Southern Arkansas University

Admissions Standards

Freshman Admission

To apply for admission as an undergraduate at Southern Arkansas University, an entering freshman must submit the following:

  1. Application for admission
  2. ACT or SAT scores
  3. High school transcript or GED certificate showing graduation date

Transfer Student Admission

To apply for admission you must:

  1. Fill out an application for admission
  2. Have official transcripts from each educational institution previously attended sent to the Office of Admissions.
    • Official transcripts are those received by mail directly from the issuing institution.
  3. If you plan on living on campus, fill out the housing application and return it to the Office of Student Life with a $50.00 deposit

Non-Traditional Students

Students who are 25 years of age or older are admitted regardless of their ACT scores. However, if they have not completed College Algebra and Comp I, they must submit ACT scores to determine whether they must take developmental courses.

Unconditional Admission

Beginning students who have ACT scores of 19 or higher on the English, mathematics, and reading parts of the ACT examination and who have, upon graduating from high school after May 1, 1997, completed the core curriculum with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will be admitted unconditionally to Southern Arkansas University.

Conditional Admission

Beginning Students who do not qualify for unconditional admission but who have received a composite ACT score of 16 or higher will be conditionally admitted to Southern Arkansas University.

Students admitted with conditions may take a minimum of 16 credits during their first regular semester. In addition, students admitted with conditions are required to meet with an assigned academic advisor at least twice a semester to assess their academic progress.

Students admitted conditionally must take developmental courses in the subjects in which they scored lower than a 19 on the ACT examination. The four developmental courses are Fundamentals of Reading, Fundamentals of Writing, Fundamentals of Mathematics, and Intermediate Algebra. These students must successfully complete in a regular and consistent manner all developmental courses that they are required to take. Successful completion in a regular and consistent manner means that required developmental courses be taken each semester the student is registered. If two or more developmental courses are required, the student must register for at least two developmental courses (Fundamentals of Mathematics and Intermediate Algebra cannot be taken concurrently). The student will not be permitted to register for a fourth semester until all developmental courses are successfully completed.

First-Time Freshman-GED, Home School and Charter School Graduates

These Students are admitted by virtue of their ACT scores as specified in the unconditional and conditional sections.

Transfer Student Eligibility

To determine transfer eligibility, the following regulations apply:

  1. Transfer students must be eligible to return to the institution they last attended.
  2. Transfer students who have attempted 1-14 semester hours must meet the admission standards for freshman. If they have a cumulative grade point average of less than 1.0 (on a 4.0 scale), their admission is subject to approval of the director of admissions.
  3. Transfer students who have attempted 15-29 semester hours must have a cumulative GPA of 1.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) to be considered for admission.
  4. Transfer students who have attempted 30 or more semester hours must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) to be considered for admission.
  5. Transfer Students must provide transcripts indicating the courses equivalent to Composition I and College Algebra have been successfully completed with grades of C or higher or submit ACT, SAT, or ASSET scores for placement purposes.
  6. Transfer students who are 25 years of age or older are admitted regardless of ACT, SAT, or ASSET scores, but if they have not completed Comp I and College Algebra, they must submit ACT, SAT, or ASSET scores for placement.
  7. The hours earned at an accredited institution will be posted to the SAU transcript, but the GPA earned at those institutions will not be used to calculate the cumulative GPA.
  8. Only courses with grades of C or higher will transfer.

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100 E. University, Magnolia, Arkansas 71753-5000 Telephone: (870) 235-4000
Mulerider Forecast Line: (870) 235-5000
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