Admission for First-Time Freshmen
The University of Missouri has a uniform policy for the admission of freshman students to its four campuses. The four campuses are of equal stature in the University system, and a common standard is applied at each campus. The procedure for regular admission from high school is described in this publication.

Selection of students for regular admission is based on high school class rank, performance on a standardized college aptitude test, and required high school units. Students must also submit their high school transcripts and, where appropriate, recommendations by persons knowledgeable of their potential for success in universitylevel education.

Admission Procedure: Students applying as firsttime freshmen (i.e., students without previous college work) need to submit to the University of Missouri-St. Louis Director of Admissions three documents:

  1. Undergraduate Application for Admission form: You may request one by calling the Office of Admissions at (314) 5165451. The application is also available via the Internet.  Applicants may apply by visiting the UM-St. Louis home page (www.umsl.edu)
     
  2. High School Transcript and Class Rank: The transcript must be sent directly from the high school to the UMSt. Louis Admissions Office. The transcript should indicate the class rank at the time of application and all courses satisfactorily completed. For those students applying during their senior year in high school, which will include most applicants, class rank as of the end of six semesters (end of junior year) will be used. If a later class rank is available at the time application is made, it should be used.
     
  3. College Aptitude Test: The University's freshman admissions procedure requires that a test score be submitted for each applicant. This requirement may be met by a score from any one of the following College Aptitude Examinations:

    American College Testing Program (ACT) These tests are administered at many locations across the country under the auspices of the ACT program. Students who participate in this program should request that score reports be sent to the university campuses to which they apply.

    Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) This test is administered at many locations across the country under the auspices of the College Entrance Examination Board. Students who take the SAT should request that score reports be sent to the campuses to which they apply.

Admission Requirements  Any high school graduate is admissible without further data upon submission of a transcript or other evidence indicating he or she meets both the following requirements:

  1. At least 17 units of credit (1 unit=1 year in class) as follows:
    English: Two units emphasizing composition or writing skills are required. One of the remaining two units may be in speech or debate-4 units
    Mathematics: (Algebra 1 and higher)-4 units
    Science: Not including general science, one of 3 units which must be a laboratory course-3 units
    Social Studies: 3 units
    Fine Arts: 1 unit
    Foreign Language: Must be 2 units of a single language.-2 units
     
  2. In addition, each student will be evaluated on the basis of High School Rank Percentile (HSCRP) and Test Score.

The University seeks a heterogeneous student body reflecting diversity of race, ethnicity, age, geography, (including international students) and physical disability. Factors given prime consideration for admission to undergraduate study are an applicant‘s previous academic success and the quality of the record presented. Applicants who do not meet the criteria set forth in sections 1 and 2 may be considered by applying to the Director of Admissions. Additional factors considered for admissions include:

  • Extensive extracurricular activity involving school, church, or community;
     
  • Outstanding talent and/or abilities;
     
  • Number and scope of college preparatory courses taken;
     
  • Evidence of marked improvement over time in high school academic record;
     
  • Significant work experience and/or family responsibilities;
     
  • Supporting evidence attesting to one or more of the above in student's own hand (in the form of essay).

Out-of-State Freshmen  The same admissions requirements apply to all outofstate freshmen who have graduated from an accredited high school. Students should be aware that the University of Missouri-St. Louis provides limited Residence Hall facilities. Nonresident students must pay nonresident educational fees in addition to regular educational fees.

When to Apply:  Qualified applicants are admitted and notified by letter of their admission in the order that completed applications are received. Applications are accepted after October 1 for the next Fall Semester on the basis of six or more high school semesters. Completed applications, including high school transcripts and test scores, should be on file by July 1 to guarantee that they will receive full consideration. Datelines are July 1 for the Fall Semester; December 1 for the Winter Semester; and May 1 for the Summer Session.

Acceptance: Upon acceptance to the Fall or Winter Semester, students must submit a final high school transcript indicating their class rank and graduation date. Firsttime freshmen may be required to take placement examination in mathematics. Arrangements for this exams are made with students through the Office of Admissions after notification of admission.

Advanced Standing for Entering Freshmen:  The University of Missouri-St. Louis grants credit hours to entering freshmen who, through their performance on College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement Tests and facultyadministered tests, demonstrate proficiency in certain collegelevel courses, such as accounting, biology, chemistry, English, foreign languages, history, mathematics, political science, and physics. For further information and applications, write to College Board Placement Examinations, Box 592, Princeton, New Jersey 08540. The scorereporting institution code number for the University of Missouri-St. Louis is 6889. Test scores should be sent to the Director of Admissions and must be on file before the first day of classes. A brochure with detailed information is available in the Office of Admissions.

Dual High School/University Enrollment:    Superior high school students may be admitted in a special, student category for the purpose of taking one or more university courses concurrently with their final year or two of high school or during the summer session prior to these years. Students must submit a regular application for admission, as well as a special request which includes a high school recommendation. Students are admitted on an individual basis on the basis of academic standards that exceed those required for regular admission from high school. Admission is limited and governed by available space, and students must meet the prerequisites for the desired course or courses.

College Level Examination Program:  Individuals over age 18 who have had no previous college work may earn advanced credit through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General Examination, provided they score at or above the 50th percentile. A maximum of 28 semester hours of credit may be earned. In addition, CLEP offers subject examinations for credit in one specific area. These examinations can be taken any time, provided the student has not taken a course in the test area. A score at or above the 50th percentile must be earned to receive credit. Consultation with an adviser is recommended. CLEP tests are given the third week of every month. Contact the Office of Admissions at 5165451 for complete information. A brochure with detailed information is available.

Credit for Military Service: Credit may be allowed for service training programs conducted by the various Armed Forces branches. The American Council of Education recommendations in A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services generally serve as a basis for granting such credit. To count toward a degree, the credit granted must be appropriate to the student's curriculum.

Trial Admission: High school graduates who do not meet the regular admission standards may be admitted on a trial basis.  Usually enrollment is for nine hours and if grades of C or better are earned, the student will be allowed to continue for the following semester.

High School Equivalency Applicants: Individuals may seek admission on the basis of high school equivalency earned from performance on the United States Armed Forces Institute General Educational Development (GED) tests. Admission is based on an evaluation of the educational merits of military and other experiences since leaving school, GED test scores, and performance on other aptitude tests.

Veterans and Mature Adults: Applicant may be admitted as special or irregular students, not degree candidates, if they are veterans of the military service or over age 21 and have not previously earned college credit, have not been in school for several years, have not earned a high school diploma, or passed the GED; or if they have a diploma, but do not meet regular admission requirements from high school. Admission is based on special preparation, attainment, or exceptional aptitude as judged by an evaluation of military and other experiences, test scores, and other indicators of potential success at the University. Students can become degree candidates on the basis of their performance in university course work.

Transfer Students: Missouri state institutions of higher education welcome transfer students; however, students should be aware that actual requirements for degrees vary from institution to institution. This factor makes it particularly important that students who plan to transfer make contact, very early in their academic career, with the campus from which they eventually wish to graduate. By arranging in advance for appropriate courses to be taken prior to transfer, they can likely minimize their problems. Your own campus dean's office or Office of Admissions can help you contact the institution to which you might transfer if you need assistance.

Students transferring from other colleges and universities must submit the following information to the UMSt. Louis Director of Admissions:

  1. Undergraduate Application for Admission;
     
  2. High School Transcript: (if one of the following applies)
     
    1. applicant has less than 24 hours of college level course work
       
    2. applicant is pursuing a degree or certification in Education
       
    3. applicant is a nonresident of Missouri
       
  3. Official Transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.

Official transcripts must be sent by each institution directly to the Admissions Office. Handcarried credentials are not accepted. All credentials submitted for admission become the property of the University. The above material should be submitted by July 1 for the Fall Semester; December 1 for the Winter Semester; and May 1 for the Summer Session.

A transferring student who has completed less than 24 semester hours of collegelevel work must apply under the procedures for admission to the freshman class and must have at least a 2.0 overall grade point average (4.0 system) in all collegelevel courses attempted at previous institutions.

Transfer applicants applying to the University of Missouri-St. Louis from regionally accredited colleges or universities with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher, based on a 4point system, may be admitted at any time. Students with grade point averages of 2.5 or higher may be accepted any time during the semester before desired admission, while students with grade point averages of 2.0 or higher may be accepted any time during the last half of the semester before desired admission. UMSt. Louis may not admit any student who is under suspension or dismissal or whose previous record shows work of an inferior or unsatisfactory quality.

CBHE Statement: Students transferring to the University of Missouri-St. Louis and students transferring out of UMSt. Louis may utilize the Coordinating Board of Higher Education Articulation Agreement. The agreement outlines statewide undergraduate general education requirements which satisfy the general requirements for students transferring into UMSt. Louis and students transferring out of UMSt. Louis to other public higher education universities in the state. These requirements are detailed on the page prior to the Appendix in this catalogue.

Advanced Standing: According to a recent Articulation Agreement among public institutions within the state of Missouri, the following guidelines will govern transfer of credit to the University of Missouri-St. Louis from colleges and universities within the state of Missouri. These guidelines also apply to students transferring to the University of Missouri-St. Louis from schools located outside the state of Missouri.

Advanced standing in the form of credit hours may be allowed for work satisfactorily completed in another college or university of recognized standing, public or private, located in the state of Missouri, as long as the work satisfies the requirements of the university division in which the student registers.

The academic record at a given institution will include all courses attempted. Grades of D or better, earned in collegelevel work at an accredited or approved institution of higher education, should receive full credit when transferred to the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The University, however, will treat all grades on courses attempted on the same basis as that of the UMSt. Louis student. For example, if a UMSt. Louis student is required to repeat a specified course, having earned a D grade, a transfer student will also be required to repeat the same course, if it carried a D grade. Advanced standing for work of the senior year is not granted. To receive recognition, claims for advanced standing must be made by students within one semester after entrance.

Shortly after all official transcripts are on file, a student's previous academic record will be evaluated to determine which courses are applicable. Should there be any question concerning the applicability of any courses, the student should contact the advising office of the their academic unit.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis Bulletin: Undergraduate Catalogue in effect at the time of the transfer student's initial enrollment in a college will govern the degree requirements, provided the student has had continuous, fulltime enrollment and remains in the same degree program after transferring to UMSt. Louis. If fulltime continuous enrollment has not been maintained, or if students change their program objective, the catalogue in effect at the time of a student's latest enrollment, or at the time the student elects the new program, may be followed.

Degree checks, that is, determining whether courses meet a specific degree requirement and whether courses are accepted as a part of the student's academic major, are made in the office of the dean concerned. Should any questions arise, a student should contact the advising office of their academic unit.

Associate Degree Transfers from Junior Colleges: A student admitted to the University and holding an associate degree oriented toward the baccalaureate degree will be accepted in junior standing. Students fulfilling the general education requirements outlined by the Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education and certified by the sending institution will have met the lower division general education requirements at UMSt. Louis. However, this does not exempt the student from meeting the specialized lower division degree requirements of departments or divisions of the University. Courses completed in the associate degree program are evaluated for application to specific degree requirements by the same criteria used for transfer students from other colleges and universities located in Missouri, other University of Missouri campuses, and other divisions on this University campus.

Credit earned in or transferred from a community college shall normally be limited to approximately half the baccalaureate degree program requirement, and to the first two years of the undergraduate educational experience.

Transfer Within the University of Missouri System: A student not in good standing at another campus of the University of Missouri (suspended or dismissed) is not eligible to enroll at the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus.

Any course that leads to an undergraduate degree on any campus of the University of Missouri shall be accepted in transfer toward the same degree on any campus of the University offering that degree. Grades, including D and F grades, and honor points earned in such courses will also transfer and will be included in the cumulative grade point averages of the transferring student.  Questions concerning acceptability of credit should be referred to the Director of Admissions. Unresolved problems related to transferability of credit may be appealed to the Senate Committee on Admissions and Student Financial Aid. Students within the last 30 hours of graduation may take a limited number of courses at another campus in the UM  system, provided the last 15 hours are taken at UMSt. Louis and the work is approved by their respective deans and departments.

Students from Other Countries: Prospective students living outside the United States and its possessions should write to the Office of International Student Services at the address below at least one year before the date of desired admission for information about application to the University. Students will be expected to supply official original secondary and university transcripts from all schools attended as well as other official original documents. All students should make arrangements to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) well in advance of their admission date.

Beginning in the Fall semester, 1998, all students in F-1 and J-1 status will be required to purchase an inexpensive insurance policy with excellent coverage for illness and accidents, which will be billed directly to the students' account.    For further details, please contact :

Office of International Student Services
University of Missouri-St. Louis
SSB304
8001 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 631214499

Former Students: Former students not currently enrolled should file a request for a Permit to ReEnroll with the Director of Admissions at least 30 days before the registration period. If Fall Semester applicants receive an Early Admission decision, they may preregister in July and August; preregistration for the Winter semester and the Summer Session is limited to students enrolled during the preceding term.

Visiting Students: Students who do not wish to earn a degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis may be admitted to the Summer Session as visiting college students. Admission requires certification by the student's college or university that the student is in good standing and has permission to enroll in approved course work for transfer credit back to that institution. Application forms for certification can be obtained from the Office of Admissions. At the end of the session, students must request that their grades be reported by transcript to their respective schools.

Auditor: A student may enroll as an auditor in any course with the prior consent of the instructor and dean of the School or College in which the auditor is registered. They may be dropped from the course when, in the judgment of the instructor and dean, their record justifies such action. Auditors are charged full fees and receive no academic credit.

Evening College Applicants: The admission procedure for the Evening College is the same as for the day division. For further information, see the next section, "Enrollment and Academic Advising: Evening College,'' and the Evening College special section of this Bulletin