Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Admissions

Admission Criteria

Business Administration is considered a competitive major so there are additional requirements students need to meet to be directly admitted into the College of Business. Students need to have a minimum 3.2 GPA with no Ds/Fs in 10th – 12th grade.¹

If you do not meet these requirements, don’t lose hope, you can be admitted to CSU as Exploratory Studies with a Business Interest. You will then need to meet the requirements listed under Internal Transfers as a current student at CSU and then you will be able to change your major to Business Administration. We know that students who enter the College of Business before they complete 45 college credits can still graduate within four years. 

CSU is officially test optional, which means that CSU does not require ACT or SAT test scores. All applicants have the same access to admission and scholarship review whether or not they submit scores. 

How to Apply

You will apply to Colorado State University and the College of Business simultaneously using the application provided by CSU Undergraduate Admissions. For more information about when to apply, how to apply, and what to expect, visit the CSU Undergraduate Admissions website. 

<sup>1. International freshmen must be in the top 5-10 percent of the applicant pool if your credentials cannot be converted to a 4.0 scale. 
2. Sufficient AP scores, IB scores or equivalent dual enrollment credit may be accepted.
3. If you do not meet admission requirements because of extenuating circumstances, you are eligible to submit an Appeal for Admission. Download and submit the Appeal for Admission (PDF) and all supporting documentation using your university email account (@rams.colostate.edu or @colostate.edu) to undergradinfo@business.colostate.edu. Appeals for admission are due by 12:00 p.m. MT Friday of Finals week for fall, spring, and summer terms (finals of the 12-week summer session).
4. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in business administration (any concentration) are not eligible for a second degree in Business Administration, even if the concentration is different. We encourage applicants with an undergraduate degree in business to contact us to discuss your options, which include pursuing graduate study.
5. Candidates who earned a bachelor's degree from CSU-Fort Collins and do not have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher still may be admitted to the College of Business using the Re-Start Admission Policy (PDF).</sup>

Admission Criteria

• Grade of B- or higher in ECON 202, Principles of Microeconomics or AREC 202, Agricultural and Resource Economics
• Three credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH117, MATH118, MATH124, MATH125, MATH126, MATH141 or a higher-level calculus course¹ 
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a minimum of 15 graded credits at CSU²

How to Change Majors

If you meet the entrance requirements or believe you will at the conclusion of this semester, you are invited to attend our Change of Major (COM) Event. COM is the only way you can declare the business major (after census) and is hosted at the end of each academic term (fall/spring/summer). Spring 2024 COM event will be a LIVE virtual event held on Friday, May 17, beginning at 8:30am Mountain Time. The event will begin with a LIVE presentation followed by short individual academic sessions with advising staff. Please contact us starting on Monday, May 6 to RSVP for the event.  Appointments with advisors will be scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis from when students RSVP for the event. The Deadline to RSVP for Spring 2024 COM is Monday May 13 at 11:59pm. Students will know their appointment time by Thurssday, May 16 at 4pm.

To better prepare for Change of Major we recommend you:

• Register for nonbusiness courses prior to attending Change of Major*.
• Know your CSU ID number and which concentration you will declare (you must declare a concentration for your major to be changed).
• Have digital copies of any transcripts from transfer courses you've taken that have not yet been processed by CSU.
• Have access to your university email account.
• Log into the LIVE virtual event on-time. Students not logged in to the event by 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time will have their scheduled advising appointment cancelled and will not be able to change their major until after the Change of Major Event. It can take up to 2 weeks for a major change to process.  The earliest you will be able to meet with an advisor is drop-in advising during the first week of the Fall 2024 Term as most of the COB Advising Team will be working New Student Orientation.

*NOTE: There are no guarantees you will get into business courses by attending COM; you are highly encouraged to attend this event already registered for a full semester’s course load.

Academic Advising is not conducted during this event. Instead, the event is to officially change your major, find out who your new Academic Advisor will be, see where you are with curriculum completion, and register for open business courses for the approaching semester. You will schedule a full advising appointment with your new Advisor at the beginning of the approaching semester.

If you cannot attend COM, you need to contact us after Change of Major to complete your major change via email. If you do not attend COM, you will have to wait for your major change to be processed via the Registrar's Office before you can register for/waitlist business courses or meet with a business advisor, which may take up to 2 weeks. Once your major reflects as Business, you can work with a Business Advisor to receive course registration guidance. Please note, once your major change is reflected in RamWeb, you can self-register for BUS Major restricted courses.

<sup>1. Sufficient AP scores, IB scores or equivalent dual enrollment credit may be accepted.
2. If you do not meet admission requirements because of extenuating circumstances, you are eligible to submit an Appeal for Admission. Download and submit the Appeal for Admission (PDF) and all supporting documentation using your university email account (@rams.colostate.edu or @colostate.edu) to undergradinfo@business.colostate.edu. Appeals for admission are due by 12:00 p.m. MT Friday of Finals week for fall, spring, and summer terms (finals of the 12-week summer session).</sup>

Admission Criteria

• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a minimum of 15 graded, college-level credits¹
• Grade of B- or higher in equivalent course ECON 202, Principles of Microeconomics or AREC 202, Agricultural and Resource Economics
• Three equivalent course credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH117, MATH118, MATH124, MATH125, MATH126, MATH141 or a higher-level calculus course^2​

How to Apply

You will apply to Colorado State University and the College of Business simultaneously using the application provided by CSU Undergraduate Admissions. For more information about when to apply, how to apply, and what to expect, visit the CSU Undergraduate Admissions website.

Second Bachelor's/Post-Bachelor 

You are considered a second bachelor’s/post-bachelor applicant if you’ve completed an undergraduate degree and wish to complete a second degree or additional undergraduate course work for career enhancement or graduate/professional school preparation.³

Admission criteria

• Grade of B- or higher in ECON 202, Principles of Microeconomics or AREC 202, Agricultural and Resource Economics
• Three equivalent course credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH117, MATH118, MATH124, MATH125, MATH126, MATH141 or a higher-level calculus course²
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a minimum of 15 graded, college-level credits⁴

How to Apply

You will apply to Colorado State University and the College of Business simultaneously using the application provided by CSU Undergraduate Admissions. For more information about when to apply, how to apply, and what to expect, visit the CSU Undergraduate Admissions website.

<sup>1. International freshmen must be in the top 5-10 percent of the applicant pool if your credentials cannot be converted to a 4.0 scale. 
2. Sufficient AP scores, IB scores or equivalent dual enrollment credit may be accepted.
3. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in business administration (any concentration) are not eligible for a second degree in Business Administration, even if the concentration is different. We encourage applicants with an undergraduate degree in business to contact us to discuss your options, which include pursuing graduate study.
4. Candidates who earned a bachelor's degree from CSU-Fort Collins and do not have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher still may be admitted to the College of Business using the Re-Start Admission Policy (PDF).</sup>