California State University Fullerton (CSUF)

• Location: Fullerton, California, USA,
• Year of foundation: 1959,
• Number of students: about 43,000,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of study: mixed.

California State University Fullerton (CSUF) is the academic territory of the state Research University, which is the largest in terms of the number of students studying there annually. More than 100 higher education specialties are taught at CSUF in 8 scientific colleges.

The history of CSUF began with the founding of Orange County College, opened in 1957-1959; by June 1972, it had received university status and its current well-known name, bringing many innovations and recruiting a large staff of qualified teachers. Today, there are about 43,000 students on the Fullerton campus, about 20% of whom come from almost all continents.

CSUF has many advantages, from a wide variety of scientific fields, partnerships with national and international organizations, to specialized support, including individual talents and extracurricular ideas from students. Offering modern conditions for obtaining knowledge, the American university focuses on preparing high-quality specialists who quickly find jobs and successfully develop their careers.

Valentina Nikitina

Senior Marketing and Recruitment Manager at Kaplan Pathways with a focus on students from Russia and the CIS.

What advice would you give to students aiming for top U.S. universities, with 3-4 years to prepare?

This period is perfect for assessing capabilities and exploring options of universities. Focus on achieving high grades and improving English proficiency. Strong English skills enhance your learning experience, and good grades can lead to scholarships or honors college admissions.

Programs at CSUF are taught at several scientific colleges:

• Art
• Business, Economics,
• Communication
• Education
• Engineering, Computer Science,
• Human health, development,
• Humanities, Social Sciences,
• Natural sciences, mathematics.

CSUF has an R2 qualification awarded to universities with high research activity. Every year, students and researchers publish hundreds of articles, project works and research aimed at improving the quality of life of national and international communities, innovations.

Students have several housing options available: traditional residences, apartments or suites. First-year students are accommodated in residences, occupying double and triple rooms and using bathrooms shared by 7-8 residents. Living in the residence provides for a choice of a meal plan for five or seven days a week, it can be arranged for a short time, as well as for a semester or immediately for the academic year.

The new residential complex with 600-bed suites is designed for second-year students and older. Eight students live in each room, housed in apartments with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small kitchen. There is a recreation room and a self-study room on each floor. Accommodation in suites, as well as in residences, provides meal plans for five or seven days a week for up to a year.

The apartments are available to undergraduates and graduate students, offering 400 single rooms combined into blocks with two shared bathrooms, a balcony and a guest area. Apartment residents have access to meal plans for five or seven days a week + 100 meals per semester or academic year.

Meal plans can be used in the dining areas of the campus, cafeterias of residential buildings, seasonal food trucks.

Leading directions of sports sections in the university:

• Soccer
• Softball
• Tennis
• Athletics
• Basketball
• Volleyball.

Sections train men and women both separately and jointly.

Regular events at CSUF:

• Exhibitions in the Begovic Gallery
• Theatre, dance performances
• Musical performances.

• US News & World Report: 4th place among the best public schools in the USA,
• 5th place in the list of innovative schools in the West Money:
• One of the top 5% colleges in terms of tuition fees Forbes: one of the best colleges in America Washington Monthly:
• One of the top 7% universities on the 2020 list Education Reform Now:
• 3rd place among the top 10 universities in terms of student social mobility
• CSUF is accredited by the Commission of Colleges and Universities of the Western Association (WSCUC).
• CSUF is officially designated as an institution educating Latinos.

There are many buildings on the campus:

• Bookstore
• Amphitheater
• Children's Center
• Faculty buildings: classrooms, laboratories
• Dormitories
• Pollack Library
• Student Recreation
• Center Sports complex, stadium
• Halls for creative groups
• Parking lots
• Fullerton Arboretum Health and Counseling Center.

The sports complex has fields for team sports and gyms. There are running tracks, exercise equipment, a football field, and tennis courts on the territory of the stadium.

At the CSUF Children's Center, students can leave their children during classes.

Is the academic year two semesters: spring and autumn? The fall semester lasts from October to January, and after the New Year holidays, the spring studying phase continues until May.

Additional expenses include:

• Books, supplies,
• Accommodation, meals,
• Transportation,
• Car parking,
• Sports and creative sections,
• Personal expenses (mobile communication, clothing, recreation, etc.),
• Medical care,
• Registration, regular campus fees.

Many stages of the admission process are available in a remote format, making it easier for international students to apply and process the necessary documents on time. The main stages will be:

• Filling out an online form, providing documents,
• Payment of fees,
• Passing an interview, possible entrance exams,
• Receiving an invitation to study.

The staff assists applicants at every step of the way, providing all the necessary information about education in the United States.

The number of CSUF graduates already exceeds 300,000 specialists in various fields, many of them have built careers in other states of the United States and abroad, choosing the scientific direction that they studied at the university.

For future undergraduate freshmen, the requirements are as follows:

• Certificate of completion of secondary education
• Official transcripts
• Completed comprehensive AG scheme of 15 disciplines with grades at least C-
• GPA Qualification score
• Paid registration fee.

Application acceptance dates: October 1-November 30

For applicants applying for a Master's or doctoral degree, the minimum requirements are:

• A four-year Bachelor's degree diploma.
• Good academic performance, confirmed by transcripts of completed courses GPA with a total of at least 2.5 points
• Two letters of recommendation.

Application dates are:

• Autumn: from September 13th
• Spring: from February 14th.

An additional certificate of English proficiency will be required from foreign applicants.:

• TOEFL (61 online, from 500 "paper" version)
• SAT (from 550)
• ACT (from 22)
• IELTS (from 5.5)
• PTE (from 43).

Foreign applicants must provide:

• A certificate or diploma of the last completed stage of education,
• Official transcripts of courses with grades,
• English Proficiency test results: TOEFL iBT (from 80), IELTS (from 6.5), PTE (from 58),
• Personal documents: passport, medical insurance, visa, etc. If you are currently in high school, you must provide transcripts for the seventh semester.

Financial assistance is provided to students in need. The student should submit academic documents and income certificates to the financial department of the university.

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic, creative and sporting achievements.

Some award programs:

• Giles T. Brown Grant
• California Pre-Doctor Program
• Outstanding Dissertation Awards from Giles T. Brown
• Palante Scholarships
• Federal: Pella grant, additional education, grant of Iraq and Afghanistan, etc.
• State: Cal Grant A and B, California Chaphy Grant, Child Development Pay, California National Guard Education Support Program, etc.

Loans:

• Federal direct
• Federal PLUS – for dependent parents
• Loans for private education
• California Dream
• Emergency loans are emergency loans.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision