USF 2005-2006 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 11 - 12

Minimum Requirements for Admission

Freshman Applicants

To be considered for admission, freshman applicants must submit an SUS or USF Application for Admission, a non-refundable application fee, an official high school transcript, official GED scores if applicable, SAT or ACT scores, and a TOEFL score if applicable.

Although USF has minimum freshman admission requirements, meeting these minimum standards does not guarantee admission. Applicants selected for admission usually exceed the eligibility requirements; however, USF also considers applicants who do not fully meet minimum requirements but who have important attributes, special talents or unique circumstances that may contribute to a representative and diverse student body. These freshman applicants are considered for admission by a faculty committee on the basis of other appropriate evidence of ability to do successful academic work at USF.

For purposes of admission, USF recalculates a high school grade point average (GPA) based on grades earned in all college preparatory academic courses. In recalculating a GPA, USF assigns additional weights to grades earned in honors, Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement courses, International Baccalaureate courses, and Advanced International Certificate of Education courses.

The University normally requires a diploma from a Florida public or a regionally accredited high school or the state-approved General Education Development (GED) diploma. Students admitted under the Early Admission Program are exempted from this requirement. Students who are participating in an approved home schooling program are expected to provide acceptable copies of annual evaluations for the equivalent of grades 9 through 12. A portfolio or additional documentation may be requested if deemed necessary to complete an appropriate evaluation for admission. Other minimum requirements are outlined below.

1. Freshman applicants must submit an official test score from the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT).

2. For freshman applicants earning a high school diploma, the following college preparatory academic units (year-long courses or equivalents) normally offered in grades nine through twelve are required: four units of English (three of the four must incorporate substantial writing requirements); three units of mathematics (algebra I and above); three units of natural sciences (two of the three must incorporate substantial laboratory requirements); three units of social sciences (history, civics, political science, economics, sociology, psychology and geography); two units of the same foreign language; and four additional units of academic electives. Substitution for any high school unit requirement may be provided for applicants who are hearing impaired, visually impaired, dyslexic or who have a specific learning disability. Documentation of the disability and its relationship to the substitution of a unit requirement should be submitted with the application for admission.

3. Freshman applicants who have at least a 3.6 (B+) average as recalculated by USF using all attempted academic courses are considered competitive. The University sets admission requirements that may be found on the Undergraduate Admissions web homepage. Please refer to http://isis.fastmail.usf.edu/admissions for the current admission requirements. Admission to the University is selective; therefore, meeting requirements does not guarantee admission.

4. Applicants submitting a GED diploma must have an overall score of at least 300 for all five tests and at least 50 on each of the five tests and an SAT I verbal and quantitative combined score of 1010 or an ACT composite score of 21 (also required of students in an approved home schooling program).

5. In the absence of the above, the University will also consider appropriate alternative evidence of academic achievement, ability, motivation and responsibility that indicates potential for successful academic work at USF.

6. A first-time-in-college applicant whose native language is not English must present a minimum score of 213 (computer-based test) or 550 (paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL requirement may be waived on an individual basis when appropriate alternative evidence of English language proficiency is presented in writing.

7. First-time-in-college applicants seeking admission at the freshman level to a limited access degree program in Engineering must meet additional requirements specified by the program.

8. If a student has not earned the following minimum scores on the SAT-I or the EACT, college preparatory work will be required during the first term of enrollment at USF:

   SAT-I - 440 verbal, 440 mathematics
   or
   ACT - English 17, Reading 18, Mathematics 19.

USF Admissions Deposit

Freshmen admitted to the University of South Florida are required to submit a $200 non-refundable admission deposit according to the schedule below:

Term Admitted	Deposit Due Date
Fall	May 1
Spring	December 1
Summer B	May 1

The admission deposit will be credited to the student’s account and applied toward their first semester tuition. Those students who have qualified for an SAT or ACT application fee waiver may be exempt from paying the admission deposit. Students qualifying for Federal Pell Grants may request exemption from payment of the deposit.

Admitted freshmen are encouraged to pay the deposit online via OASIS (USF’s Online Access Student Information System). Online payment is the University’s preferred payment method. Checks and money orders submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions are also acceptable forms of payment.

Early Admission Applicants (Freshmen)

Please send questions or comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webcat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 2005

http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0506/fresh.htm