Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that he has signed Senate Bill 640, a bill authored by Senator Christopher Cabaldon, which will provide automatic admission to the California State University system to high school graduates who meet CSU eligibility requirements, without an application.
SB 640 takes effect beginning with the 2026–27 academic year.
This sounds like a logical model with lots of benefits, but I wonder what they will do for the Cal State campuses/majors that are impacted.
Assuming you still need to apply to those. Don’t some other states have a similar model where there is automatic admission to some but not all public colleges?
This was done because many of the CSUs like Sonoma State will shut their doors if enrollment continues to decline. It’s going to be like the UC guarantee for the top 9% of the class where top students will get a spot in UC Merced. It won’t make a difference for those applying for competitive majors or competitive CSUs like SDSU or Cal Poly
Basically, high school students who are CSU eligible will get automatically applied to CSU. Most CSU campuses are not impacted, and most majors at non-impacted campuses are not impacted, so baseline CSU eligibility (a-g courses completed with 2.5 recalculated GPA for California residents) means admission.
However, the implementation detail is how to handle students who want impacted campuses or majors. Because admission thresholds are determined competitively, it would not be desirable to automatically apply all CSU eligible students to them, since many have no interest in impacted campuses or majors.
Direct Admissions Expands College Opportunity in California. Three Lessons from California State University’s Pilot - IHEP mentions that CSU did a pilot program of automatic or passive application in Riverside County.
It also has a link to https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/03/06/state-colleges-direct-admissions-programs-high-school-students/ (registration wall) that mentions other states, although some appear to be automatic or passive application (ID, MN, WI) while others may admit students who used The Common Application but did not specifically list that state’s public colleges (CT, IL). Some private schools also do the latter.
Admitting students who did not specifically apply to the college seems to be called “direct admission” in some places, but that term is also sometimes used in context of admission to competitive majors like nursing. I.e. use care to ensure that it is clear which use of the term is intended.
Don’t like it. Kids need to throw some skin in the game.
It’s unfair to the CSU San Marcos or Sam Bernardino’s of the world to have kids show up bcuz they couldn’t bother to apply etc.
automatic via qualification. Fine. But you should still have to show some effort.
Are you saying effort in completing the application and paying a fee?
Have you seen the CSU application? It is basically entering your demographics and your grades. No test scores, no essays, no LOR. SLO has three multiple choice questions. Not much skin is necessary for this game, other than having mom and dad pay $70 for each campus you are applying to.
It’s still skin in the game. Waive the $70 but yes fill out the app.
More color on this:
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/csu-direct-admissions-program-calif-students-21106307.php?
Based on CSU Statement on Passage of SB 640 | CSU , it is not a completely passive application. CSU will inform eligible students that they are admitted, but then those students must then still fill in the application (although their high school courses and grades will automatically be entered) to select a campus and major. But the automatic admission does not apply to high demand or impacted campuses or majors.