Study Abroad @ The Beach

Click here to download the Application Form. Fill it out and submit with the $200 application fee.

Students may also apply online at https://mybeach.force.com/apply.

Please note: the application fee is non-refundable.

Students must show proof of funds for education and living expenses for the duration of their studies at CSULB. The estimated expenses per term are as follows:

To show proof of funds, please submit one or more of the following items:

• Personal bank statement
• Sponsor's bank statement
• Government financial guarantee
• Scholarship, loan or grant letter

Equivalent convertible currency is acceptable. Financial documents must be less than six months old. Please add an additional $4,700 if bringing a spouse and/or $3,900 per child.

Please provide copies of the pages of your passport in which your name and date of birth appear.

Submit a copy of university transcripts (all years attended) in English with overall grade average.

If you have never attended a university, submit a copy of translated high school/upper secondary school transcripts.

Download and complete the Preliminary Course Wish List. Please include 10 classes you are interested in taking during your desired CSULB semester.

Click on the links below to learn more about your class options:

• SA@B Course Options - Courses that can be taken through the Study Abroad @ the Beach Program
• CSULB Catalog - Description of courses
• CSULB Schedule of Classes - List of classes offered each semester

View the chart below for various English proficiency score requirements. Applicant scores must be less than two years old. 

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may be eligible for Conditional Admission.

Please note: The English language requirement is waived for applicants educated in the following countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Canada (no Quebec), Dominica, England, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grand Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland & Northern Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, New Zealand, Scotland, Sierra Leone, St. Christopher-Nevis, St. Kitt, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Virgin Islands, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe

To ensure that the Study Abroad @ The Beach program is a good match with your academic and professional objectives, please submit a minimum 250-word essay explaining your academic and career goals, and how studying at CSULB can help you achieve those goals.

• Art History (AH) B M
• ​Dance (DANC) B
• ​Music (MUS) B
• ​Theatre Arts (THEA) B *100-200 level only

• College of Business Admin (CBA) B
• Finance (FIN) B
• Human Resource Management (HRM) B
• Information Systems (I S) B
• Management (MGMT) B
• Marketing (MKTG) B

• Chemical Engineering (CH E) B
• Civil Engineering (C E) B
• Computer Engr & Computer Sci (CECS) B M
• ​Construction Engineering Management (CEM) B
• Electrical Engineering (E E) B
• Engineering (ENGR) B
• Engineering Technology (E T) B
• Mechanical & Aerospace Engr (MAE) B M

• Child Development & Family Studies (CDFS) B
• Criminal Justice (CRJU) B
• Fashion Merch & Design (FMD) B *100-200 level only
• Hospitality Management (HFHM) B
• Kinesiology (KIN) B
• Recreation & Leisure Studies (REC) B M

• Astronomy (ASTR) B
• Mathematics (MATH) B M
• Geological Sciences (GEOL) B M
• ​Physics (PHYS) B
• Statistics (STAT) B

• Africana Studies (AFRS) B
• ​American Indian Studies (AIS) B
• ​American Language Institute (ALI) B
• ​American Sign Lang/Deaf Cultr (ASLD) B
• ​American Studies (AMST) B
• ​Arabic (ARAB) B
• ​Asian American Studies (ASAM) B
• ​Asian Studies (A/ST) B
• ​Anthropology (ANTH) B M
• ​Cambodian (KHMR) B
• ​Chicano & Latino Studies (CHLS) B
• ​Chinese (CHIN) B
• ​Classics (CLSC) B
• ​Communication Studies (COMM) B
• ​Comparative World Literature (CWL) B
• ​Economics (ECON) B M
• ​English (ENGL) B M
• ​French (FREN) B
• ​German (GERM) B
• Geography (GEOG) B M
• ​Greek (GK) B
• ​Hebrew (HEBW) B
• ​History (HIST) B
• Human Development (HDEV) B
• International Studies (I/ST) B
• ​Italian (ITAL) B
• ​Japanese (JAPN) B
• ​Korean (KOR) B
• ​​Latin (LAT) B
• ​Linguistics (LING) B M
• ​Philosophy (PHIL) B
• ​Political Science (POLS) B
• Religious Studies (R/ST) B
• ​Romance Lang & Literatures (RGR) B
• ​Russian (RUSS) B
• ​Sociology (SOC) B
• Spanish (SPAN) B M
• Women's Gender & Sexuality (WGSS) B

• All Athletic (ATHL)
• All Accounting (ACCT)
• All Physical Therapy (DPT)
• All Education (EDLD, EDCI, EDEC, EDEL, EDRG, EDSE, EDDS, EDSP, EDAD, EOP, ED P, ETEC)
• All Nursing (NURS)
• All directed studies and internship courses
• COMM courses 500+
• GWAR Courses: COTA 300, ENGL 100A, ENGL 301B, ENGR 310, FMD 450, HIST 301, IS 301, IS 301L, LING 301
• Business Courses: BLAW 320, CBA 401A, CBA 494, CBA 493, FIN 499A, HRM 446, HRM 458, IS 301, MGMT 425, MGMT 454, SCM 414, SCM 411

Need help selecting more courses for your major? You can view this list of CSULB colleges and departments to get started.

Our office has also compiled lists of suggested courses by subject below:

• Communications
• Cultural Studies
• Education
• Law
• Media
• Medical & Health

1. Make sure you have met the prerequisites to enroll in the course. This is needed to make sure you are well prepared and will do well in the course. Some instructors and/or departments require our office to review your transcripts for prerequisite verification.
2. Check seat availability and if the class is being offered your term via the schedule of classes.
3. Plan ahead and be flexible! Since you will not know which exact courses will have seats available until the first day of school, have back-up or alternative courses in mind.
4. If you need detailed CSULB course descriptions to have approved for your home university, please email us at studyatthebeach@csulb.edu 

• Summer Session 1: March 22, 2024
• Summer Session 3: April 26, 2024
• Fall 2024: April 1, 2024
• Spring 2025: October 25, 2024

• Summer Session 1: May 28 - July 5, 2024
• Summer Session 3: July 8 - August 16, 2024
• Fall 2024: August 20 - December 18, 2024
• Spring 2025: January 15 - May 16, 2025

All programs have an application fee of $200. 

• Summer Session 1: $3,400
• Summer Session 3: $3,400
• Fall 2024: $6,800
• Spring 2025: $6,800 

• Summer Session 1: $270
• Summer Session 3: $270
• Fall 2024: $700
• Spring 2025: $700

Please note: these are estimated costs.

• Summer Session 1: $2,400
• Summer Session 3: $2,400
• Fall 2024: $7,200
• Spring 2025: $7,200

Please note: these are estimated costs.

Students are welcome to apply for Fall, Spring, or Summer on-campus housing. To be admitted, students must first apply using CSULB's Housing Portal on the University Housing & Residential Life website. On-campus housing is extremely competitive, and placement is considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students should apply in early April for Summer or Fall housing and early November for Spring semester housing. For specific dates, please visit the Calendar & Important Dates page. 

CSULB's University Housing has three residential colleges: Beachside, Hillside, and Parkside. When applying for on-campus housing, you get to choose your preferred community to live in.

All rooms are approximately 15 x 11 feet and furnished with a bed, dresser, desk, chair, wastebasket, closet and mirror, and a microfridge. Residents must provide their own bed sets (blankets, sheets [twin extra long], pillowcases, bedspreads, towels, and study lamps). 

For more information about on-campus housing (fees, meals, amenities, communities) and to apply, visit the CSULB Housing and Residential Life website.

Please note: You can order bed sets and have them delivered to CSULB!

You can have your purchase sent directly to Amazon@theBeach, which is on the CSULB campus. Packages received are held for 15 days. After 15 days the package will be returned.

Moving out of the dorms and need to ship your bed sets home?

Visit the Campus Copy Center inside of the University Bookstore for a full range of shipping services through UPS or U.S. Mail. Whether you need next day or standard shipping, we’ve got you covered. Shipping boxes and custom packages available.

Please visit the CSULB Off-Campus Housing website for additional resources.

The following options are NOT affiliated with CSULB.

APARTMENTS 

Below are some popular apartment complexes students choose to stay.

• Beverly Plaza Apartments
• Park Avenue Apartments
• Alvista Apartments
• Pacific View Apartments
• CORT
  • Most apartments in the U.S. are not furnished. CORT provides furniture rental packages and housing information for students living off-campus. 

Students that are participating in Education Abroad can also use this convenient Facebook page to get in touch with exchange students who are leaving our university and offering a place in their apartment.

• Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) Housing, Sublets, & Roommates

Homestay

Another type of off-campus housing is Homestay. With this option, you may stay in a room of a family's home. Click on the links to find the best homestay for yourself. (CSULB does not assume any responsibility for homestay providers, their business partners, or the Homestay Provider's clients. CSULB does not inspect homes, prepare contracts, nor place students with host families. Homestay agreements are between the tenant and the homestay provider. CSULB is not affiliated with any of the providers listed below.)

• • Student International Housing
  • Universal Student Housing (Agents/Groups)
  • Homestay Match (Individual Students)

TEMPORARY STAY

Below are some options for temporary stay before you move into your permanent housing (on-campus residence halls, apartment, homestay, etc.).

• Hotel Current
• Best Western
• Holiday Inn
• Residence Inn- Marriott
• Motel 6

OTHER HOUSING OPTIONS

• Elizabeth Manor
• Airbnb
• CSULB Roommate Finder
• The Beehive

Admitted international students need to obtain an F-1 student visa in order to study full-time in the United States.  Once accepted into the Study Abroad @ the Beach program, an I-20 form and acceptance letter will be issued to apply for an F-1 student visa at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Locate the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate here. You will need to pay the $350 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) fee online at www.fmjfee.com and bring the following documents with you to your visa appointment in your home country:

• Valid passport (valid for at least 6 months after your entry date)
• Form I-20 or DS-2019 from California State University, Long Beach
• Printout of SEVIS Fee Payment Receipt
• Financial Documents (bank statements, affidavit of support, scholarship letters)

• Get accepted into a school
• Pay Sevis fee and receive your I-20 form
• Complete F-1 Visa application form
• Schedule & attend F-1 Visa interview
• F-1 Visa approval

All students are required to attend orientation week (1 week before classes start). If you cannot be present for the entire week, we ask you to apply for the following semester. During orientation week you will

• Meet fellow students, staff and faculty
• Receive your CSULB ID and bus card
• Learn about academic expectations at CSULB
• Review the course registration process
• Take a campus tour and trip to downtown Long Beach 
• Activate your SEVIS I-20 record (F-1 visa)

Pre-Arrival orientation is usually held online approximately 6 weeks before orientation day. This online orientation is meant to remind students of what to do and gather before they leave, what to expect when going through immigration and customs, housing, and academics. Once accepted into the program, your official CSULB student ID number will be emailed to gain access to your MyCSULB account, Beachboard account and other important pre-arrival information.

All Study Abroad @ the Beach students on an F-1 visa must purchase health insurance from http://jcbins.com/.  No other private health insurance policies are accepted under any circumstances. Due to the high cost of health care in the United States, going without health insurance can be detrimental to a student if he/she falls ill or if he/she is injured in an accident. Students will pay an average of $600-$700 for the Spring/Fall semesters and between $150-$250 for six-week Summer Sessions. Course registration is not allowed until health insurance purchase is confirmed.

To purchase:

1. Go to http://jcbins.com/
2. Click on 'Search by school name'
3. Type in 'CSU Long Beach'
4. Select the 'Study Abroad at the Beach' policy
5. Follow instructions to enroll

By direction of the California State University Chancellor, new students must submit proof (copies or written proof of immunization from a doctor, clinic, military record or school record) of the following vaccinations.

• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR)
• Hepatitis B (students 18 and younger)
• Meningococcal Conjugate - All incoming students through 21 years of age
• All incoming students must complete a Tuberculosis (TB) risk questionnaire. Incoming students who are at higher risk for TB infection should undergo either skin or blood testing for TB infection within 1 year of entry into CSULB.

Students must enroll, attend, and complete at least 12 units (undergraduate) or 8 units (graduates) to maintain status while at CSULB. It is the student's responsibility to report any academic issues, medical conditions or emergencies to a Study Abroad @ the Beach advisor that could affect academic performance or attendance within a timely manner for assistance, not at the end of the semester.

Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA (C average) for all coursework taken while enrolled in the program. If your GPA is below 2.0, you may not be eligible to continue or enroll in future semesters.

Please email us at studyatthebeach@csulb.edu if you have any questions.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing. An email will be sent to you within 1 week if anything is missing. If you are admitted, an acceptance letter will be emailed to you along with the mail tracking number of your I-20 form. 

Students are evaluated on their academic fit with the Study Abroad @ the Beach program. We also ask that students have at least a minimum 2.0 GPA (70% average) to be considered. Please see the WES GPA calculator for help.

Yes, everyone except Canadians. Students in the program are enrolled full-time and will need to apply for a F-1 visa. 

You can apply for Fall housing in early March and Spring housing in early November. Fall students, please email us for an early ID number to apply. Spring students, your ID number will be automatically emailed to you in November. Please see the Housing page for more information. 

If they are one of our 'reserved courses', you meet all prerequisites and there are no time conflicts, then Study Abroad staff will register you in the class.  All other courses are not guaranteed for registration. Enrollment is based on space availability, instructor approval, department approval and prerequisite verification.