Hi I’m a junior in high school and I am interested in applying to a few CSU’s next year. I am aware about the eligibility index but I was wondering CSU’s look at anything else like extracurriculars or an essay like UC’s.
They look at your Academic GPA, Test scores, HS course rigor, geographical location (local vs non-local), In-state CA resident.
They admit by EI and major (exception Cal Poly SLO).
No essays for the Cal states and EC’s only considered by Cal Poly SLO.
A CSU may have different EI thresholds by major. Some use a modified EI for engineering majors which overweights the math section of standardized testing.
It may also have different EI thresholds for local applicants, or extra EI points for local applicants.
CPSLO uses its own point system called MCA that adds other factors.
Other thank SLO - a completed a-g course matrix and your EI is pretty much all that matters to CSUs.
Most show some favor to local applicants. Some favor for military vets, first gen applicants and a few other special cases is also granted. These vary campus to campus and are pretty tough to ferret out without asking the school directly.
Which campuses interest you and what are your stats?
This link is from 2017 data but gives you an overview of all the CSU campuses with the # applicants, # admitted, # enrolled, Average CSU GPA and Test scores along with some information about impaction and EI thresholds for local vs non-local.