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Types of Admission

Individuals may gain admittance to HSU by one of the following types:

High School Graduation

High school graduates submitting transcripts meeting the foundational and endorsement requirements prescribed by the Texas Education Agency are eligible to be considered for regular admission. HSU accepts transcripts from schools outside the state of Texas and nations that meet the normal requirements of their respective educational agencies.

Freshmen applicants will be evaluated for admission based upon their class ranking or ACT or SAT or CLT scores.
Applicants scoring less than a prescribed minimum on the Math subtest are required to take Math 0300 if their chosen degree requires MATH-1310 or MATH-1316. Details are available under the Department of Mathematics section of this catalogue.

General Admission

Automatic general admission will be offered to students who submit any one of the following:

  • a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher, 
  • a class rank in the top quarter of a high school class of 10 or more, 
  • a composite ACT score of 20 or higher,
  • a combined SAT score of 1050 or higher, or
  • a CLT score of 67 or higher.

Enhanced Admission

Automatic enhanced admission* will be offered to students who do not submit an SAT, ACT, or CLT score, or who submit a score below that required for general admission, but who can show either of the following:

  • a high school GPA greater than or equal to 3.0, but less than 3.5
  • a class rank in the top half of a high school class of 10 or more, but not in the top quarter
    *Students with enhanced admission are enrolled in the Strategic Learning Initiative in addition to regular coursework in their first semester at Hardin-Simmons University.

Conditional Admission

For information regarding conditional admission to HSU, please contact your admission counselor. Acceptance under a conditional program is based on program curriculum and load restrictions.

Strategic Learning Initiative

The Strategic Learning Initiative consists of:

  • A one credit hour course that meets 2 times per week. In each class period, twenty minutes will be spent introducing a learning strategy, and thirty minutes to helping the student apply the strategy to other courses
  • A weekly 30-minute meeting one-on-one with an SLI instructor or academic coach

High School Equivalency Examination (G.E.D.)

If an applicant is a veteran, graduate of an unaccredited home school or private school program, or is seventeen years of age or younger and has not been enrolled in an accredited high school for at least one academic year, he/she may substitute a minimum score of 450 on the General Education Development Test (G.E.D.) or scores of at least 20 ACT, 1030 SAT, 66 CLT for graduation from an accredited high school. Home school students not able to submit official documentation of their academic program are required to submit satisfactory scores on the G.E.D. or ACT/SAT/CLT.

 

Start Now (Early College Admission Programs)

The University provides three early admission categories for high school students who have completed their junior year of high school from which they last took work, and have a 3.5 or better grade point average on a 4.0 scale and/or rank in the upper quartile of their class.

  1. Summer Enrollment—Qualified individuals who have completed the junior year in high school may enroll in summer school.
  2. Concurrent Enrollment—Qualified individuals who have completed, or are in the process of completing, the units necessary for admission to the University but wish to continue working on high school requirements for graduation may enroll for up to seven semester hours of credit while concurrently enrolled in high school. Such students may not enroll in a course in the same subject in which they are concurrently enrolled in high school, nor may they participate in intercollegiate activities while concurrently enrolled in high school.
  3. High School Completion—Qualified individuals who wish to forego the last year of high school may enroll as regular full-time students at HSU. To qualify, students must meet HSU's general admission requirements and complete credits for all high school academic units in the TEA Foundation High School Program.

    Individuals seeking admission in one of the above categories must submit all forms required by the regular admission process, and also provide: (1) a letter signed by the individual’s parent or guardian evaluating the applicant’s suitability for the category of admission sought and giving consent, (2) a letter signed by the individual’s high school principal or counselor giving an opinion of the applicant’s suitability for the category of admission sought, and (3) course load approval by an HSU academic advisor.

Transfer Student Admission

A student applying for admission as a transfer student from another college or university must submit the following items. (Students who have obtained college credit hours prior to high school graduation must apply according to freshmen admission guidelines.)

  1. Application for Admission: An online application must be completed and submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services.
  2. Transcripts: An official transcript must be sent directly from each of the colleges or universities previously attended before admission can be granted. An applicant with fewer than 24 semester credits must also submit a final high school transcript and an official report of ACT or SAT or CLT scores.
  3. Eligibility: A student who is ineligible to continue at another institution, whether for academic or disciplinary reasons, is not eligible for regular admission to HSU. The Admission Committee may consider transfer students who do not qualify for regular admission. For admission purposes, all equivalent work attempted at another institution is included in the calculation of the grade point average on the same basis as courses completed on the HSU campus.
  4. Housing: Admitted students may make their online Housing Request after February 1. All unmarried students under age 21 taking more than six semester hours, unless living at home with parents, are required to live in a residence hall and to eat in the campus dining hall until the completion of four long semesters. (A long semester is equal to a fall or spring semester.)

Transient (Short Term) Student Admission

A student desiring to enroll for a summer or for one semester only and not desiring to transfer credits to HSU must complete an application and furnish a transcript from the last institution attended. Transient students are ineligible for financial aid. A transient student who decides to continue at HSU must complete all of the regular transfer procedures.

Former Student Admission

A student formerly enrolled at HSU who has subsequently attended another college or university must submit to the Registrar's office an official transcript of all academic work attempted during his/her absence. Transfer work is evaluated on the same basis as work completed prior to approval for admission. Student record information must be updated in the Registrar’s Office. A readmission application may be submitted online,https://www.hsutx.edu/academics/registrars-office/readmission-form/ Note: Nursing students need readmission approval from the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing.

Tentative Admission Status

Tentative status is a grace period, which is granted for one time only and for only part of a semester. Students who have not moved beyond tentative status will not be allowed to pre-register for the next long term. In addition, all official application materials must be received by the Office of Enrollment Services in the semester in which the status is granted by the official last date to withdraw from a course (approximately two weeks before the end of a long semester, three days before the end of a summer term – see Academic Calendar) At this point, students whose credentials have not been received will be withdrawn from all courses and will receive a grade of WP or WF. In this event, no credit will be earned and no refund will be given.

Audits

A student applying for admission to audit a class must complete an application, and receive permission from the instructor of the course. There is a $100 per semester hour audit fee. Students over the age of 65 can audit courses at no charge. Alumni may audit up to 12 hours at no charge (forms and details available in the Registrar’s Office).

Dual Credit Courses

Approved high school juniors and seniors may enroll in courses for dual credit on the HSU campus. Courses will be populated by both college and high school students. HSU classes are open for dual credit to students who meet the prerequisites for lower level (1000, 2000) courses.

Students must meet specific college and school district criteria before being accepted for enrollment in dual credit courses:

  • Students must have counselor and parent approval prior to enrollment.
  • Students must meet required prerequisites, if specified, for a university course.
  • Students must be prepared to pay for tuition costs and books for dual credit courses.
  • Students are required to submit proof of meningitis vaccination no less than 10 days prior to the start of classes.

For more information, contact Ms. Lora Westfall, Director of Recruiting, lora.westfall@hsutx.edu, (325) 670-1704.