I scored a composite score of 16 without my ELA score scored yet… Im applying to mostly Cal States. Is this a bad score for them
It is low for some of them. You can use the College Data website to see how you compare at each of the CSU’s you are interested in. Just Google the name of the CSU followed by “collegedata” and then click on the College Data Overview for the CSU in the listing. The overview page usually shows the average ACT for those admitted.
What is your CSU GPA? All CSU’s except SLO admit by Eligibility Index (EI) and major.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
EI= (CSU GPA X 200) + (ACT comp X10)
You need a minimum EI of 684 to apply to any CSU.
Non-impacted CSU’s will be the best to target such as Channel Islands, Dominguez Hills, Bakersfield, Stanislaus and East Bay depending upon EI.
CSU’s use the California Eligibility Index to some degree or another. Some campuses for some majors admit all students who meet a minimum EI, which is 200xGPA + 10xACT. Your writing/ELA score won’t matter. Keep in mind that the GPA used in the EI is based on the CSU definition of 10th-12th grade a-g courses. Impacted majors and campuses can be competitive. CA funding cuts have meant fewer spots for students. You should receive preference from the CalState in your local area (I’m assuming that you live in CA).