Admission

• English (four units): courses should emphasize writing skills, literature, and reading comprehension.

• Mathematics (three units): courses should include algebra, geometry, and algebra II. A fourth unit in trigonometry, and analytical geometry, or pre-calculus is recommended.

• Science (two units): courses should include one unit of laboratory science.

• Social Sciences (two units): courses should include one unit of United States history.

• World Language: three years in the same language is recommended.

Because of limited instructional personnel and facilities, the number of applicants accepted for admission may be limited, with preference given to those candidates who in the judgment of University officials present through their academic and personal qualifications the greatest potential for successful collegiate performance.

• An online application is accessible on the Admissions website.

• Current deadlines for applications are listed on the Admissions website.

• Candidates should complete an online application for admission. Full credentials must be presented, accompanied by a non-refundable $50 Application Fee, before consideration is given. An official copy of the High School Transcript, the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or American College Testing Program (ACT) and one letter of recommendation are required for freshmen applicants.*

• The University mails all formal acceptance notifications beginning December 1 of each year.  Candidates must confirm their acceptances by May 1 with a non-refundable $200 enrollment deposit. This payment reserves a position in the entering class and is credited toward the applicant’s tuition.

• Confirmed candidates for acceptance will be billed for other outstanding tuition and fees in June; failure to submit full payment to, or make financial arrangements with, the University by July 15 will lead to cancellation of course registration.

• Applications for a room in a residence hall should be submitted to the Office of Residence Life.

• Applications for financial aid via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. All information, forms, and application deadlines are available online at the SCSU Office of Financial Aid website.

• It should be understood that final acceptance of seniors not yet graduated from secondary school is conditional upon the satisfactory completion of their scholastic program.

All full-time and part-time undergraduate students are required to have properly completed health forms on file at Student Health Services prior to registration. Students can enter their immunization information on the Connecticut State University Student Health Services Form available on the Student Health Services website and then submit the paper copy of the form for verification by the Student Health Services staff. Please note that students will not be considered fully compliant with the requirements until the information is verified.

Connecticut State Statutes also require that all students living in campus housing are required to be vaccinated against meningitis within the past five years prior to enrollment.

The University reserves the right to deny registration and campus housing to any student not in compliance.

English Composition

All freshmen are academically placed into a level of English composition based on their reading SAT or English ACT scores. Students who do not believe their SAT/ACT scores reflect their ability, and seek to challenge their English placement, can indicate this within in the New Student Orientation Survey.

Mathematics

All freshmen are academically placed into a level of Mathematics based on their math SAT or math ACT scores.

• MAT 095 – These students are required to complete a mathematics placement (Accuplacer) prior to New Student Orientation.
• Higher than MAT 095 - Students who place higher than MAT 095, but do not believe their SAT/ACT scores reflect their ability, can challenge their placement by completing the mathematics placement (Accuplacer) prior to the start of the semester.

World Language

All freshmen who have taken two or more years of a World Language in high school are required to take the online World Language Placement unless they plan to begin a new language.

Students wishing to transfer from other accredited institutions of higher learning must have a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average in their college courses.  Institutions without regional accreditation, but that are licensed in Connecticut by the Office of Higher Education, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Provost or Provost's designee.  Official transcripts of college work completed must be submitted directly by all prior colleges or universities attended.  Acceptance does not guarantee that the credits transferred will apply to a specific degree requirement.

Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to a professional program. Additional information describing other non-traditional credit options may be found in the Part-Time Study section of this catalog.

• An online application is accessible on the Admissions website.
• Current deadlines for applications are listed on the University Web site.
• Candidates should complete an online application for admission. Full credentials must be presented, accompanied by a non-refundable $50 Application Fee, before consideration is given. 
• Students enrolled at another institution applying for transfer admission must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, in addition to the final, official  high school transcript showing date of graduation.
• The University mails all formal acceptance notifications for Transfer admission on a rolling basis.  Candidates must confirm their acceptances by May 1 witgh a non-refundable $200 enrollment deposit.  This payment reserves a position in the entering class and is credited toward the applicant's tuition.  
• Confirmed candidates for acceptance will be billed for other outstanding tuition and fees in June; failure to submit full payment to, or make financial arrangements with, the University by July 15 will lead to cancellation of course registration.
• Applications for a room in a residence hall should be submitted to the Office of Residence Life.
• Applications for financial aid via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. All information, forms, and application deadlines are available online at the SCSU Office of Financial Aid website.

All full-time and part-time undergraduate students are required to have properly completed health forms on file at Student Health Services prior to registration. Students can enter their immunization information on the Connecticut State University Student Health Services Form available on the Student Health Services website and then submit the paper copy of the form for verification by the Student Health Services staff. Please note that students will not be considered fully compliant with the requirements until the information is verified.

Connecticut State Statutes also require that all students living in campus housing are required to be vaccinated against meningitis within the past five years prior to enrollment.

The University reserves the right to deny registration and campus housing to any student not in compliance.

SAT and ACT scores may not be used for placement by transfer students.

English Composition

Transfer students who have not transferred in English courses equivalent to Southern' s ENG 110 or 112 will be placed into English composition based on an assessment of their transfer credits.

Mathematics

Transfer student who have not transferred in math courses equivalent to Southern' s MAT 095, 100 or greater must take the math placement within their first 24 credits at Southern.

World Language

Transfer students who have not transferred in a 100 level of language or higher must take the online World Language Placement.

Southern is an active participant in the Transfer Compact agreement established between the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (ConnSCU). The Transfer Compact offers dual admission to students who are planning to enroll at a ConnSCU institution after completing an associate's degree. In addition to dual admission, students enrolled in the Transfer Compact also receive joint advising from staff at the ConnSCU institution to ensure that appropriate coursework is completed and accepted upon transfer. For more information about the advantages of the Transfer Compact, please contact the Office of Admissions at (203) 392-5644 or visit the Transfer Compact website.

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) Transfer Tickets provide pathways for Connecticut Community College students to complete Associate's degree programs that transfer to a Bachelor's degree in the same discipline at Connecticut State Universities (Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western) and Charter Oak State College. Students will be able to transfer credits from their Transfer Ticket Associate's degree, apply to competitive admissions majors, and complete a BA/BS degree in the same discipline in the same time and with the same course requirements as students who start at a Connecticut State University (CSU) or Charter Oak State College (COSC.)  Please visit the CSCU Transfer Ticket website for details.

Transfer Tickets available for the current academic year are:

- Biology- Chemistry
- Communication
- Criminology
- English
- History
- Mathematics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Sociology

For applicants to a post-baccalaureate certificat program, minimum standards include a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, a grade point average of at least 3.0, and the recommendation of the program coordinator. Applicants must provide an official transcript from the institution from which they earned their highest degree. Since the certificate program is not a degree program, students enrolled in a certificate program may matriculate into a degree program only after successful application to and acceptance into the chosen degree program.

 Those who seek admission to a post-baccalaureate certificate program apply online at the Office of Graduate Admissions website: https://www.southernct.edu/gradadmissions/.

Applicants should read the introductory portions of this catalog and the pages describing the program for which they are interested. Questions about admissions procedures should be directed to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Questions about specific program content should be directed to the Program Coordinator or Department Chairperson. Students who are planning to apply for financial aid should pay particular attention to deadlines for submission of financial aid forms and deadlines for matriculation, available SCSU Office of Financial Aid website.

Applicants are urged to submit the completed application and credentials well in advance of the semester for which they seek admission. There is no guarantee that any application received after August 1 for the fall term and January 1 for the spring term will be processed in time for the term for which the applicant seeks admission, even though the file may be complete. Although the Office of Graduate Admissions has a rolling admissions process for the fall and spring terms, a number of departments have established application deadlines. (Refer to section on Programs, Courses, and Faculty). There are also deadlines by which applications must be submitted for each spring and fall term. Please see the Office of Graduate Admissions website for those dates. All applicants for admission must:

· Complete and submit online an official application.

· Pay a $50 non-refundable application fee when submitting the official application form. Applicants are required to pay the $50 application fee by credit card.

· Request (in writing) that official transcripts from each college or university attended be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions Application Processing Center at PO Box 8057 Portsmouth, NH 03802 (Note: Applicants to Certificate Programs need only request all transcripts from the college or university for applicants' highest degree earned.) Transcripts received from the student will not be considered official. Transcripts must be re-submitted when an applicant applies for subsequent graduate programs. Transcripts received in application to previously earned degrees at Southern are not kept on file indefinitely.

· Transcripts from outside the United States must be evaluated (course by course) by one of the following credential evaluating agencies, at the applicant's expense:

World Education Services, Inc., www.wes.org, Phone: 212.966.6311, Fax: 212.739.6100.

Josef Silney & Associates Evaluators, Inc., www.jsilny.com, Phone: 305.273.1616, Fax: 305.273.1338.

Global Credential Evaluators, Inc., www.gcevaluators.com, Phone: 800.707.0979, Fax: 979.690.6342.

Educational Credential Evaluations, Inc., www.ecmc.org, Phone: 1-855-810-4922, Fax: 866.296.8795

· Request an appointment with the Program Coordinator of the program to which you have applied after you have been notified that your application file is complete.

· Letters of recommendation should be uploaded directly through the application portal.

· Resident aliens must provide a copy of their alien registration cards to the Graduate Admissions Processing Center (P.O. Box 8057, Portsmouth, NH 3802) or uploaded through the application portal.

· After fulfilling all admissions, program, and other requirements for admission, meet with the Program Coordinator.

No student is officially accepted into a post-baccalaureate certificate program through the Office of Graduate Admissions until he or she receives a letter of acceptance from the Director of Graduate Admissions.

Admission requirements for any particular program may exceed the minimum admission standards of the Office of Graduate Admissions. Requirements for admission to each program are listed in the program section of this catalog. Applicants may apply to only one specific program at a time.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all materials and documentation for the application file are complete. Applicants may view the status of their applications by accessing the Office of Graduate Admissions website: https://www.southernct.edu/gradadmissions/. Application files that are incomplete at the end of the first day of classes will be withdrawn. Applicants that have pending applications (with no official decision), and who wish for their application to be moved to a future term, must notify the Office of Graduate Admissions in writing no later than the first day of classes for the term to which the applicant originally applied. Applications may only be moved within a year of the original date of the application. Please note, Marriage and Family Therapy applications cannot be moved forward.

Students who are admitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions and who do not register for courses for the term for which they are admitted, are automatically withdrawn and will need to reapply.

Students who seek financial aid must be considered matriculated by the end of the first week of classes in the semester for which they are applying to qualify for financial aid.

 All admitted students must accept their admission to the university. Full-time students must accept their admission and pay a $200 deposit.

 All full-time and part-time graduate students are required to have properly completed health forms on file at Student Health Services prior to registration. Students can enter their immunization information on the Connecticut State University Student Health Services Form available on the Student Health Services website and then submit the paper copy of the form for verification by the Student Health Services staff. Please note that students will not be considered fully compliant with the requirements until the information is verified.

Additional Immunization Requirement for On-Campus Resident Students:

Connecticut State Statutes also require that all students living in campus housing are required to be vaccinated against meningitis within the past five years prior to enrollment.

The university reserves the right to deny registration and campus housing to any student not in compliance.

A student who has made formal application for admission with the Undergraduate Admissions Office and has been accepted as a degree candidate is defined as a matriculated student and is eligible to take classes on a full-time or part- time basis.

A student who has not been admitted to the University for a degree program is defined as a non-matriculated student and may only register for courses on a part-time basis. Such a student is not eligible for financial aid or on-campus housing.

Senior citizens age 62 and over who are Connecticut residents are eligible for tuition-free study at the University. Students admitted under this plan are subject to other University fees. 

Students from public Connecticut community colleges will be accepted for admission to the University if they have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average in their college courses. Students who meet this condition and who have also completed the Associate in Arts degree or the Associate in Science degree in transfer programs will be given credit for two years of college work. However, these students may still need to satisfy SCSU’s Liberal Education Program requirements.

Early in their college career, students should confer with their academic advisers in selecting courses in the two-year associate’s degree program that will provide the required background for upper division study.

Students transferring to Southern from Central, Eastern, or Western Connecticut State University must follow the transfer admissions process. All credits that have been completed with a passing grade are transferable to the University.

Current graduates of secondary schools who have taken Advanced Placement Examinations (administered by the College Board) should submit official score reports to the Admissions Office for evaluation. The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is also accepted with scores above the 50th percentile. Nurses with an RN seeking a bachelor’s degree should also comply with the aforementioned requirements for admission with advanced standing.

International students must meet the appropriate academic requirements and, in addition:

• Demonstrate proficiency in the English language through satisfactory performance on:
  - Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), score of 525 required, or
  - Internet based TOEFL minimum score of 72, or
  - International English Language Testing System (IELTS), score of 6 required, or
  - Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), ACT or both, as required by Admissions Office, or
  - Completion of ELS 112 Level or higher in the English for Academic Purposes Curriculum

• All international transcripts must be translated into English.

• All international transcripts must be evaluated by an evaluation company accredited by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). For a list of these evaluation companies, go to the NACES website.

• One letter of recommendation is required for new first-time freshmen applicants.

• There is a co-admission process between the Office of Admissions and the Office of International Education (OIE). Applicants must submit application, all official academic records, foreign transcript evaluations, examination scores, and certificates to Admissions. The International Student Profile Form and supporting financial documentation must be sent to the OIE. All materials for initial students must be received by May 1 for Fall semester entry, and by October 1 for Spring semester. All material for transfer students within the U.S. must be received by June 1 for Fall semester entry, by November 1 for Spring semester.

All prospective international students should contact the Office of International Education at (203) 392-6756.

The Fresh Start Program offers an option for formerly matriculated students at the University. The purpose of the Fresh Start Program is to retain and offer support to students who experienced a poor start and dropped from matriculated status or withdrew from the University. This program allows former students to be readmitted to the University and disregards their previous record in calculating their Grade Point Average (GPA).

All courses and grades will remain on the student’s permanent record, and the date Fresh Start was invoked will be entered on the student’s permanent record. The student will receive credit for courses taken before that date in which he or she received an "A," "B," or "C." (This does not include "C-" grades). The GPA will be calculated solely on the basis of courses taken after that date.

The option is available only once, only to students who are not Education majors, and only to formerly matriculated students who have completed the following conditions.

Formerly matriculated students:

• had a GPA below 2.0; status changed to non-matriculated;

• have non-matriculated status for at least one year;

• since having a non-matriculated status, completed 9-12 credits and earned a 2.75 GPA or earned a degree from a regionally accredited college or university. (If credits are from another university, please have official transcripts sent to the Admissions Office;

• have not reached junior status (60 credits) at Southern, including the 9-12 credits referred to above;

• not an education major (the School of Education does not offer the Fresh Start Option).

Candidates for the Fresh Start Option must apply for readmission through the Admissions website.

 

Southern Connecticut State University is a participant in the New England Board of Higher Education Tuition Break Program. This offers residents of other New England states the opportunity to enroll at SCSU for academic programs not available at public institutions in their home state, at the Connecticut resident tuition rate plus 50 percent. Other fees are also required. Participants in this program must be full-time matriculated students. Similarly, Connecticut residents can avail themselves of programs offered by public schools in the other New England states that are not available in Connecticut public institutions.

For more information about the New England Regional Student Program, contact the New England Board of Higher Education, 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111; phone (617) 357-9620; Web site www.nebhe.org or contact the Admission Office of Southern Connecticut State University at (203) 392-5644.

MAINE

• German

• Italian

• Respiratory Therapy

MASSACHUSETTS

• Information and Library Science

• Recreation and Leisure Studies

• Respiratory Therapy

NEW HAMPSHIRE

• Italian

• Information and Library Science

• Public Health

• Respiratory Therapy

RHODE ISLAND

• Athletic Training

• Earth Science

• Information and Library Science

• Public Health

• Recreation and Leisure Studies

• Sport Management

VERMONT

• Information and Library Science

• Public Health

• Respiratory Therapy

• Special Education

Detailed information about this exceptional program can be obtained through the Admissions Office of Southern Connecticut State University or from the New England Board of Higher Education, 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111-1305. 

With the approval of the appropriate University dean, a full-time matriculated student may enroll at another Connecticut State University System campus for a course or courses not available at SCSU. The student continues to be registered at SCSU and continues to pay tuition and fees to SCSU. Grades earned under the State University Exchange become part of the student’s regular transcript at SCSU. Contact the Registrar’s Office for information.