By james art 
Riverside County high school seniors scheduled to graduate in 2025 are part of a pilot program offering automatic admission to some California State University campuses.
About 15,000 students have been offered a new streamlined application process and automatic admission to 10 universities, including Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State San Marcos.
A few State of California campuses already had similar ones programs with school districts in their regions, but the partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education is the first which includes multiple campuses, Hazel Kelly, spokeswoman for the CSU chancellor’s office, said at Thursday, October 31, email.
The new arrangement is welcomed by students who learn of their eligibility when they receive a postcard.
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Sophia Delgado, a student at Eastvale’s Roosevelt High School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, said she knew early on that college would be part of her journey.
Her parents made sure she knew the importance of education, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, her GPA dropped and she felt pressure to get it back up and be competitive for college.
“I feel like that pressure was always there, but now that I got the letter again, it kind of took the pressure off of it,” Delgado said.
Delgado is eligible for any of the 23 schools in the state of California and will need to maintain his GPA and pass his classes. Still, Delgado said, knowing she was already accepted came as a breath of fresh air.
“I hope this will inspire my little brother to decide to go to college,” Delgado said. “… I believe if he sees me flourish with this opportunity, it will help him understand that college can change people’s lives.”
Riverside County seniors who are on track to meet Cal State’s admissions requirements will receive automatic admission to one of the participating campuses for the fall of 2025. Requirements include a minimum 2.5 GPA and 15 required courses in math, science, history , English, Visual and Performing Arts, and Foreign Language.
“Over 50% of our students will be eligible and get that notice that says, ‘Hey, you’ve qualified, let’s get you to apply,'” Catalina Sifuentes, executive director of the Riverside County Office of College and Career Readiness of Education, said Monday, October 28.
Student information is tracked and shared between school districts and the California state system. Students who are on track to meet the requirements receive early notification that they will be automatically accepted. All they have to do is submit an application.
The 10 Cal State campuses in the program are: Channel Islands, Chico, East Bay, Humboldt, Maritime Academy, Monterey Bay, San Bernardino, San Marcos, Sonoma and Stanislaus. If a student applies to an affected program or campus, additional admissions criteria may be required.
Students can apply to any of California’s 23 universities, but only those 10 are included in the program.
Cal State San Bernardino, one of the closest campuses for Riverside County students, held a Fall Review Day for prospective students on Saturday, Oct. 26, which included tours, application workshops and advice on financial aid documentation. It also includes a session on the new opportunity for Riverside County students.
The program has begun to roll out, and postcards notifying students of their conditional acceptance — which depends on whether they meet the requirements — are being sent to those whose records show they are eligible.
“This (Riverside County) is a great location for this pilot project,” said Ginger Reyes, California State Director of Admissions and Outreach on Monday, Oct. 28. “Ethnically and economically representative of the diversity of California and many of the students that CSU is proud to serve. It’s also one of the fastest-growing regions in California, with a continued need for more college-educated professionals.”
Cal State is looking to expand the program to other counties, Kelly said.
The initiative is about access, which is the goal of the California state system, she said.
Reyes added, “I think being able to offer this pilot program for direct admission gives students an opportunity to know that college is possible. And we encourage them to apply.”
The program aims to relieve some of the stress on students by letting them know in advance that they have been accepted.
Once a student receives a postcard, they must apply to one of 10 schools and will be guaranteed admission as long as they meet all the requirements in their senior year. The postcard includes a one-time code for one free app.
“I didn’t realize how expensive the applications were until I actually started doing it and saw that just four applications would cost me about $200,” Tatiana Willis, a 17-year-old student at Jurupa Valley High School in the Jurupa Unified School District, said Tuesday , Oct. 29
Willis said direct admission and the free application lifted a weight off her shoulders and will help her decide which college to attend. She plans to work in sports medicine and is considering Cal State San Marcos.
“It was one less thing to worry about,” Willis said. “It was kind of easier for me too because, you know, it’s a lot of work being a senior.”
California community colleges have a similar program, the Transfer Success Pathway program, which launched last year, Kelly said. As long as students meet the requirements, those in this program are guaranteed admission to a California State campus and major of their choice.