REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL APPLICANTS

      To be admitted to Clayton State University, a new student must qualify under one of the admission categories listed below.  Applicants in all categories must submit (1) a completed application for admission with immunization form, (2) the required application fee, and (3) all documents required by the appropriate category under which they are applying. 

    The admissions application and immunization form may be obtained from the Office of Admissions in the Student Center Building or on-line at www.clayton.edu.  If you need assistance or have questions about admission, please contact the Office of Admissions by email at Clayton State University-info@mail.clayton.edu or call 770-961-3500.  

Application DEADLINES

      To insure admission consideration for a given term, applicants in all categories must meet the appropriate application deadline* as follows:

Priority Deadline

Fall Semester...........................April 1

Spring Semester......................September 1

Summer Semester...................February 1         

Final Deadline

Fall Semester...........................July 1

Spring Semester......................December 1

Summer Semester...................April 1

* Next business day when the first falls on a weekend.

      Students using the on-line application by the priority deadline pay an application fee of $5.00.  An application fee of $40.00 is assessed to those who use the paper application at any time or who apply on-line after the priority deadline.

TRANSCRIPTS AND TEST SCORES

      High school and/or college transcripts must be official copies in sealed envelopes provided by the high school and/or college; student copies are not acceptable.  Test scores (SAT I & II, ACT, AP) must be submitted to Clayton State University directly from the testing service or on the official high school transcript; copies provided by the student are not acceptable. In cases requiring the SAT II, the University will provide information about which tests are needed and what scores are acceptable.

Admission Categories

      Applicants for admission to Clayton State University are classified into one of the following categories:

•     Recent High School Graduates (graduation class in the past five years)

•     Non-traditional (applicants whose high school class graduated more than five years ago).

•     Transfer Students

•     Freshmen Scholars/Joint Enrollment (concurrent high school/university enrollment)

•     Transient Students

•     International Students

•     Other Categories (post-baccalaureate, auditors, age 62 and older)

      These categories and the standards and procedures for them are defined and explained under the headings that follow.  The University reserves the right to change admission standards and procedures.

Program admission

      General admission to the University does not guarantee admission to certain programs that have limited enrollment capacity and/or additional standards.  This includes such programs as nursing, dental hygiene, music, teacher education, information technology, and business.  Please consult the appropriate chapters of this catalog for full information.

      This category is designed for students who have recently graduated from high school or who will do so soon.  Students in their senior year of high school who anticipate graduating prior to their admission to Clayton State University (Clayton State University) are in this category.  Applicants in this category must have graduated from high school within the past five years, and if they have been to college they must have completed fewer than 30 semester hours (or quarter equivalent) of college-level credit. Applicants who have 30 or more credit hours of college-level work must apply under the transfer category.

      Clayton State University’s admission standards are based on grade point average, College Preparatory Curriculum, and standardized test scores as explained under the headings below.  Depending of their level of achievement in high school, accepted applicants are classified into “regular” or “limited” admission status.

·          “Regular” Admission Status.  This status indicates that the student has met all of the admission standards required by Clayton State of a recent high school graduate (see below) and is ready to begin college level work.  (Preparatory work may be needed in mathematics.)

·          “Limited” Admission Status. A restricted number of students who have not achieved all of the standards for “regular” admission but who do meet the University’s minimum admission standards may be admitted on a “limited” basis. Students admitted on this basis may be required to take special placement tests and may be placed in Learning Support courses if indicated by the results. 

STANDARDS FOR “REGULAR” ADMISSION STATUS

1.  College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) Completed.  To qualify for regular admission to Clayton State, an applicant must have graduated from an accredited high school and completed the “college prep” high school courses specified by the University System of Georgia College Preparatory Curriculum as follows:

·          four years of  college prep English

·          four years of  college prep mathematics

·          three years of college prep science

·          three years of college prep social studies

·          two years of college prep foreign language

Applicants with questions about the CPC should contact their high school counselors or call the Clayton State University Office of Admissions (770-961-3500).  Students who graduated from an out-of-state high school and do not meet Georgia’s  CPC requirements (e.g. foreign language) but are otherwise well-prepared may be considered as Presidential Exceptions.  (See heading below.)

2.  Freshman Index (FI) of 2000.  The FI is calculated based on a sliding scale between high school grade point average in CPC courses (HSGPA) and standardized test scores (SAT or ACT).    To qualify for regular admission to Clayton State University, an applicant must have achieved the following:

·          SAT-ACT Minimum: SAT-I score of at least 830 with subscore minimums of 430 verbal and 400 math (or ACT score of  at least 17 English and 17 math).

·          Freshman Index (FI) of at least 2000.  The FI is calculated as follows:

-- Using SAT-I:   SATV + SATM + (HSGPA x 500).

-- Using ACT:  (ACT composite score x 42) + (HSGPA x 500) + 88.

For example, using the SAT, a student with scores of 510V and 520M and a HSGPA of 3.00 would have an FI of 2,530 (510 + 520 + [3.00 x 500] = 2,530).

Note: Applicants with transfer credit must also meet transfer standards; i.e. 2.00 transfer GPA and be in good standing to quality for regular admission.

“LIMITED” ADMISSION STATUS

Students who meet the CPC and SAT/ACT minimums for regular admission but whose freshman index (FI) falls in the window between 1830 and 2000 may be reviewed by the Admission Appeals Committee for “limited” admission. Students admitted in this status will be required to take additional placement tests and may be required by the institution to take Learning Support courses if indicated by test results.  

Standards for home school and non-accredited graduates

      In lieu of the Freshman Index and CPC requirements, applicants from home schools or graduates of nonaccredited high schools may validate the CPC through satisfactory documentation of equivalent competence in each of the CPC areas at the college preparatory level.  A student whose SAT I Composite (Verbal plus Mathematics) score is at or above the average SAT I score of the previous year's fall semester first-time freshman and who has completed the equivalent of each of the CPC areas as documented by a portfolio of work and/or other evidence that substantiates CPC completion qualifies for consideration for admission. For students with ACT scores, the ACT composite score comparable to the average SAT I total score is required.

      Applicants lacking an acceptable CPC portfolio may validate CPC by the following SAT II scores: English Writing (520), Literature (530), Math IC ( 500) or Math IIC (570), American History & Social Studies (560), World History (540), Biology (520), and one of the following: Chemistry (540) or Physics (590). Contact the Office of Admissions for details (770-961-3500).

“Limited” Admission to vocational programs

      Applicants who wish to enter a certificate or career associate degree program (except Information Technology or Paralegal Studies) may be considered for admission under the limited category if they do not qualify for regular admission.  This applies especially to students in “Tech Prep” programs in high school.  Certain substitutions in CPC requirements may be made for such students.  Students entering under limited admission to a vocational program may not change majors to a non-vocational major until they have exempted or exited from all Learning Support requirements and completed all of the Core Curriculum courses (Area A-E) in an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree with a minimum 18 hours and GPA of at least 2.00 in the Core.  Contact the Office of Admissions for details (770-961-3500).

Special Admission Circumstances

        A recent high school graduate otherwise not eligible for admission may be considered for admission in two circumstances: (1) if the applicant has standardized test scores (SAT I or ACT) in the upper five percent of national college-bound seniors and shows other evidence of college readiness, and (2) if the President determines that the applicant shows exceptional talent and promise for academic success.  Such presidential exceptions are very limited.  Contact the Office of Admissions for details.

CPC DEFICIENCIES

      Any student admitted who has a deficiency in the 16 required CPC units will be required to take one course in each area of deficiency.  The approved courses are as follows:

Science (laboratory): BIOL 1111/1111L, SCI 1111/1111L, CHEM 1151/ 1151L, or PHYS 1111/1111L.

Social Sciences: SOCI 1101, PSYC 1101, POLS 2201, HIST 1110, HIST 1112.

Foreign Languages: any course numbered 1001.

      Courses taken to meet CPC requirements cannot be used to satisfy any other requirements but may count as prerequisites.

      Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in CPC deficiency make-up courses during their first term of enrollment.  Any students who have not made up their College Preparatory Curriculum deficiencies by the time they have earned 24 semester hours of college degree credit must be enrolled in CPC deficiency courses.  Students who have not removed College Preparatory Curriculum deficiencies by the time they have earned 30 hours of college degree credits may not enroll in any college degree courses until all CPC deficiencies are satisfied.

      The non-traditional freshmen category applies to applicants who have been out of high school for at least five years and who have no (or very little) college credit.  Non-traditional students are encouraged to consider taking the “Academic Skills Tune-up” or other courses offered in Continuing Education (770-961-3550) prior to applying for University admission. Applicants in this category do not have to meet the same standards as recent high school graduates and do not have to submit SAT or ACT test scores.  (Non-traditional applicants may submit recent SAT/ACT scores if they wish to.*)

To qualify for non-traditional freshmen admission, all four of the following criteria must apply:

1.    Applicants must have graduated from an accredited or approved high school or have satisfactorily completed the General Educational Diploma (GED).

2.       Applicants must have been out of high school for at least five years. (For GED holders, their original high school class must have graduated at least five years ago.)

3.       Applicants who have attended college must have earned fewer than 30 semester hours of transferable credit to be considered a non-traditional freshmen.  (See the transfer section for additional information about special requirements for non-traditional freshmen applicants who have some transfer credit.)

4.       Applicants must take the Compass test and make an acceptable score.

Prior to being accepted, applicants classified as non-traditional must take the COMPASS test and score at or above the minimum level on all parts of the test.  Students who do not make the minimum score will not be admitted.*  If the COMPASS indicates the need for Learning Support courses, the admitted non-traditional student will be required to enroll in such courses and must exit Learning Support in accordance with general Learning Support policy.  (See the Academic Policies chapter.)  <