California State University Adopts Direct Admissions Program

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 640 on Oct. 6, 2025. This bill initiated the California State University (CSU) direct admissions program, which allows students that meet the requirements of a CSU to be able to automatically enroll into one. Gov. Newsom passed this bill intending to make higher education more accessible after the declined enrollment from the pandemic.

Senator Christopher Gabaldon was the one who proposed legislation to admit Californian high school students for direct admission to CSUs. He stated that both major political parties supported the bill and that the new law would not require taxpayers to pay any money for the program to be run.

According to Long Beach Current, Senator Gabaldon said, “We should make it as seamless for our students to go from 12th grade to the next stage of their education as it was for them to go from sixth grade to seventh grade.”

This law will take place starting Jan. 1, 2026. It will only apply for students enrolled at public schools, charter schools and county offices of education. Private schools are not included because they are not part of Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) so they do not receive funding the way public schools do. Students qualified to go to a CSU will be admitted starting fall of 2027; CSUs will engage with schools to get information about whether students are admissible. Students will get letters saying they are already eligible for enrollment based on academic performance. Being admitted means students are able to enroll at any of the 16 campuses included in this new bill. However, top-choice campuses will have extra requirements.

Pupils will still need to submit an application from CaliforniaColleges.edu, where they fill in the questions and apply to the CSU campuses they want. The application fee is $70, however, if the Cal State application finds that the student meets the requirement for a fee waiver, they don’t have to pay the usual fee.

Dual admissions, called the Transfer Success Pathway (TSP), will also be expanded. The program allows access to the 22 CSU campuses. TSP will only work if a student is enrolling in a California community college, if they have received college credit since high school or if they have earned a General Educational Development (GED). Other qualifications for being eligible for TSP is if a student has taken dual enrollment in high school or if they are taking college courses in the summer immediately after graduating high school. This program will be available until 2035-2036, making it so that students transfer in three years rather than the usual two years. This gives them more time to make sure they have met all of the requirements for CSU admission.

Senate Bill 640 helps pupils achieve a higher education while increasing enrollment in less registered universities.

Photo from Unsplash | California students will have easier access to a college education.