How to Apply

1. ONLINE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS    
    *We recommend that you print these instructions so that you can follow along while completing the application.   

2. UPLOAD the below required documents* to your CSU Apply application (under Program Materials section, Documents tab). 

   • Personal Essay
     • A 300-500 word narrative statement describing how the program relates to applicant's professional goals
   • Resume
     • A current resume demonstrating experience (paid or volunteer) in public health, health education, health science, or a related area if Bachelor’s degree is not in a health-related area.

*Prospective students can send updated versions to el@csusm.edu after submission, if necessary.

1. REFERENCE Contact Information - CSUSM requires each applicant to provide two (2) letters of recommendation. One (1) recommendation should be from an academic source, and one (1) should be from a professional source. The recommenders should be familiar with the applicant's capacity for academic and professional success. The recommenders are required to complete the electronic form via the CSU Apply portal. (Recommenders will be provided a link to submit their letter as the application is submitted). 
   *All letters of recommendation are to signed and submitted on letterhead; otherwise they will not be counted toward your application materials.
2. Once you have completed your application online, you will be prompted to pay a non-refundable program application fee of $70.00. Your application will not officially be submitted until payment has been received. Upon submission of your application, you will receive an email within 48 hours confirming receipt of your application. If you do not receive a confirmation email, log into your account and ensure the status of your application states "Posted". An application in any other status than "Posted" has not been successfully submitted to the University. If the status states "Posted" and you have not received email confirmation, please reach out to the Extended Learning Admissions Team at el@csusm.edu

CAL STATE APPLY APPLICATION - FALL 2025

CAL STATE APPLY APPLICATION - SPRING 2026

*DO NOT PROCEED TO STEP 2 WITHOUT SUBMITTING A COMPLETED PROGRAM APPLICATION *
**(Incomplete application files will not be reviewed)

STEP 2: Submit official transcripts to CSUSM

Request and submit one official transcript from EACH regionally accredited academic institution attended (including institutions where college courses were taken for high school credit). *Applicants cannot be admitted with a GPA under 2.50 in accordance with the policy of The Office of Graduate Studies.

Official transcripts are accepted through the following methods:

• Electronic: Electronic delivery is the preferred transcript delivery method. Verify with your school if an electronic transcript is available. Electronic transcripts can be provided through external or third party vendors (Credential Solutions, eTranscriptCA, National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment, etc.). When ordering your transcript, please choose California State University San Marcos as the intended recipient from the school name drop-down. If California State University San Marcos is not listed, please use transcripts@csusm.edu as the recipient email address.
• Mail:  If you select to mail your transcript, please ensure the transcript is in an envelope sealed by your school and addressed to:

        Office of Admissions & Student Outreach
        California State University San Marcos
        333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road
        San Marcos, CA 92096-0001

CSUSM Alumni: Students who just graduated from CSUSM do not need to submit official transcripts (unless they have taken additional coursework at other institutions and have not previously submitted those transcripts to CSUSM). Previous CSUSM students who have been out for over one year should resend all official transcripts from other institutions, as the originals may have been archived.

Revised/New Transcripts: Students submitting updated transcripts or transcripts from institutions not listed on the original application should email el@csusm.edu to indicate that the transcript has been sent to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment. Please include your full name, the school from which the transcript was sent and the program name of MSW. 

International students please note: You must submit academic records from foreign institutions.  The original foreign transcript must be on file and if they are not written in English, they must be accompanied by certified English translations.  In addition, all foreign transcripts must be evaluated by one of the eight approved CSUSM foreign transcript evaluation agencies.  Please see the list of the eight approved CSUSM foreign transcript evaluation agencies.

(Applicants who have taken coursework internationally only)
For questions regarding International Admissions, please reach out to intappl@csusm.edu or (760)750-4844.  

For Extended Learning degree programs, "foreign students" include those who hold U.S. visas as students, exchange visitors, or in other non-immigrant classifications. Foreign students must submit academic records/transcripts from all foreign institutions they have attended.  If the records are not written in English, they must be accompanied by certified English translations. You must send your foreign transcripts to be evaluated by one of eight CSUSM-approved foreign transcript evaluation agencies.  Both the evaluation and the original foreign transcript must be submitted to Extended Learning.

Satisfy English Proficiency Requirement

All applicants, regardless of citizenship, who do not possess a bachelor's degree from a postsecondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must satisfy the English language proficiency requirement. Typically, applicants demonstrate the English Proficiency requirement by submitting results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, or Cambridge English score report. Submission of these test scores should be sent to the following address:

California State University San Marcos
ATTN: Extended Learning, MPH
333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road
San Marcos, CA 92096-0001

*NOTE: We encourage applicants to submit the documents listed above in one packet; however, we understand this may not be possible. Please review your Student Center at MYCSUSM to ensure we have received your documents in a timely manner.

Provided below are the CSU required minimum scores for each option:

• TOEFL score of 80iBT
• IELTS overall band score of 6.0, writing score no lower than 6.0 and no section score below 5.5
• Cambridge English C1 Advanced (CAE), C2 Proficiency (CPE)-certificate awarded with a Cambridge English score of 180 or higher.

CAL STATE APPLY APPLICATION - FALL 2025

CAL STATE APPLY APPLICATION - SPRING 2026

**(Incomplete application files will not be reviewed)