Hi, I am a WA State student wanting to transfer to SJSU’s animation program, and was wondering if there are many out of state transfers or out of state students at all at SJSU? I’m trying to gauge what my chances will end up being for getting in. My current cumulative GPA is about 3.9, and if I can manage it, I’m hoping to finish with a 4.0 (for my school, it’s a 4.0 scale). I’ve also almost completed all the Golden 4 requirements, and, unless my school doesn’t end up offering the acting class I will need, I’ll have done the recommended prep work for their program as well.
According to the SJSU website, for the Class of 2021 below is the selection criteria. The only issue as an OOS applicant is that local applicants get priority with a 0.25 GPA grade bump but your GPA looks within range if you have completed 2 of the course requirements.
- Theatre Arts 005 (Acting) or Art History 72 (Design in Society)
- Art History 70A or Art History 70B or Art History 70C
Animation and Illustration
Applicants who completed two course requirements were admitted above a 3.70 GPA.
Applicants who completed one course requirement were admitted above a 3.90 GPA.
All other applicants were admitted above a 4.10 GPA.
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Yeah, the prep courses (acting/design in society and art history) is the main bit I’m worried about. It seems to me all I can do is finish all courses I can possibly find that fit the requirements with as high a GPA as possible and hope for the best. Thanks for answering my question!
another issue to consider is the high cost of living (especially housing) - if admitted, will you be able to go?
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That is definitely something I have considered, and I’ve determined that the best way for me to avoid more debt (because I would already be paying higher tuition as an OOS student) is to live off campus while working a part time job on the weekends. I’m assuming that the SJSU workload will be heavier and more rigorous than at my current school (local community college), so weekdays and nights will have to be open for me to study and do my coursework. I’ve been investigating the housing costs as well for students living off campus, and I may very well need to find an on-campus job (or just another job) as well to support living off campus. if I get accepted and as I approach spring, I will definitely have a more solid plan and a better picture of what I can and cannot afford. I would definitely be able to push myself to work that hard, that’s already what I was considering when looking at SVA. If I get accepted and as I approach spring, I will definitely have a more solid plan and a better picture of what I can and cannot afford, and that will have to be an important factor to consider in my school choice.
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Quick update:
I have just submitted my application to SJSU, but honestly I don’t feel good about it. I feel like there’s too much counting against me since I’m an out of state student and there’s only a limited amount of credits that count as explicitly transferable to SJSU. By graduation I’ll have 90 quarter college credits/around 60 semester credits, but most of those aren’t noted as transferable to SJSU, even though a lot of the courses I’m taking or plan to take have course descriptions that match SJSU’s requirements. Last percentage I saw of out of state students was 1-2%, so like I said not feeling great about it. I would complain about how frustrating that schools in one state will have an enormous preference towards in state, but honestly, that would be fruitless. In any case, I’m going to try to put some positive energy towards it and hopefully I get in, as it’s my first choice.
Just an FYI: The residents of California pay a HUGE amount in state taxes to fund state programs, including the public universities. (My California taxes are higher than the Federal taxes.)
There is currently a lot of political pressure on the State of California to admit more instate residents because a large number of qualified students have been denied admission to their local universities while OOS students have been admitted.
The UCs and the CSU’s were developed for in-state residents to provide affordable opportunities for secondary education because low-income and middle class students in California didn’t have a lot of options.
No one could predict that California’s public universities would set a standard in quality and have to turn away students. This is why your chances are small. This is why you will pay full fees to attend. The State cannot afford to subsidize non-taxpaying, non-resident students.
SJSU is located in one of the most unaffordable rental markets in the nation. You’ll spend more time working than you will in class. There are other CSU’s that would be a LOT less expensive in rental costs.
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That’s why I said it would be fruitless, because there are plenty of good reasons (that I didn’t know) that explain why it’s hard to get in as an OOS. I’m sorry if my venting offended you in any way, and I thank you for that information on the situation in California. I didn’t know any of that before but it certainly helps me be more understanding.
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I looked up some 2020 admit data for SJSU and the Animation program. According to the student data, 2 OOS transfer applicants applied for the program and 1 was admitted. No data for 2021.
http://www.iea.sjsu.edu/Students/Applications/apply_demographics.php
Best of luck.
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50% ain’t too bad, thank you for that information! Fingers crossed!
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Does anyone know if SJSU looks at the course catalog of the school I’m transferring from? I took a course last academic year, but the name has changed, so I don’t know if that might pose a problem for me to address since if it’s under a different name they may not find it when evaluating my courses for transfer/admissions.
Accredited institution and out-of-state community-college course work will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis according to SJSU transfer information. If you think that the course name change may be an issue, I would contact SJSU admissions directly.
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Oh, excellent, thank you!
Lil update, I sent in my supplemental application, so fingers crossed!