (TOEFL 4 or 80, IELTS 6.5, PTE 53). Three years of full-time study where English is the primary language of instruction exempts you.
• A-levels and IB: not addressed separately on the pages we read.

5. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• Students with two or more years of high school outside the US are reviewed under the “coursework outside the U.S.” requirements in section 4 (GPA 3.0 and so on). No BC-specific grade requirement is published.
• Three years of full-time study at English-medium schools exempts you from English tests.

6. Transfer students

• Upper-division only for domestic transfers: at least 60 transferable semester units (90 quarter units); no freshman or sophomore transfers. International (F-1) students may transfer at upper or lower division, each with its own requirements.
• CSU minimums: oral communication, written composition, critical thinking and college-level maths or quantitative reasoning, each C- or better, within 30 units of general education; a transferable GPA of at least 2.00.
• Supplemental application: required (due 24 January 2027 for fall 2027); applicants are ranked by self-reported GPA, and those who do not submit it are not considered.
• Computer Science preparation: Math 30 (Calculus I), Math 31 (Calculus II), Math 42 (Discrete Math), CS 46A (Introduction to Programming), CS 46B (Introduction to Data Structures), or an AS-T in Computer Science, with C or better by the end of spring 2027.
• Fall 2026 transfer thresholds: applicants with all five courses were admitted above a 3.85 GPA, four courses above 4.05, three above 4.25, and there was no capacity for fewer than three. GPAs above 4.0 come from preference for local applicants and those with a related ADT.
• International transfers: Cal State Apply closes on 1 April 2027; the supplemental application is also due on 24 January.

7. Costs (US$)

• International undergraduate estimate (12 units per semester, non-resident tuition):
  • 2027-28: tuition and fees 21,915, living expenses 27,813, medical insurance 2,250, total 51,978;
  • 2026-27: total 49,278.
• We have not checked scholarships or aid for international students. Funding does not affect admission, but you must show first-year funds for the I-20.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit Cal State Apply from 1 October 2026, choosing Computer Science; international first-year deadline 1 April 2027
• GPA 3.0+, IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 3.5 (new scale); SAT/ACT not used for admission
• All international documents by 2 May

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply under the coursework-outside-the-US rules with a GPA of 3.0+; three years at English-medium schools exempts you from English tests

Transfer students:

• 60 units, the four basic skills courses, Math 30, 31, 42 and CS 46A, 46B
• SJSU supplemental application by 24 January
• To change into Computer Science after enrolling: both GPAs 3.7, before 90 units, at most twice

Sources: San José State University, Department of Computer Science; BS Computer Science; BSCS change of major policy; Admission deadlines; Impaction; Fall 2025 freshman impaction results; Fall 2026 transfer impaction results; Transfer program-specific coursework; Coursework outside the U.S. (first-year); English proficiency; Transfer CSU eligibility; International transfer requirements; International financial documents and estimated expenses; Cal State Apply. Information is for fall 2027 entry (admission thresholds are from earlier years). Check SJSU’s website for the latest.