UC, CSU Extend Application Deadlines For Fall 2022 Amid Website Glitches

The University of California and California State University systems have extended their deadlines to apply for Fall 2022 semester by a day because of website problems.

And in an announcement Dec. 2, UC Riverside, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz extended their deadlines even further, as the three campuses did last year. UC Riverside and Santa Cruz are now accepting applications from transfer students until Jan. 7. UC Merced is accepting applications from would-be freshmen and transfers until that date.

It's the second year in a row that California's public university systems have extended their application deadlines because of website glitches and complications for applicants related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prospective UC and CSU students can now submit their applications up until 11:59 p.m. PST on Dec. 1.

UC hopefuls have to start their applications by today, Nov. 30.

Applicants panicked last night when they were unable to submit their applications through the UC Apply website or had problems paying the application fee.

TikTok was full of screenshots of error messages.

Cal State Glitches Too

Applicants to California State University's 23 campuses faced similar problems.

Cassie Horash, a pre-nursing student who's hoping to transfer into Cal State Fullerton or Cal State Long Beach, said she tried to submit her application around 9 p.m. but the website wouldn't load. And when it did, she kept getting error messages or was thrown to the logout screen.

"It caused a lot of anxiety and stress," she said.

Eventually, Horash gave up, tried again at 4 a.m. ("I was up doing homework then," she said) and was able to submit her application.

Would-be transfer student Gerardo Chavez said that after facing problems with the CSU application website last year, he made sure to get his application in early this year. "I'm definitely a procrastinator but I learned my lesson," Chavez said.

He ultimately was admitted last year, but his admission offer was withdrawn after he didn't submit his transcripts on time. "It was literally one of the worst moments of my life," he said.

Last year, CSU extended the application deadline to Dec. 15 for all 23 of its campuses, citing complications for students because of the COVID-19 pandemic.