USF 1996-97 Undergraduate Catalog - Page 12 - 13

Minimum Requirements for Admission

Freshman Applicants

To be considered for admission, freshman applicants must submit an SUS Application for Admission, a non-refundable application fee of $20.00, 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 admissions 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 recomputes a high school grade point average (GPA) based on grades earned in all college preparatory academic courses. In recomputing a GPA, USF assigns additional weights to grades earned in honors and advanced placement 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 Programs are exempted from this requirement. Other minimum requirements are outlined below.

1. Freshman applicants must submit an official test score from the Scholastic Aptitude 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 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 failure to satisfy the requirement should be submitted with the application for admission.

3. Freshman applicants must meet one of the following to be admitted in good standing:

   a. At least a "B" average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale), as computed by USF (an SAT or ACT score must be submitted but no minimum is required);

   b. A combination of high school GPA (as computed by USF) and admission test scores equivalent to a 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) and an SAT I verbal and quantitative combined score of 1010 or a comparable composite score on the ACT as indicated in the Admissions Scale below:

                    REQUIRED TEST SCORE
             H.S. GPA   SAT    SAT I*   ACT
                 2.9    860      970     20
                 2.8    870      980     20
                 2.7    880      990     20
                 2.6    890     1000     21
                 2.5    900     1010     21
                 2.4    930     1030     21
                 2.3    960     1060     22
                 2.2    990     1090     23
                 2.1   1020     1110     24
                 2.0   1050     1140     25
                *SAT taken after 3/31/95

   c. A GED diploma with an overall percentile score of at least 60 for all five tests and a percentile score of 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;

   d. Appropriate alternative evidence of academic achievement, ability, motivation and responsibility that indicates potential for successful academic work at USF.

4. A first-time-in-college applicant whose native language is not English must present a minimum score of 550 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. If otherwise qualified, applicants who present TOEFL scores between 500 and 550 may be considered for admission with the condition that they must take a specified sequence of English courses. International citizens (non-resident aliens) must also comply with all requirements for admission of international applicants (see appropriate section).

5. First-time-in-college applicants seeking admission at the freshman level to a limited

Early Admission Applicants (Freshmen)

USF provides an early admission program to meet the needs of highly capable, mature high school students. Under the early admission program these students may enter the university as regularly enrolled, degree-seeking students prior to graduation from high school. To be considered for early admission, an applicant must submit an SUS Application for Admission, a non-refundable application fee of $20.00, an official high school transcript, SAT or ACT scores, and a TOEFL score if applicable. The Supplemental Information for Early Admission Form (available from the Office of Admissions in Tampa), and a personal letter outlining reasons for seeking early admission are also required. While early admission applicants are evaluated on an individual basis, those admitted generally present at least a 3.5 high school grade point average (as computed by USF) and a combined score of at least 1300 on the SAT I or a composite score of at least 27 on the ACT. In addition, early admission applicants should be enrolled in a strong college-preparatory curriculum while in high school.

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Karen M. Hall - webCat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 1996