CAN is a supplemental common course numbering system aimed at helping students and faculty identify courses that are accepted for credit toward fulfilling major preparation requirements at the California State University. Some ASSIST reports include CAN numbers for some courses.
If a community college course has a CAN identifier, such as CAN MATH 8, that course can be used in place of any CSU course that has the same CAN identifier and is required to satisfy lower-division major requirements. Course substitutions using CAN only apply to major requirements and do NOT apply to general education requirements. Students seeking to satisfy general education requirements at community college should consider the IGETC or CSU GE-Breadth certification programs.
Sometimes more than one college or university course is needed to match a CAN identifier. In these cases the CAN identifier is preceded by the § symbol (e.g. § CAN BIOL SEQ B). At the bottom of the report you will see the § symbol again followed by a further description of the courses that must be taken together to match the CAN identifier.
For more information about CAN identifiers and how they can help you find courses that are appropriate for your academic goals, see a community college counselor or a CSU admissions advisor.