Procedure 3.4.1 Undergraduate Admissions

Part 1. Purpose. This procedure provides requirements and guidelines for the consistent administration of admissions policies at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

Part 2. Application Form and Fee.

Subpart A. Fee. Each college and university may charge an admission application fee as provided in Board Policy 5.11.

Colleges and universities that charge an admission application fee may process a prospective student's application pending payment of the application fee, but shall not communicate an admission decision to the applicant until the fee has been paid or waived.

A college or university shall not charge an application fee to a student who has previously been admitted to that institution as a candidate for a certificate, diploma, or degree.

Subpart B. Application Form. A uniform, system-wide admission application form shall be developed by the Office of the Chancellor in consultation with the colleges and universities.

An online application form and process shall be developed and implemented on the system website for use by all system colleges and universities.

Colleges and universities may accept applications from commercial online services, but all such applications must be identical in format and content to the system-wide online application form.

The Office of the Chancellor shall make the system-wide application available in paper form. Colleges and universities may use a paper form customized with their own "branding," but it must have the same format and content as the system-wide application.

Colleges and universities may use alternative forms for registration/enrollment of students in limited enrollment, customized training courses. These forms must comply with format guidelines provided by the Office of the Chancellor and with applicable federal and state statutes and regulations.

Part 3. International Students.

Subpart A. Academic Preparation and English Proficiency.

International students shall be eligible for admission if their academic preparation is judged equivalent to the admission requirements of the institution to which they are applying.

International students may be required to submit high school or other transcripts to an evaluation service designated by the admitting college or university. Cost of the evaluation shall be borne by the student.

International students who are not native speakers of English shall be required to demonstrate proficiency in English on a standardized test selected by the admitting institution. An international student may be admitted to attend a college or university intensive English as a second language program if the student attains a score of 400 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or its equivalent. An international student may be admitted as a regular student if the student attains a score of 500 on the TOEFL, or its equivalent.

Subpart B. Economic Self-Sufficiency.

Prior to being admitted to a college or university, an international student must demonstrate economic self-sufficiency to be able to afford the costs of tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and any other costs necessary for the completion of the academic year.

International students must purchase the system-approved student health insurance, except those students whose sponsoring agency or government certifies that the student is covered under a plan provided by the sponsoring agency or government.

Part 4. Documentation of Admission Eligibility.

Subpart A. Individual Evaluation. Applicants may be required to document admission eligibility. Those who are unable to present transcripts or other traditional documentation of educational preparation shall be individually evaluated on the basis of guidelines consistent with the institution's identity and mission.

Subpart B. English Language Competency. As a condition of admission, applicants whose primary language is not English, and applicants who have graduated from a high school where the language of instruction is other than English, may be required to demonstrate English language competency using the Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA) or an equivalent instrument.

Subpart C. High School Students. Colleges and universities may admit persons who are currently high school students on the basis of readiness as determined by the college or university.

Subpart D. Special Student Status. Colleges and universities may allow students to enroll for courses in a special student status. These students are not candidates for diplomas, certificates or degrees at the institution where they have special student status.

Part 5. Admission to an Academic or Career Program. The admissions standards in Board Policy 3.4 are meant to apply to admission to the institution only. Colleges and Universities may develop a standard or standards for admission into a specific academic or career program that exceed or are in addition to the requirements for admission to the institution.

Part 6. Students Suspended from Other Institutions.

Subpart A. Students Suspended for Academic Reasons. Students on academic suspension from a Minnesota State College or University shall not be admitted to another college or university in the system during the term of that suspension unless they demonstrate potential for being successful in the particular program to which they apply.

Subpart B. Students Suspended for Disciplinary Reasons. Students who have been suspended or expelled for disciplinary reasons from any postsecondary institution may be denied admission to a Minnesota State College or University.

Part 7. Financial Holds. System colleges and universities may admit a student who has a financial hold at another system college or university but shall not allow the student to enroll in courses until the financial hold has been removed.

Part 8. Visiting Student Status.

Subpart A. Students not admitted to a system college or university. A system college or university may allow a student who is not currently admitted as a student at any system college or university to enroll for the maximum number of credits allowed by its enrollment policy in any semester without submitting an application for admission.

Subpart B. Students admitted to a system college or university. A system college or university shall allow a student who is currently admitted at another system college or university to enroll as a visiting student. A visiting student shall not be required to submit an application for admission, and is not a candidate for a degree, diploma or certificate at the system college or university attended in visiting student status. A visiting student may enroll for the maximum number of credits allowed by each college's or university's enrollment policy; provided, that the student's total number of enrolled credits at all system colleges and universities shall not exceed 22 in any semester.

Subpart C. Visiting student provisions.
Visiting students shall satisfy course prerequisites of the system college or university where a course is to be taken.
State universities may restrict enrollment in visiting student status to students who have earned 24 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum credits with at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and at least a 67% completion rate at a system college or university.
System colleges and universities may deny enrollment as a visiting student to any student who has an enrollment hold due to conduct or satisfactory academic progress reasons at any system college or university.
System colleges and universities shall deny enrollment as a visiting student to any student who has an enrollment hold due to outstanding financial obligations at any other system college or university.
Each system college and university shall establish a registration window for visiting students that provides a reasonable opportunity to register for courses.
System colleges and universities may limit enrollment of visiting students in courses that historically have enrollment requests exceeding available seats.

Part 9. Appeals. Each college and university shall establish an appeals process that may be used by individuals who are denied admission or enrollment as a visiting student. Appeals of denial of admission or enrollment based on financial holds shall not be accepted.

Procedure History:

Date of Adoption: 08/13/06,
Date of Implementation: 08/13/06,

Date & Subject of Revisions:

June 14, 2010 - Added Part 7, Financial Holds and Part 8, Visiting Student Status. Amended Part 9, Appeals.

There is no additional HISTORY for Procedure 3.4.1.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

Procedure 3.4.1 Undergraduate Admissions

Related Documents:

Procedure History: