Next Admissions Cycle

We are currently accepting applications for the Spring 2025 term. Please be sure to follow the application process below and submit all materials on time in order to be considered for the spring 2025 admissions cycle.

Spring 2025: Admission timeline and deadlines

• (Step 1) Departmental Application:

  • Deadline: By 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024
• (Step 2) Cal State Apply:
  • Deadline: Friday, Nov. 15 - December (TBD) 2024 by 11:59 p.m. PST

Fall 2025 Admissions Timeline and Deadlines:

• (Step 1) Departmental Application:

  • Deadline: Feb. 1 - May 29th 2025 by 11:59 p.m. PST
• (Step 2) Cal State Apply:
  • Deadline: June (TBD) 2025 by 11:59 p.m. PST

Application Process

Admissions for our program is a two-step process:

Step 1: Departmental application: Tells you if you are admissions eligible or not.
Step 2: CSU Apply: Formal application.

If you are interested in applying, please submit the departmental  along with copies of all your college transcripts to the program advisor for review. Transcripts can be unofficial copies or printouts for now, and you do not need to submit any application fees at this point in the application process.

Please note: All departmental application materials must be submitted on or before the posted application deadline in order to be considered for the upcoming semester. If you have already submitted your departmental application before the date listed above, then you have met the deadline to be considered for the upcoming term – no further action is needed unless specified otherwise.

Ways to Submit Your Application

By Email (preferred): tanji.holmes@csus.edu 

By Mail:

Online Psychology Program c/o Tanji Holmes

College of Continuing Education

3000 State University Drive

Sacramento, CA 95819

An unofficial evaluation of all your records will be completed to see if you meet the admissions criteria. If you do appear to meet the criteria, we will walk you through the formal process to apply for admission to Sacramento State and the online Psychology program. Please do NOT formally apply for admission to Sacramento State via CSU Apply until instructed to do so, as we have a specific set of application instructions to give you.

If you do not yet meet the criteria, the advisor will give you advice about what courses you need in order to get into the program in the future, or advice on other potential degree completion programs that might be a better fit for you.

Admission Criteria

If you currently reside in another state, please ensure that your state or territory is on the approved list of Out-of-State Authorizations for Distance and Online Education.

To be eligible for this online program, students must meet the following admission criteria prior to Spring 2025:

1. Completion of Psychology 2: “Introductory Psychology” or approved equivalent with a C- or better.
2. Completion of Psychology 8: “Methods of Psychology” or approved equivalent with a C- or better. 
3. Completion of Psychology 9: “Introductory Statistics for Psychology” or approved equivalent with a C- or better.
4. Completion of GE area A2 Written Communication, GE area A1 Oral Communication, GE area A3 Critical Thinking, and B4 Quantitative Reasoning, all with a C- or better grades.
5. Completion of a minimum of 60 CSU transferable units.
6. Cumulative GPA of 2.5 in all CSU transferable coursework.
7. If you are a current Sacramento State student or live within 25 miles of campus, you must receive department consent to join the program.  

Preferred but not required criteria for Spring 2025:

1. Completion of CHDV/CHAD 30 “Human Development” or approved equivalent.

All lower division coursework in the major and for GE must be completed through a community college as this program is a degree completion program that generally only offers upper division coursework. Please review the Sacramento State catalog to see all baccalaureate degree requirements. While we are here to help you achieve your goal, it is your responsibility to understand all requirements that must be met before you can graduate from Sacramento State. If you have questions, please ask us at any time; do not assume that a requirement does not apply to you.

Resources for Students

Helpful Handouts with Additional Information:

• CCE PSYC Comparison Chart
• Online Psychology Program Brochure
• PSYC Q&A Packet

If you need assistance with finding acceptable courses to take through a CA Community College to meet the admissions criteria or fulfill GE requirements to graduate, we recommend reaching out to your Sac State academic advisor. We also recommend the following tools and resources, but caution students to remember that these tools should not replace the guidance of a qualified academic counselor:

Assist

Assist.org is a helpful online resource that allows you to look up your community college and the year you took a class (or plan to take a class) and determine if and how this course would transfer to a CSU or Sacramento State specifically.

California Virtual Campus

California Virtual Campus can help you narrow down your search for online offerings of a particular GE course or course in the Psychology major. Please follow these instructions:

1. In the “Search for Online Courses” section, select the radio button “I have a primary college” and from the drop-down list select California State University – Sacramento. 
2. You can search either by Gen Ed requirement, course name, or keywords. If you select Gen Ed, please select the area that you are looking to fulfill, and click “search for classes” to see a list of potential options that are offered online through various CA Community Colleges. 
3. If you are looking for a specific course to take that is equivalent to one of our Sac State courses (such as PSYC 2, PSYC 8, or PSYC 9), please search by course name. In the search box, type the discipline’s course heading (such as PSYC) and it will pre-populate options from a drop-down list. You can scroll through this list and select the exact course you are looking to complete.