3.2 Admission Requirements Common to the Three State Universities

  1. The Board shall make rules for admission to and for the government of the institutions under its control, consistent with law. (Iowa Code § 262.9(3)(PDF))
     
  2. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, has adopted the following requirements governing admission of students to the three state universities.
    1. Each university shall describe in its catalog the requirements and other information necessary to make the admission process operate within the framework of these requirements.
       
    2. Amendments and changes in these requirements are proposed by the universities to the Board Office, which examines the proposals and makes specific recommendations through the Council of Provosts to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, which is empowered by law to establish the admission requirements.
      1. Admission of undergraduate students directly from high school. Students desiring admission must meet the requirements in this section and also any special requirements for the program, school, or college of their choice.
        1. Applicants must submit a formal application for admission, together with the appropriate application fees for U.S. citizens or permanent residents, to the State University of Iowa, Iowa State University, or the University of Northern Iowa.  All three universities have a separate application fee for international students. 
           
        2. Transcripts of students’ academic records, including credits and grades, rank in class (if available), high school grade point average, courses completed, and certification of graduation, shall be provided by the appropriate secondary schools.

          Applicants may also submit SAT or ACT scores. Applicants whose primary language is not English must also meet an English proficiency requirement specified by each university. Applicants may be required to submit additional information or data to support their applications.
           
        3. The Regent Admission Index (RAI) is calculated for freshmen applicants who submit all components using the following formula:
          1. Regent Admission Index = (3 x ACT composite score) + (30 x high school grade point average) + (5 x number of high school courses completed in the core subject areas).
             
        4. Graduates of accredited high schools in other states may be held to higher academic standards, but must meet at least the same requirements as graduates of Iowa high schools. The options for conditional admission or summer tryout enrollment may not necessarily be offered to these students.
           
        5. Applicants who are graduates of non-accredited high schools will be considered for admission in a manner similar to applicants from accredited high schools, but additional emphasis shall be given to scores obtained on standardized examinations.
           
        6. Applicants who are not high school graduates, but whose classes have graduated, may be considered for admission. They shall be required to submit all academic data to the extent that it exists and achieve scores on standardized examinations that demonstrate that they are adequately prepared for academic study.
           
        7. Students with superior academic records may be admitted, on an individual basis, for part-time university study while enrolled in high school or during summers prior to high school graduation.
           
        8. In rare situations, exceptional students may be admitted as full-time students to a Regent university before completing high school. Early admission to a Regent university is provided to serve persons whose academic achievement and personal and intellectual maturity suggests readiness for collegiate level study. Each university shall specify requirements and conditions for early admission.
           
      2. Admission of undergraduate students by transfer from other colleges. Students desiring admission must meet the requirements in this section and also any special requirements for the curriculum, school, or college of their choice.
        1. Applicants must submit a formal application for admission, together with the appropriate application fee for U.S. citizens or permanent residents, to the State University of Iowa, Iowa State University, or the University of Northern Iowa. All three universities have a separate application fee for international students. Applicants must request that each college they have attended send an official transcript of record to the Admissions Office. High school academic records and standardized test results may also be required. Applicants whose primary language is not English must also meet an English proficiency requirement specified by each university.
           
        2. Transfer applicants with a minimum of 24 semester hours of grades acceptable for transfer credit from colleges or universities accredited by an entity recognized by the US Department of Education who have achieved the grade point required by each university for specific programs for all college work previously attempted, will be admitted, subject to the limitations of b4. Higher academic standards may be required of students who are not residents of Iowa.

          Applicants who have not maintained the grade point required by each university for specific programs or who are under academic suspension from the last college attended may, after a review of their academic and test records and at the discretion of the admissions officers: (1) be admitted unconditionally, (2) be admitted conditionally, (3) be required to enroll for a tryout period during a preceding summer session, or (4) be denied admission.
           
        3. Admission of students with fewer than 24 semester hours of college credit will be based on high school academic records in addition to review of the college record.
           
        4. Transfer applicants under disciplinary suspension shall not be considered for admission until information concerning the reason for the suspension has been received from the college assigning the suspension.  Applicants granted admission under these circumstances shall be admitted on probation.
           
        5. Transfer applicants from colleges and universities not accredited accredited by an entity recognized by the US Department of Education may be considered for admission on an individual basis, taking into account all available academic information. This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code § 262.9(3) (PDF).
           
      3. Transfer Credit Practices. The Regent universities endorse the Joint Statement on Transfer and Award of Academic Credit approved in 1978 by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). The acceptance and use of transfer credit is subject to limitations in accordance with educational policies at each university.
         
        1. Students from colleges and universities accredited by an entity recognized by the US Department of Education.
          1. Credit earned at colleges and universities accredited by an entity recognized by the US Department of Education is acceptable for transfer, except that credit in courses determined by the receiving university to be of a remedial, vocational, or technical nature, or credit in courses or programs in which the institution granting the credit is not directly involved, may be accepted at the discretion of the university.
             
          2. Of the coursework earned at a two-year college, students may apply up to one-half but no more than 65 hours of the credits required for a bachelor’s degree toward that degree at a Regent university Exceptions are allowed when part of an articulation agreement between the receiving university and the two-year college.
             
        2. Students from colleges and universities that have candidate status with an accrediting agency.
          1. Credit earned at colleges and universities that have become candidates for accreditation by an association is acceptable for transfer in a manner similar to that from colleges and universities accredited by an entity recognized by the US Department of Education if the credit is applicable to the bachelor's degree at the receiving university.
             
          2. Credit earned at the junior and senior classification from an accredited two-year college that has received approval by an accrediting association for change to a four-year college may be accepted by a Regent university.
             
        3. Students from colleges and universities not accredited:
          1. Credit earned at colleges and universities not accredited by an entity recognized by the US Department of Education shall be validated by satisfactory academic study in residence or by examination. Each university shall specify the amount of the transfer credit and the terms of the validation process at the time of admission.
             
          2. In determining the acceptability of transfer credit from colleges that are not accredited by an entity recognized by the US Department of Education in states other than Iowa, acceptance practices indicated in the current issue of Transfer Credit Practices of Selected Educational Institutions shall be used as a guide. For institutions not listed in the publication, guidance is requested from the designated reporting institution of the appropriate state.
             
        4. Students from foreign colleges and universities.
          Transfer credit from foreign educational institutions may be granted after a determination of the type of institution involved and its recognition by the educational authorities of the foreign country and after an evaluation of the content, level, and comparability of the study to courses and programs at the receiving university. Credit may be granted in specific courses, but is frequently assigned to general areas of study. Extensive use is made of professional journals and references that describe the educational systems and programs of individual countries.
           
  3. Consistent with applicable law, the universities shall not use race or other federal- or state-protected class characteristics as a factor in admission decisions for undergraduate, graduate or professional programs.

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1 For purposes of calculating the Regent Admission Index, ACT composite score has top value of 36 (SAT scores will be converted to ACT composite equivalents); high school GPA is expressed on a 4-point scale; and number of high school courses completed in the core subject area is expressed in terms of years or fractions of years of study.