CSU General Education Placement Estimator

The GE Placement Estimator uses multiple measures to estimate your placement in general education math and/or English courses in your first year of college. The evaluation of academic readiness is not a condition for admission to the California State University, but it is an important process for determining the best course placement for first-year students. 

Please Note:

  • The CSU no longer uses ACT or SAT examinations in determining admission eligibility for all CSU campuses.
  • If accepted to a CSU campus, ACT or SAT test scores can be used as one of the measures for students to enroll in the appropriate mathematics or English (written communication) courses.  
  • For more information on admission criteria, please visit the First-Year Student Guidance and the First-Year Student Frequently Asked Questions pages.

To use the GE Placement Estimator you will need: 

  • Applicable standardized test scores, if available: 
    • For English: CAASPP/EAP, AP, ACT, SAT 
    • For Math: CAASPP/EAP, AP, IB, CLEP, ACT, SAT 
  • High school transcripts 
  • College transcripts, if you attended the community college while in high school 

Helpful resources to guide you through the GE Estimator: 

  • GPA Calculator 
  • Academic Preparation Brochure 
  • CAASPP/EAP Score Report 

Please Note: Final placement determination is made by the admitting campus you choose to attend based on your standardized test results if available and "a-g" completed coursework as reported on Cal State Apply.

Multiple Measures for Placement Include:

Calculation includes "a-g" courses from grades 10th and 11th as reported on the Calstate Apply application.

Multiple Measures Overview

Learn how multiple measures are used for placement in first-year GE English and math/QR courses:

Multiple Measures for English • Multiple Measures for Math Non-STEM • Multiple Measures for Math STEM

Calculation includes 9th, 10th and 11th grade math courses completed in Area C and quantitative reasoning courses completed in Area G as reported on the CalState Apply application.

Note: algebra 1 and geometry courses taken in middle school and reported on the CalState Apply application will also be included.

Multiple Measures Overview

Learn how multiple measures are used for placement in first-year GE English and math/QR courses:

Multiple Measures for English • Multiple Measures for Math Non-STEM • Multiple Measures for Math STEM

  • Approved high school English and math/quantitative reasoning courses completed with a C- or better.
    • English: CSU Expository Reading and Writing (ERWC), Advanced Placement (AP), Weighted Honors English
    • Math: 12th grade approved year-long math courses beyond Algebra II.
  • College coursework completed with a grade of C- or better that satisfies GE Area A2 (written communication) and B4 (math/quantitative reasoning).

Multiple Measures Overview

Learn how multiple measures are used for placement in first-year GE English and math/QR courses:

Multiple Measures for English • Multiple Measures for Math Non-STEM • Multiple Measures for Math STEM