Cal State Fullerton Invites Applications for Spring 2005

With the first day of classes for the spring semester at Cal State Fullerton set to begin Jan. 31, there's still time for prospective students to apply for admission and begin classes next month.

Openings for undergraduates exist in all majors, thanks to the restoration of some funding to the CSU by the state Legislature in the final budget approved for fiscal year 2004-05.

“This is as an investment by the state of California in itself — in the residents of California,” said Ephraim Smith, vice president for academic affairs at Cal State Fullerton.

Community colleges have been alerted that Cal State Fullerton is still accepting applications from sophomores who wish to transfer to the university in January to complete a bachelor's degree. Moreover, CSUF will accept applications from community college students who have completed just 50 transferable units; ordinarily a minimum of 60 such units is required for transfer.

“This is an extraordinary circumstance for Cal State Fullerton,” said Smith. “Because of the restored funding, we're able to accept more students than the initial budget called for, and that means we're continuing to accept applications long past the usual cutoff point.”

Transfer students from community colleges aren't the only ones eligible for admission for spring 2005.

The university also is welcoming applications from prospective graduate students, those seeking teaching credentials, as well as from those who already have a bachelor's degree and want a second one — a category that has been closed at CSUF in recent years, due to reductions in state funding that forced many state universities to restrict admissions.

Incoming students may take classes at the main campus in Fullerton or the university's El Toro Campus, where upper-division courses are offered in a variety of majors, ranging from anthropology to women's studies.

The longer application window comes at a time when the results of a recent study commissioned by the CSU found that those who earn a bachelor's degree can expect to earn nearly $1 million more than high school graduates over the course of their working lives. In addition, for every dollar the state invests in the California State University, the state reaps $4.41.