Graduate Admissions Information

The University Admission Application Fee is $70 USD (non-refundable/non-transferable). Please plan to submit the application fee payment at time of online application submission. If you do not pay the fee at time of application submission, please make payment (personal check, money order, or cashier’s check) payable to Cal State LA, include your name and CIN on the payment, and mail to Cal State LA by the application term's application fee payment deadline. No other forms of payment are accepted, and we are unable to accept online payments after the application is submitted.

If there are no items listed in your GET (Golden Eagle Territory) To-Do list and you have not yet received an official email notice regarding your admission decision, the admission status may show INCOMPLETE because it is still pending a University admission decision. Please regularly check your email and GET To Do list to ensure that you do not miss any important deadlines.

Your Cal State LA CIN (Campus Identification Number) is noted on the top of emails sent to you from the Admissions Office. Please have your CIN readily available whenever you contact the University for assistance and include it on email inquiries. This will help us locate your student record.

PINs are emailed to each applicant within 5-7 business days of application acknowledgment. If you do not receive it within this time, please check your email JUNK mailbox before contacting the Cal State LA Registrar's Office. To request your PIN to be re-sent to you, please call the GET Helpline at (323) 343-7438.

We do not offer pre-admission advisement for students with international records. To be considered for admission, you must apply to our university, and submit academic records as requested.
(NOTE: Foreign Credential Evaluation Report - International applicants (those requiring an F/J visa to study in the US) to a graduate/postbaccalaureate program with non-US academic records/transcripts are required to submit their international documents to IERF or WES (effective Spring 2018) for evaluation. If you have studied at an institution outside of the US, please submit your official foreign academic records with ATA certified English translations(s) to the International Education Research Foundation (IERF) or World Education Services (WES) for initial evaluation to expedite the admissions process. Reports must be sent directly from the agency to the Cal State LA Admissions Office)

Once the University receives copies of all requested academic documents, please allow 6-8 weeks for evaluation and processing. Once a decision is made, you will be notified via email. Please also regularly check your GET Self Service Student Center To-Do-list, and submit additional information as requested in a timely manner. Missing documents will delay the admission process.

Transcripts must be official and sealed, and must include verification of the bachelor’s degree. Unofficial or transcripts with a broken seal will not be accepted under any conditions. Include any transcripts with higher division course grades from multiple universities. Please mail to Graduate Admissions Office.

Campus Location: Student Affairs 101

Mailing Address:
Office of Admissions and Recruitment (SA 101)
5151 State University Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90032

Telephone: (323) 343–3901

As a general guideline, a three-year degree from a recognized University in India or Pakistan is not considered equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate. Graduates from these institutions may be admitted in undergraduate standing if coursework is determined to be acceptable and meets undergraduate admission requirements. Completion of a three-year degree and a Post-Graduate Diploma from a recognized institution may possibly be considered for graduate admission. However, the department can request admission by special action for students with 3-year degrees, if they find that the candidate has other strong qualifications (i.e. have significant work experience, high GMAT/GRE, great letters of recommendation). Also, if you are an international student with an F/J visa, IERF will determine the degree equivalency; some foreign 3-year bachelor’s degrees are found equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s.

If you are an undergraduate applicant, yes, the completion of a transferable college-level English Composition course from a United States post-secondary institution, with a grade of 'C' or better, will exempt you from these exams.
If you are a graduate/post-baccalaureate applicant with a bachelor’s degree from a college or university where the language of instruction is not English, you must take an English Language Proficiency Exam (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, DuoLingo). Three years of education in an English speaking institution, or the completion of a transferable English Composition course, will not exempt you from this requirement.

Applicants holding or applying for an F-1 or J-1 visa must complete and submit the New Student I-20 Verification with signatures and appropriate documentation to show proof of funding. If you are interested in attending Cal State LA, please do not wait for your admission decision before submitting these documents. The advance submission of the verification form, and financial documentation, will help expedite the issuance of the I-20; if your I-20 paperwork is complete, the International Office can issue the I-20 immediately after your admission to the University.
If you have any questions regarding I-20 or SEVIS transfer, please contact the International Office at (323) 343-3170, international@calstatela.edu, or visit the International Office webpage.

If you don’t have a business undergraduate degree or background in business, this will not hinder you to get into our program. Non-business students are required to complete a foundation course, BUS5000 Foundations of Business Administration (9 units) prior to taking core MBA courses, with a grade of “B” or better BUS 5000. Please note that BUS5000 can be taken before or after the application is admitted to the program.

The purpose of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or (IELTS) International English Language Testing System is to evaluate the English proficiency of applicants whose native language is not English. The test uses a multiple-choice format to measure the ability to understand North American English. The test consists of three parts: Listening Comprehension, Structure and Written Expression, Reading Comprehension. For more information please visit www.toefl.org or www.ielts.org