Impaction

At California State University, Northridge (CSUN), impaction affects only domestic undergraduate studentsÌý(first-time freshmen and first-time transfer students) who attend high schools and/or colleges in the state of California.

What are CSUN's Impaction Requirements?

Impaction Overview 91´«Ã½

For Fall 2025-Spring 2026 Admissions:Ìý

  • Only three majors are impacted.ÌýAll undergraduate applicants from California will need to achieve both the standard CSU criteria and the supplementary admission criteria th91´«Ã½ has established for each impacted major.

  • There is no local/nonlocal-area impaction. All California applicants will need to meet the sameÌýstandard CSU admissions criteria.

For Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Admissions:

  • Only twoÌýmajors are impacted.ÌýAll undergraduate applicants from California will need to achieve both the standard CSU admission criteria and the supplementary criteria th91´«Ã½ has established for each of the two impacted majors.
  • There is no local/nonlocal-area impaction. All California applicants will need to meet the same minimum standard CSU criteria.

Frequently Asked Questions

Impaction means a California State University (CSU) campus anticipates more qualified applicants than available spots for which there is adequate state funding. Impaction can:

  • Affect all undergraduate admissions for a CSU (campus impaction),
  • Give preference admission consideration to freshman or transfer applicants from schools within a CSU’s local admissions area, and/or

  • Set supplementary admission criteria for specific impacted majors (academic programs).

Learn more atÌý.

At CSUN, impaction affects domestic first-time freshmen and first-time transfer applicants who attend high schools and/or colleges in the state of California.

2025/2026 and 2026/2027 Admissions

Domestic first-time freshmen and first-time transfer students from California will be affected by impaction only if they are applying to an impacted major. Local/nonlocal-area impaction is no longer in effect.

You areÌýNOTÌýaffected by CSUNÌýimpaction if:

For fall 2025 and spring 2026 admission, the three following majors are impacted:

  • B.S. in Accountancy
    • Information Systems option
    • Professional Accountancy option
  • B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts
    • Film Production option
    • Television Production option
  • B.A. in Music

For fall 2026 and spring 2027 admission, the twoÌýfollowing majors are impacted:

  • B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts. Two of six options are impacted:
    • Film Production option
    • Television Production option
  • B.A. in Music

Read more about the supplementary admission criteria for these impacted majors at:

No, not anymore. Local/nonlocal-area impaction is no longer in effect.*

For the current and coming academic years, you are affected by impaction only if:

  • You are a first-time, domestic undergraduate applicant who has attended one or more high schools and/or colleges in California, and
  • You are applying to one of CSUN's impacted majors. If so, you must meet the higher, supplementary criteria required for the impacted major you have chosen.

*Note:ÌýÌýIn the recent past, first-time freshman or first-time transfer applicants from California who attended California high schools and/or colleges outside of the CSUN-defined local admissions geographical area were required to meet a higher admissions standard than applicants attending schools within CSUN's local admissions area. CSUN has discontinued this kind of "local/nonlocal-area impaction."Ìý

2025/2026 and 2026/2027 Admission

Local/nonlocal-area (regional) impactionÌýis no longer in effect for admission in the academic years fall 2025-spring 2026 and fall 2026-spring 2027.

CSUN's supplementary admissions criteria for impacted majors are published well into the admission cycle for each semester of entry.

For details about CSUN’sÌýsupplementaryÌýadmission criteria forÌýimpacted majors, visit:

For the minimumÌýstandardÌýCSU admission requirements forÌýallÌýdomestic undergraduate applicants, visit:

Please note thatÌýallÌýapplicants, whether affected by impaction or not, must apply for admission during theÌýapplication filing period.