CSU Fully Online FAQs

These dates determine when students at each CSU campus may access CSU Fully Online enrollment through the Student Center at their home campus. Students can only submit enrollment requests during the enrollment period established by their home campus.

The dates below reflect the enrollment windows set by each host campus for CSU Fully Online visitor students. Courses are available on a space-available basis during each campus’s designated enrollment window. When searching for classes in the enrollment portal, be sure to enter the campus code along with the course or class number.

CourseMatch courses, a subset of CSU Fully Online classes, open on the first day of the enrollment period (July 1, 2026) and have reserved seats for visitor students. These courses are marked with a star symbol in the course schedule at www.csufullyonline.com.

Are international students eligible for Fully Online?

International students may be eligible to participate. Visa restrictions may not allow online study. Students should check with their home campus to confirm their eligibility. The additional per unit nonresident fees apply to the Fully Online course and are paid to the host campus.

Can graduate students take courses through CSU Fully Online?

Graduate student participation is up to the home campus. Since most graduate programs don't allow transfer credit unless by petition, the home campus may limit participation and authorize enrollment to meet prerequisites or a pre-approved course for transfer. If the campus allows, they may set up requirements differently from the standard eligibility rules for undergraduates for which this program was designed. The host campus may restrict enrollment to only their students or require department approval before authorizing enrollment. To make it work takes extra initiative on the student's part and assistance from a graduate advisor.

I'm a part-time student. Can I participate?

Part-time participation in CSU Fully Online may be authorized by the home campus on a case by case basis. If an exception is approved, the CSU Fully Online units are combined with your home campus units to verify your tuition charges.The total enrolled units must stay at 6 units to have the CSU Fully Online course included in part-time tuition. If combined unit totals more than 6 units, full-time tuition is charged.

I'm not a CSU student. Can I take an online class?

If you are not a current CSU student you enroll directly through the host CSU campus Open University as a visitor student. Per-unit tuition charges apply. Financial aid is not available. If you know the campus that is hosting the course you are looking to take, you can search their Open University website for information on cost and how to enroll.

How do I find a match to a specific course or requirement at my campus?

Use the search functionality on the posted schedule at www.csufullyonline.com. There you can search by course subject code, keyword, GE or pre-approved course at your home campus. The results will always default to open courses only.

Note: CSU to CSU course equivalencies are available if the course was previously reviewed or transferred. The number of course equivalencies may be limited. Specific course/requirement credit may not be available but does not mean the course is denied.

Online Course search box allows you to type in a course or subject code to filter the course list.

Example: Search available Communications department courses by entering COM or COMM. Campuses may code their subjects differently, so it is recommended to use varying abbreviations to pick up all potential options. Using COM you will see COM, COMS, MCOMM, COMD, COMM and HCOM subjects.

Online Course Title search box allows you to enter in a course title or keyword from the title to search potential courses. Try a variation of keywords to identify possible matches.

Example 1: Search using keyword 'abnormal'

Example 2: Search using keyword 'global' brings up a listing of courses under a number of subjects. Adding partial subject or even a letter to the Online Course box to filter results by both course and course title.

CSU GE Area: This column displays the systemwide GE area assigned by the host campus for their courses. The home CSU campus should honor that same GE area upon transfer. Even if the Course EQ/GE Area column is blank.

Example 1: A3 is entered in the CSU GE Area search box. Results show a number of available courses, some with and some without Course EQ/GE Area designated. Results on this example are sorted by CourseMatch (*) courses which open early and have reserved seats for CSU Fully Online enrollment.

Example 2: UD-B is entered in the CSU GE Area search box. Results will show list of courses. The Course EQ/GE Area may be blank or designated with the home campus GE code that differs from the equivalent systemwide GE code.

Course EQ/GE Area: This column displays the pre-approved GE and/or course equivalency information on file with your campus. You can enter your home campus course subject code with or without the course number. GE area can be entered to search previously approved GE courses.

Example 1: East Bay home campus selected and ECON entered in Course EQ/GE Area field to search courses approved for ECON credit. Results display all courses that have an Open status and an ECON course equivalency on file. The number of results depends on previous course approvals on file with your home CSU campus.

Example 2: Fullerton home campus search using PSY subject. Listing displays only two courses with existing PSY course approvals on file.

How do I ensure the class I am taking applies to my major or transfers back for the credit I need?

Some CSU Fully Online courses may display transfer information on the schedule. In many cases, these approvals only reflect general elective credit or GE area applicability. This does not confirm whether the course has been reviewed for major, prerequisite, or direct course-to-course equivalency.

Because of this, you may still need a review—even if some transfer information is already listed.

To confirm the credit you will receive:

1. Check whether the schedule shows the specific type of credit you need (major, prerequisite, GE, elective).
2. If the information is blank or only shows general/GE credit, contact the articulation/transfer credit office at your home CSU campus.
1. They can verify whether the course has been previously evaluated for your major.
2. If needed, they can help request a syllabus from the teaching campus and submit it for review.
3. Major-specific credit reviews typically require a course syllabus and may take time.

Campus articulation contacts can be found here:
https://www.calstate.edu/attend/student-services/Documents/csu-fully-online-contacts-external.pdf

Start this process early—ideally before the enrollment deadline—to allow enough time for review and a decision.

How do I enroll in a Fully Online course?

The Enroll in CSU Fully Online link will be made active in your student center on the first day of CSU Fully Online enrollment. That link takes you to the enrollment request page that verifies you meet all eligibility requirements then allows you to submit a request to add a course. Instructions for enrollment can be found here.

Why can’t I see a course in my student portal that appears on the CSU Fully Online website?

Your student portal only displays courses from a host CSU during that campus’s designated CSU Fully Online enrollment period. If you check the portal before a host campus opens its enrollment window or after it closes, courses from that campus will not appear.

You can find each course’s enrollment window in the course details on the schedule at www.csufullyonline.com, or in the Host Campus Enrollment Dates section on this FAQ page.

Can I take more than one course?

This program limits students to one course per semester. Exceptions are considered for lecture and lab courses that are separated into two courses. Other circumstances are considered on a case by case basis by your home CSU campus.

How do I drop my course?
You must drop the course from the host campus following their drop procedures. The welcome information provided by the host campus upon enrollment include instructions on how to drop, either by emailing a specific address or through the student portal at the host campus.

What is the deadline to drop or withdraw from a course?

Drop and withdrawal deadlines are set by the host campus, and these dates may be different from those at your home campus. You can find the specific deadlines for your course in the Welcome document attached to the course details in the schedule view at www.csufullyonline.com.

I submitted my enrollment request. When can I expect a response?

Enrollment request processing is not immediate. Depending on campus processes and staffing, requests are typically processed within 1 to 3 business days.

If your request status has not been updated after 3 business days, contact the CSU Fully Online office at the host campus for assistance.

If you submitted your request close to the start of the term or after classes have begun, contact the host campus after 1 business day if you have not received an update.

I changed my mind on the class I requested. Can I cancel or swap the class?

If this is done before the host campus begins processing, you may cancel your request. If the campus has begun processing, you will need to wait. If course enrollment is accepted, you must request to drop the course by the process the host campus follows. You will not be able to drop, cancel or swap through the Enroll in CSU Fully Online portal.

Example: View of requested course with Cancel Request button available. This will only display if the host campus has not yet begun to process your request.

The deadline has passed, can I still add a course?
No. Once your home campus closes access or after the host campus course enrollment period has ended, requests cannot be submitted. Exceptions may be considered on a case by case basis for emergency situations only and requires approval and manual coordination by campus staff.

Does the credit for CSU Fully Online count towards the term unit limits?
Yes, the units are included in your campus unit limits. Review your home campus website or contact an advisor to learn about academic load regulations and the process to request permission to exceed the maximum unit load.

I'm interested in completing all of my major online. How do I enroll in all online courses?

This program is not designed to complete your entire major online. If your campus does not offer the major completely online, you will need to discuss your options with an academic advisor at your campus or consider applying for transfer to another CSU campus that offers the major completely online. You can search online degrees offered across the system by filtering on the Delivery Format of Online on the degrees.calstate.edu webpage.

My enrollment request shows a status of Not Enrolled – Other Reason. How can I find out what the reason is and still try to add the course?

This status typically means the host campus could not enroll you due to one of the following:

1. Prerequisites that could not be verified
2. Instructor or department permission required
3. Other campus-specific enrollment restrictions or holds

What to do next:

1. Check the course details on the schedule at www.csufullyonline.comfor any available information, understanding that not all restrictions or requirements are displayed in the CSU Fully Online system.
2. For the specific reason your request was not approved and guidance on what you can do next, contact the host campus’s Fully Online/registration office.
• Campus contact list:
  https://www.calstate.edu/attend/student-services/Documents/csu-fully-online-contacts-external.pdf
• They can confirm what requirement was not met and provide instructions for resolving it.
3. If instructor permission is required, the host campus contact can help you determine whom to contact.
• Once permission is obtained, the host campus registration staff can assist with re-processing your enrollment request.

The host campus is the most accurate source of information for understanding why your enrollment request was not processed and how to move forward.

Do I need to submit transcripts to transfer the grade to my home CSU?
No. You do not need to request transcripts or anything else to transfer the grade. The host campus will upload your final grade to a secure database where you home campus downloads an official grade report and uses that instead of a transcript to update your record.

When can I expect to receive credit and see the grade on my home CSU record?
Final grades are first posted by the host campus and then uploaded for processing by your home campus. Your home campus imports and posts CSU Fully Online grades after grades for all participating students are available.

Because of this process, grades may not appear immediately after they are posted by the host campus. For spring terms, grade posting to home campus records typically occurs during the second week of June. For fall terms, processing may extend into the second week of January.

Please allow time for this process before contacting your home campus about missing CSU Fully Online grades or credit posting.

Can the course I take at another CSU forgive my failing grade at my home campus?
Contact your academic advisor or see your campus catalog for information related to applying courses taken at another institution for grade forgiveness.

When you say CSU students can take a free online class, does this really mean free?
If you paid your full-time tuition, the additional units for the CSU Fully Online course are included in that tuition. No additional tuition is charged. Nonresidents and international students still pay the additional fees for the units.

Are there any additional fees for CSU Fully Online courses?
If you are enrolled in full-time tuition units at your home CSU during the fall or spring term, no additional tuition is charged for CSU Fully Online courses. However, non-resident tuition fees still apply and are charged by the host campus.

Some courses may also include additional course-specific or material fees.

What is the cost for international or out-of-state students?
Nonresident and International students pay the nonresident per-unit fees for the Fully Online course. No additional base tuition is charged. Fees are charged by and paid to the host campus. Fee refunds for late drops are subject to the policies of the host campus.

Will the units taken at the other CSU campus qualify for my financial aid at my home campus?
Yes. The units for the CSU Fully Online course are included in your total term units and used for financial aid calculations.

Example: A student enrolled 9 units at home CSU adds a 3-credit course through CSU Fully Online. Total term units will be calculated as 12 and seen as full-time for financial aid.

Is CSU Fully Online available for summer?
CSU Fully Online is only available fall and spring semesters, terms where students pay full-time tuition. Enrollment in summer courses is done directly through the host campus Open University division. Per-unit tuition charges apply. Official transcripts are required to transfer credit back to home campus.

Can I change to a degree program that is offered completely online?
Current CSU students can check with their campus advisor to find out what options are available at their campus. To transfer to an online degree program offered at another CSU campus you must apply for admission.

You can search online degrees at online.calstate.edu. under the degrees area. You can also search on the degrees.calstate.edu website by selecting Online under delivery format.

How do I access textbooks and course materials for my CSU Fully Online course?
Required textbooks and course materials are determined by the host campus and instructor. Materials are not automatically provided, and access (physical or digital) varies by course.

Review the course syllabus for required materials and instructions. If materials are unclear, contact the instructor directly.

The host campus bookstore should have textbook and course material information available for the course. Students may purchase materials from the bookstore or another vendor of their choice.

When will I get access to my course and materials?
Access to your course will be provided by the host campus. After enrollment, you will receive information about setting up your student account and accessing Canvas.

Initial enrollment and account setup information is generally sent to your home CSU email address. Once your host campus account is created, instructors and campus communications will use your host campus student email account. Students are responsible for activating and regularly checking their host campus email.

Communication about account setup and course access is generally sent the next business day following enrollment. Be sure to watch for messages from the host campus.