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Students who wish to use Federal Financial Aid should follow the admissions process as listed on the Office of Financial Aid section of the CSU website. 

Step 1: Complete the application for admission.
Please submit your academic transcripts along with your application. Military transcripts and professional licenses and certificates should also be included if applicable. You may fax corresponding documentation to (251) 224-0540. Please indicate on your application if you are eligible for tuition assistance through Military TA, DANTES or VA.

Transcript Request Service
Let Us Do the Work! For Only $10, We'll Request Your Transcript for You.

At CSU, we understand that you have a life. We want to help you live it while accomplishing your dreams of higher education. That's why we now offer a transcript request service that allows us to do the legwork for you. For $10 per transcript request, we will contact the prior colleges and/or universities you've attended to secure all the transcripts needed to make sure you receive maximum transfer credit.

Both forms listed below must be completed and signed in order to process your request. The "Request for Official Transcript" form is sent to each individual college or university to process your transcript request; the payment form is kept at CSU for processing. We are unable to process your request without both signed forms being submitted.

When completed, please fax to 251.224.0540.

pdf Request for official transcript/Payment Form

Step 2: CSU will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your application and provide you with a detailed evaluation report.
This report will outline courses you need to complete, transfer credit accepted, and complete instructions on enrolling in your selected program of study. You can request priority evaluation service for a $25 fee to guarantee that your completed application packet be evaluated within 48 hours. Otherwise, applications may take between 7 to 10 days to evaluate based on the volume of applications received by CSU at that time. Please note that documents submitted for evaluation following the initial evaluation and prior to enrolling will be subject to an additional evaluation fee of $25.

Step 3: Contact the admissions department or visit our website to enroll.
Our open enrollment allows you to begin your program at anytime. The CSU Admissions Department will walk you through the process of enrolling and registering for your first course. Even if we are still missing copies of the transcripts we need to complete your evaluation, you can enroll immediately under Temporary Admissions Status. As a Temporary student, you may complete up to 13 undergraduate semester hours or 7 graduate semester hours. Once all official transcripts are received and evaluated, an Application Evaluation Report will be issued and your status will be changed. For more information, please refer to the Admissions Status Information page.


Columbia Southern University - 800.977.8449 - FERPA