CSUSM to offer guaranteed admission to SDUHSD

SDUHSD announced plans to partner with California State University San Marcos to guarantee admission for all students who qualify under the partnership’s criteria, according to a Feb.17 community message from Interim Superintendent Tina Douglas.

With this partnership, which will be ratified on March 1 when SDUHSD signs a memorandum of understanding, SDUHSD, along with three other districts, will join the existing 10 districts in the CSUSM initiative, called The Alliance to Accelerate Excellence in Education, according to Scott Hagg, the associate vice president of Enrollment Management Services at CSUSM.

Founded in 2015, the initiative serves communities in North San Diego, Southern Orange and Riverside.

“Our mission is to increase access to high-quality college education and the social mobility of students in our region,” Hagg said. “The guaranteed admission is just one part of the agreement. We want to see every student graduate from CSUSM.”

Students in The Alliance, currently approximately 1,400, are also provided with peer mentors during their first year at CSUSM through The Alliance College Link Mentoring Program and continued support through graduation, according to The Alliance website.

Mara Castillo, a sophomore at CSUSM, participated in the ACLMP in her first year as an Alliance student. 

“As a mentee, I felt I had someone in my corner cheering me on and offering support,” she said.

As a current peer mentor, Castillo enjoys “connecting with my students through one-on-one meetings where I help them with a variety of matters such as guiding them with self-enrolling in classes and educating them about their major pathway.”

To qualify for acceptance as an Alliance student, students must be enrolled in high school grades nine to 12 and complete all A-G coursework required by CSU with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 upon graduation, as well as meet minimum CSU eligibility index requirements.

Additionally, students must pass the Early Assessment Program in their junior year in mathematics and English—a requirement met by passing the California Assessments of Student Performance and Progress, which is administered to all juniors— or successfully complete additional appropriate coursework. Lastly, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Both the filings periods of the CSUSM and FAFSA applications run through March 2. Students who are accepted and wish to attend must submit their Intent to Enroll and deposit by May 1 and all final official transcripts must be submitted by July 15, according to The Alliance website.