With college application due dates coming up soon, the pressure is on for most high school seniors hoping to attend their dream universities. The stress surrounding the multitude of essays, recommendation letters, transcripts, and standardized test scores required for admission can make the application process overwhelmingly intimidating. However, a new state legislation, known as the Senate Bill (SB) 640, has made a significant change to the college application process in California.
In an effort to increase enrollment at under capacity colleges, boost statewide incentive, and simplify access to higher education, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 640 on October 14, 2025. The bill establishes a CSU Direct Admission Program, which will go into effect for the 2026–2027 academic year. The program will permit automatic admission to California State Universities for eligible and qualified California high school students, allowing them to bypass the traditional application process.
Navigating applying, transferring, and finding financial aid (among other necessities) can feel like a daunting challenge.
“Direct admission removes the application hurdle that stops some students from going to college, and relieves the fear that they won’t get in anywhere,” State Senator Christopher Cabaldon said in an interview with Higher Ed Dive after SB 640 cleared California’s Legislature last month.
At an education policy committee in July, Cabaldon argued that going from high school to college should be a similar process to going from middle to high school; regarded more as a next step rather than some unattainable goal.
Unfortunately, SB 640 does not apply to all California high schools. It applies solely to public high schools that participate in the state’s transcript-informed data sharing program though CaliforniaColleges.edu. Private high schools are excluded from the law because they are not considered participating local educational agencies (LEA’s). Certain competitive CSU campuses that are impacted by high application numbers, such as San Jose State University, San Diego State, or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, are also not participating in the program for the time being.
Eligibility is determined by not only student coursework and GPA, but also space available at different campuses. Students must meet the minimum CSU admission terms and conditions, including A–G course completion and CSU GPA requirements, which will all be accessible through the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform.
Eligibility for automatic CSU admission under SB 640 does not vary between participating campuses, but the final placement and specific major requirements can. Students who meet the eligibility criteria will be automatically admitted to the 16 participating universities. However, specific majors like nursing have additional requirements and potential enrollment caps.
The California State Universities currently participating in the program include Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Chico, Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Marcos, Sonoma, and Stanislaus. The plan is for the program to be in full effect statewide by the fall of 2027, with every public high school in California involved and the eventual participation of all 23 CSU campuses.
