27 Oct Pittsburg Students Are Getting Early Access to Guaranteed Admission to Cal State East Bay

The Pittsburg Unified school board has approved a partnership with Cal State East Bay giving students access to guaranteed admission. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Eligible Pittsburg Unified students will receive guaranteed admission to California State University, East Bay starting next fall, a year before many students across the state will have the same access. 

The program, approved at Wednesday’s school board meeting in a 4-0 vote, is part of the district’s attempt to “remove barriers to access and opportunities” for students, according to a report from Superintendent Janet Schulze. 

Schulze added that CSU East Bay also expressed interest in bringing students over to explore the campus, which is in Hayward. 

To be eligible for guaranteed admission, PUSD seniors must have a GPA of at least 2.5 and be on track to complete A-G requirements, which are made up of 15 classes taken over a student’s high school career.  

Graduation rates have remained constant for the district since the 2022-23 school year, with 87.6% of students graduating, according to state data. But only 31.7% of those students met the necessary A-G course requirements in the 2024-25 school year. 

The district’s A-G course completion percentages are among the lowest in the county — surpassing only those in Antioch Unified— but most students are also struggling across the state. Data from the California Department of Education shows that about 44% of high school seniors met those same requirements in 2023. 

CSU East Bay will offer additional “cradle-to-career resources” to students under the agreement, including support with the FAFSA and Dream Act Application, and help enrolled students with access to resources for basic needs and college and career navigation.

“They would still have to fill out the paperwork, but they will receive a letter that they have been automatically accepted,” said Schulze. 

Pittsburg High families can connect with the school’s College and Career Center to learn more about other post-high school resources. Black Diamond High School families can reach out to the school’s counseling department.  

PUSD is the first non-charter district in the county to partner with the university for guaranteed admission, according to a list of partnerships published by CSU East Bay. The university also partners with the Napa Unified School District and several in Alameda County.

Approval comes about two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that will automatically admit eligible students into 16 CSU campuses beginning in the fall 2027 semester. The law, an expansion of a pilot program with a district in Riverside County, is separate from PUSD’s partnership.