Admissions Requirements:

The undergraduate program is designed for students with well-defined interests or career objectives, as well as for those who wish to explore a variety of fields before deciding on a major. All accepted students are admitted to the University and are enrolled in an open major, (undeclared), or they can declare a business major.

The University at Albany no longer offers the traditional Early Decision program but rather a much more equitable early notification option referred to as the non-binding Early Action program.

The University at Albany's non-binding Early Action option allows students to apply to as many institutions as they wish and students admitted under this program need not finalize their enrollment decision until May 1st. The non-binding Early Action program has an application deadline of November 15th, and candidates meeting this deadline may expect an admission decision before the first of the year.

Candidates who wish to receive an early notification from the University at Albany must submit a completed application along with their $40.00 fee to the SUNY processing center and indicate on the application their intent to participate in the Early Action program at Albany. They must submit an official high school transcript and their SAT or ACT test scores. Further, it is recommended they complete and return to the Admissions Office Part II of the Undergraduate application as soon as possible.

This new option allows students to hear from all the schools to which they apply as well as receive their financial aid notices before having to make a decision on which institution to select for their undergraduate program.

The Presidential Scholars Program is designed to recognize and nurture outstanding students; it offers participants the chance to study with other highly qualified undergraduates. Scholars may participate in the Honors Tutorials of the General Education Honors Program during their freshman and sophomore years.

To be considered for the program, students must first apply for admission to the University at Albany. Students with the strongest academic credentials are then invited to participate in the Presidential Scholars program. Invitations are based on the applicants' high school performance and combined SAT scores. For further information regarding the program, contact the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at 518-442-5435 or 1-800-293-7869.

The Frederick Douglass Scholars Program is designed to provide direct aid funding for undergraduate students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and are from underrepresented minority groups. Scholars may participate in the honors tutorials of the General Education Honors Program during their freshman and sophomore years.

The program is limited to undergraduates who are members of historically underrepresented minorities (African American/Black, Hispanic, Native American, or Alaskan American) including permanent resident aliens, enrolled in a degree program who have demonstrated high academic achievement.

For further information, contact the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, LC 30 (518-442-3950).

Freshman applicants who do not meet the traditional admissions requirements should be aware that admission may be possible through special admissions programs. Such programs are outlined briefly here.

The University is willing to enroll a limited number of early admission students. The guidelines for admission require the following:

Each applicant will be required to present a minimum of 18 units of high school course work acceptable to the University, including laboratory science, mathematics, and foreign language study. It is expected that these students will have pursued both an enriched and accelerated secondary school program and will present courses in keeping with their expressed goals in the college program.

Each applicant must have achieved at an outstanding level, generally considered to be in the area of a 90 percent or better high school average, with a corresponding rank in class within the top 10 percent. Those applicants who do not meet these qualitative guidelines must present convincing evidence that they possess a special talent and/or extraordinary ability in their chosen field of study.

Each applicant must present standardized admissions test results at or above the 90th percentile.

The high school guidance counselor must support the applicant's request for "early admission" and must certify to the school's willingness to grant the high school diploma upon successful completion of the freshman year. Courses necessary for fulfilling high school graduation requirements must be so designated by that counselor, and the student must agree to pursue such course work during the freshman year.

A sizable number of undergraduates transfer into the University from other colleges and universities each year. The University welcomes applications from all students who are completing work at other two- and four-year colleges. To be favorably considered one should have at least an overall C+ (2.5) average for all college work attempted. The cumulative average necessary for admission will vary, depending on the program and the quantitative background of the applicant. Admission to certain programs (majors) is competitive and is based not only on a required grade point average (GPA) but also on completion of a certain set of prerequisite core courses. The required GPA varies from year to year but generally a B is required for applicants to the accounting, business administration, criminal justice, and social welfare programs. GPA's are computed using grades earned in all courses attempted. Applicants who lack in their high school program the mathematics requirement and other recommendations described in the section entitled "High School Preparation" should ensure their college course work has satisfied any deficiencies.

Students enrolled in EOP or EOP-type programs at other colleges are encouraged to apply for transfer admission to our EOP program.

In addition to submitting the basic application and supplement form, transfer applicants must also submit official transcripts of all work taken at any college or university since high school graduation, whether or not they expect to receive transfer credit. Where only one transcript is offered, such a transcript should include at least one year's grades. Transfers may be admitted also on the basis of one semester of college course work, provided their high school preparation meets the quantitative and qualitative requirements for freshman admission. The transfer applicant is not expected to take an admissions examination. A decision as to admissibility cannot be made until the previously noted items are submitted. If there are gaps in your educational sequence, you will be asked to provide a brief list of your activities during that period.

Minority students (African-American, Hispanics, and Native Americans) who wish to transfer from other colleges and universities are especially encouraged to apply. Contact the Director of Admissions for more information.

An estimate of the total number of credits accepted for transfer will be made when admission is granted. When the student registers for the first time, he or she will be provided with a tentative evaluation of course credits. The tentative evaluation is subject to final approval and modification following the initial advisement and programming session. Transfer students are strongly urged to take advantage of the Planning Conference where a review of the evaluation of course work is offered.

Transfer Grades:  Courses are accepted for transfer credit provided that a grade of C- or higher has been achieved.

1. For students who matriculated before Fall 2000, credit earned with a grade of D or the lowest passing grade will transfer only if such credit is balanced by a B or A at the same institution. D grades earned in courses within the major/minor must be balanced by grades of B or A earned within the major/minor at the same institution.

2. For students who matriculate Fall 2000 through Summer 2001, prematriculation credit earned with a grade of D or the lowest passing grade will transfer only if such credit is balanced by a B or A at the same institution. D grades earned in courses within the major/minor must be balanced by grades of B or A earned within the major/minor at the same institution. Postmatriculation credit graded D will not transfer.*

3. For students who matriculate Fall 2001 and thereafter, no credit graded D from another institution will transfer.*

All transfer applicants are strongly encouraged to indicate the major they plan to pursue once admitted to the University. Since Albany students, with few exceptions, are required to declare a major by the time they have accumulated 42 graduation credits, and may declare a major after accumulating 24 graduation credits, incoming transfer students with 24 or more credits are usually assigned to major departmental advisers for their initial programming. The prospective transfer student should consult the section of this bulletin entitled "Declaration of Major" for a list of those majors that have specific restrictions, and then consult the departmental description of the admission requirements for that program.

The transfer student's designated class standing (class year) is determined by the number of credits accepted for transfer (see the "Class Standing" section of this bulletin). However, for many majors (combined major/minors in the sciences, for example) over all class standing should not be construed to mean that the student is necessarily on schedule within the major/minor sequence. This is especially true for students who transfer to the University from technical and applied programs, or for those who change major interest and/or career goals at the time of transfer, as well as for those who will apply to a Teacher Education Program.

The prospective transfer student should examine closely those sections of this bulletin which deal with minor requirements, residence requirements, the General Education Requirements and with the Writing Requirement. These are graduation requirements in addition to those stipulated by the major.

The University at Albany has transfer articulation agreements with a number of New York State community colleges. Those articulated programs provide the best possible vehicle for transferring to the University because they were designed to provide transfer students with a course specific four semester outline of courses, which not only best prepares them for study on this campus, but also serves to maximize their transferable credits. Students attending the community colleges where these agreements exist should make early contact with their Transfer Counseling Office for information and guidance.

Please note that the University offers prospective students the opportunity for joint admissions with several SUNY community colleges. Please see section on Joint Admissions.

Under the Joint Admissions Program, students are admitted to the SUNY community college and acknowledged by the University as first year matriculants, with conditional acceptance to the University after completion of their Associate's in Arts or Associate's in Science degree. Students are assured that if they achieve the stipulated academic proficiency and distribution requirements as detailed in the Transfer Guide of the student's first institution, it will be possible to complete their baccalaureate degree at the University at Albany in four additional semesters (or equivalent for part-time students). Candidates selected for the program will receive a letter of acknowledgement from the Director of Admissions at the University at Albany. Students accepted through the Joint Admissions Program should work closely with a transfer counselor at their community college. The students in the Joint Admissions Program are expected to enroll at the University at Albany in the semester following completion of the associate degree. Students must confirm their intent to enroll at the University by submitting a Joint Admissions Supplemental Application and official transcript to the transfer counselor at their community college early in the semester immediately prior to transfer to the University at Albany. Students who enroll at a third institution lose their automatic transfer and must have their total academic record reviewed for transfer consideration.

The University encourages students who have already earned a bachelor's degree and/or an advanced degree to pursue graduate studies. However, if reasons can be demonstrated in writing as to why a second bachelor's degree is preferred and how it is educationally sound, students already possessing a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree after having bypassed the baccalaureate, could be admitted as matriculated students to an undergraduate program. All such requests will be reviewed by the Admissions Office in accordance with regulations of the Undergraduate Policy Manual.

Students who have been approved to obtain a second bachelor's degree from the University at Albany must be admitted as a matriculated student by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours as a matriculated student in residence at the University at Albany.

Students who desire admission to the undergraduate programs and are citizens of other countries should begin the application procedure as early as possible so that all necessary arrangements can be completed before the term begins. Special application materials should be used by those who are applying as international students. Early in the preparation for admission, a careful investigation of the financial requirements should be made with the Admissions Office. Students whose native language is other than English are required to submit proof of English language competency through submission of the scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Exam administered by the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.

It may be necessary to rescind an acceptance if the University finds that a student is no longer financially independent to the extent certified on the formal application.

After acceptance and prior to registration, each candidate will be required to file with the Student Health Service a complete and satisfactory medical record.

Students may be granted advanced placement and/or credit at any time that they can demonstrate the requisite proficiency. The programs described here represent a variety of opportunities for receiving credit for college courses by examination prior to or while enrolled at the University. Some of the testing programs offer examinations in the same or similar academic areas. Duplicating examinations, like duplicating courses, should be avoided. Credit for a course by examination will be awarded only once, regardless of how many different exams for the same course are taken. As a matter of policy, the first examination pursued takes precedence over subsequent tests.

Exceptions:  A student seeking an exception to this policy must petition the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. In that petition, the student must include an explicit recommendation from the academic department that grants the credits. In addition, the student must provide a compelling educational rationale detailing the reasons why an exception should be considered.

Note:  This policy applies to all students who matriculate at the University at Albany in Fall 1999 and thereafter.

Further information concerning CLEP can be obtained either from the Admissions Office at this University or by contacting the Program Director, College-Level Examination Program, Box 1821, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.

A secondary education program with origins in Europe, the International Baccalaureate Program now being offered in some American high schools is an upper-secondary-level program with a core curriculum and distribution requirements leading to a diploma or one or more certificates of examination.

Similar to the British "A Level" examinations and the French Baccalaureate, the IB program is a system of syllabuses, or course descriptions, and examinations based on the concept that general education at the upper-secondary-level should encompass the development of all the main powers of the mind through which a person interprets, modifies, and enjoys the environment.

With these principles in mind, an international group of educators has designed a program which requires that each student become proficient in language and mathematics, the two most important tools of communication and analysis; become familiar with at least one subject that exemplifies the study of human behavior and with another that involves scientific inquiry; develop an acquaintance with aesthetic and moral values; engage in creative, aesthetic, social service, or physical activities; and participate in a common course that reflects upon the truth, criteria, values, and inter-relations of the subjects under study.

The six areas studied at the eleventh- and twelfth-grade level in the American high schools which employ the program are (1) Language A (first language); (2) Language B (second language); (3) Study of Man; (4) Experimental Science; (5) Mathematics; (6) Art, Music, Classical Language. A seventh course known as Theory of Knowledge is also included, and through it each student engages in creative, aesthetic, or social activities.

Three of the six subjects have to be offered at the Higher Level and three at the Subsidiary Level. Courses are graded on a scale from 0 to 7. The University at Albany will consider for credit and/or placement on a course-by-course evaluation those IB subjects completed at the Higher Level in which a score from 4 (satisfactory) to 7 (excellent) is earned.

Because of the comprehensive nature of the courses in the IB program, and since it has been the University's experience that exact course equivalents are difficult to identify, credit is generally awarded on an elective basis.

The United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI), an educational division of the Department of Defense, once provided educational opportunities at various levels for personnel on active duty with all branches of the military. College-level courses culminated in USAFI Subject Standardized Tests and End-of-Course Tests.

In 1974, the New York State Education Department (SED) began a systematic evaluation of the formal learning experiences sponsored by noncollegiate institutions; that is, organizations whose primary focus is not education. They include private industry, professional associations, labor unions, voluntary associations, and government agencies. The publication A Guide to Educational Programs in Noncollegiate Organizations describes the available courses offered by each organization and includes SED's credit recommendation.

The University will award transfer credit for work done through noncollegiate institutions if:

1. The course is listed in A Guide to Educational Programs in Noncollegiate Organizations

2. The course meets all present criteria and standards for transferability, is comparable to a University at Albany offering, and is collegiate in nature

3. The course is approved by the appropriate University academic department, school, or college

A former student who wishes to be readmitted as an undergraduate should refer to the section on readmission policies and procedures under "Undergraduate Academic Regulations."