State University System Admissions Policies

COMPETITIVE ADMISSION PRACTICES
Admission to Florida’s state universities is limited by space available.  The degree of competition for space depends on the number and qualifications of those who apply for admission.  To increase the chance of admission, high school students should try to exceed the minimum requirements.  (See chart for admissions statistics).

SUBSTITUTIONS OF REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
An individual with a visual impairment, hearing impairment, or specific learning disability, may wish to be considered for admission on the basis of a reasonable substitution of an admissions requirement.  Information is available from the university’s office of admissions.

EXCEPTIONS TO MINIMUM ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The majority of students are admitted on the basis of their past academic achievement and admissions test scores in relation to the minimum requirements.  Universities are allowed the flexibility to admit a limited number of students as exceptions to the minimum requirements, through the recommendations of appropriate faculty committees.  Exceptions may be made on the basis of important attributes or special talents of individual applicants who may not qualify for admission based only on their academic records and admissions test scores, but may demonstrate potential for success in college. Applicants should provide information regarding other important attributes, or special talents along with their application.

BASIS FOR DETERMINING ADMISSIONS ELIGIBILITY
The Florida Board of Governors has established minimum state level admissions policies for first-time-in-college students and for students transferring without having AA degrees from Florida public community colleges. Admissions decisions are based on 1) high school graduation, 2) grade point average in academic core courses, 3) admissions test scores, and 4) course distribution requirements. These requirements are minimum state standards applying to all ten universities. Higher admissions standards may be required by each university.

1. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.
Graduation from an accredited high school or the equivalent is required. An applicant from a non-traditional program, such as home schooling, must present the required credentials and will be judged by the individual university.

2. GRADE POINT AVERAGE IN HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC CORE COURSES.
A weighted high school grade point average (HSGPA) will be recalculated by the university using a 4.0 scale from grades earned in high school academic core courses in five designated subject areas.  Additional weights are normally assigned to grades of D or better in Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and other advanced courses. ADDITIONAL GRADE POINTS ASSIGNED TO SPECIALLY DESIGNATED COURSES FOR CALCULATING WEIGHTED AVERAGE H.S. GPA IN ACADEMIC CORE COURSES 

3.  ADMISSION TEST SCORES
Applicants to the state universities are required to submit SAT Reasoning or ACT scores.  Admission eligibility will be determined from a sliding scale that involves both the grade point average and the admissions test score.  A sliding scale allows the opportunity for an applicant to balance a low GPA with a high test score or to balance a low test score with a high GPA.  A student’s grade point average (GPA) will be calculated by the university to which the student applies as described above using grades earned in only the required academic core courses listed below.  The following sliding scale will be used to determine eligibility.

State University System Sliding Admissions Scale