Enrolling into a CSU

Colleges and Universities A-Z California State University - GENERAL
1

Hi there,

I was put on the waitlist for CSU Fullerton recently, but was told that by May 1st I must still enroll into a college and treat the waitlist as a rejection if I don’t hear back by then. I also heard that if it is another CSU, I will be revoked from the waitlist and they will treat my acceptance to my backup, CSU Channel Islands, as a way of removing me from the waitlist.

This is an important question as the down payment to enroll can be rather expensive and if I enroll into my backup only to find out there is space at Fullerton, it would be a waste considering I have to pay for my entire college process by myself and as a 17 year old, I don’t have a ton of it saved up yet at all. Someone told me about the waitlist removal saying the CSU admissions all connect to one another, and I’m hoping someone on here will have more information on this. Please share with me any information you can!

2

I know this doesn’t address your question but if you are paying for college yourself, I highly encourage you to go to your local community college. You will get a quality education for a fraction of the cost and you will be easily able to transfer to a CSU if you meet the course requirements. In addition, there are many scholarships available at CCs that most people don’t know about. Applying for those scholarships may lower your costs even further.

I used to turn up my nose at the thought of a CC - thinking the classes were for students who couldn’t be accepted into a four year school - until my son attended one, and I rapidly changed my mind. We in California are fortunate to have such a wonderful community college system.

3

You will not be removed from the Waitlist if you enroll in another CSU while waiting for CSU Fullerton. You will need to enroll somewhere by May 1 and yes if you are accepted off the waitlist at CSUF, you will lose the deposit at the other CSU.

You have 3 options:

  1. Enroll at another CSU, lose the deposit if accepted at CSUF and you accept the admission or decline CSUF and remain enrolled in that CSU
    Or
  2. Consider going to a community college and transfer to your choice school.
    Or
  3. Take a Gap Year, retest for SAT/ACT, do some meaningful EC’s and research more options and reapply if you are a Freshman.
4

i think you should treat the wait-list like a rejection and get on with your plan B. With that perspective, what would your next step be?