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Undergraduate Catalog 2001-2003

Academic Policies

Section VII: Admissions Policies and Procedures

  1. Freshmen Applicants
  2. Transfer Applicants
  3. Non-Traditional Age Students
  4. International Students
  5. Students-at-large
  6. Post-Undergraduate Students
  7. Provisional Students
  8. Other Criteria for Admission
  9. Decision Procedures and Relation to University Governance
  10. Term of Entry


A. Freshmen Applicants
Any applicant who has not attempted transferable college work other than summer or special program will be considered a freshman applicant. The Vice President for Enrollment or a designate may grant full approval to freshmen applicants if at least two of the three following criteria are met: **

  1. The applicant has or will have graduated from an accredited high school having studied in a college preparatory curriculum* totaling at least sixteen academic units. *Aurora University defines a college preparatory curriculum or its equivalent as totaling at least sixteen academic units as specified below:
  2. The applicant ranks at least in the upper 60% of his/her current class or his/her graduating class (whichever class rank is most recent).
  3. The applicant has achieved combined Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of at least 910 (with an English subscore of at least 410) or an American College Test (ACT) of at least a 19 on the first or second attempt (with no subscore below a 17).
    ** NOTE: The Vice President for Enrollment may grant full or conditional approval to students who do not meet the minimum requirements listed above.
  4. The Vice President for Enrollment may grant conditional approval to applicants for admission who do not meet the minimum requirements but are deemed by the Vice President for Enrollment to warrant special consideration based on one or a combination of the following:
    1. Standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) which indicate a potential for academic success at Aurora University.
    2. Previous high school academic success (i.e. grade point average and class rank) which indicate a potential for academic success at Aurora University.
    3. Submit two references from teachers who can speak of your potential for success in college. It is preferred that one of these references be written by a current or former English teacher.
    4. A personal interview with the Vice President for Enrollment or a designate.
    5. A detailed, written, personal statement by the applicant to the Vice President for Enrollment explaining the applicant's previous academic performance, his/her academic/career goals and his/her interest in Aurora University.
    6. Other pertinent information which the Vice President for Enrollment deems sufficient and appropriate to warrant an admissions decision.
    7. Any combination of the above (a-f) upon which the Vice President for Enrollment may deem sufficient and appropriate to warrant an admissions decision.


B. Transfer Applicants
Any applicant for admission, who has completed 15 semester hours of transferable college coursework, will be considered a transfer student. Applicants with less than 30 semester hours of transferable college coursework will be required to meet the academic qualifications for freshman applicants and provide official high school transcripts with proof of graduation and ACT/SAT test scores. All transfer applicants must present proof of graduation or satisfactory completion of the GED if not evident from college transcripts.

The Vice President for Enrollment or a designate may grant full approval for admission to transfer applicants based upon the following criteria:

  1. The student was in good academic standing (defined as a GPA of at least a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale) at the college or university last attended and whose overall college record yields a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for work that could normally be considered applicable to degree programs at Aurora University. Individual programs may set stricter admission requirements, including requirements for proficiency in written and/or spoken English subject to the approval of the Provost/Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
  2. The Vice President for Enrollment may admit an applicant for admission to Aurora University on academic warning if the applicant was on academic probation or had been dismissed from a college or university previously attended or whose overall college record yields a GPA of less than a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for work that could normally be considered applicable to degree programs at Aurora University. The criteria upon which a transfer applicant may be approved for admission on warning will be identical to the criteria used in consideration of conditional freshmen applicants as noted above. Admission to programs with approved standards of their own is to be governed by the standards of those programs.
    The Vice President for Enrollment should exercise extreme caution in considering the application for admission of students academically dismissed from another college or university. It has been recent practice to disallow an applicant for admission to gain approval for admission sooner than the second Aurora University term (excluding summer-terms) following the dismissal.


C. Non-Traditional Age Students
Undergraduate students over the age of 23 or whose prior work experience may reasonably be expected to have an impact on their subsequent academic work, may be admitted through individual consideration of their backgrounds by the Vice President for Enrollment or a designate. A non-traditional age student must supply proof of high school graduation or the GED, unless evident from an official transcript of an accredited post-secondary institution. Also, a non-traditional age student may be required to show proficiency in written and/or spoken English.


D. International Students
The Vice President for Enrollment or a designate may grant full approval for admission to applicants who are graduates of foreign secondary schools where the primary language of instruction is not English or whose primary language is not English based upon the following criteria:

  1. A composite score of at least 550 (or 213-220 on the computer-based test) from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or ELS Level 109. (This requirement may be waived for students submitting ACT or SAT scores otherwise acceptable for admission).
  2. Average or better secondary school record, including graduation from a program at least at the level of the United States twelfth grade as described in the AACRAO World Education Series.
  3. Evidence of financial support/responsibility; an affidavit of support acceptable to the University and a deposit of $1000 will be required before the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) form I-20 will be issued by the Office of University Admissions.


E. Students-at-large
Persons not seeking a degree or certificate from Aurora University who may or may not have previously taken or completed college work or who are seeking a degree or credential from another institution will be considered students-at-large.

  1. Student-at-large applicants must complete a student-at-large application for admission, providing evidence of ability to pursue college study; previous academic performance may be considered at the discretion of the Vice President for Enrollment.
  2. Students-at-large may enroll in an aggregate of 15 semester hours of work at Aurora University. Thereafter, such students must complete the regular admission process and be admitted to the University before additional enrollments are permitted.


F. Post-Undergraduate Students
Persons who already hold a bachelor's degree from another CORPA-accredited institution and are seeking a second degree or other credential from Aurora University may be admitted by the Vice President for Enrollment or a designate on the same basis as transfer students.


G. Provisional Students
Students whose applications are incomplete three weeks or less prior to the start of a term due to circumstances beyond the control of the student may be provisionally approved by the Vice President for Enrollment provided that credentials so far received indicate with reasonable certainty that the student will meet minimum admissions standards. The Vice President for Enrollment (or a specific designate) is the only University official authorized to grant provisional approval.

Provisionally admitted students must sign an advisement agreement recording their understanding that they are registering for coursework at their own risk with respect to applicability to specific programs or requirements at Aurora University.

Provisionally admitted students will not be enrolled in any future term at Aurora University unless fully accepted.


H. Other Criteria for Admission
In addition to the academic criteria above, the Vice President for Enrollment shall implement where appropriate strategies for recruitment and selection of students that promote general goals for shaping the nature and composition of the Aurora University student body. Students with special characteristics in the following areas, among others, may be especially sought from among those who meet academic criteria.

  1. Students demonstrating unusual potential for benefitting from and contributing to the ongoing program of the University.
  2. Students who will contribute to increasing the cultural, racial and ethnic diversity of the University.
  3. Students who show distinction in extra-curricular activities such as student government, drama, music, athletics, etc.
  4. Students whose experiential or career backgrounds bring unusual diversity of skills or knowledge to the classroom.
  5. Other special characteristics as determined by the appropriate elements of the University governance units charged with overseeing campus life.
    NOTE: Every aspect of the admission of students to Aurora University will be conducted in accordance with the intentions of the Academic Standards and Conduct Committee, and the University policies and regulations relating to nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action.


I. Decision Procedures and Relation to University Governance

  1. Applicants for admission who meet the academic qualifications outlined above are approved for admission by the Vice President for Enrollment, or a designate.
  2. Applicants for admission who do not meet the stated academic qualifications above will be reviewed and accepted or rejected by the Vice President for Enrollment on the basis of guidelines issued by the Academic Standards and Conduct Committee.
  3. Student-at-large and extended student applications are approved by the Vice President for Enrollment or a designate, in accordance with the criteria above.
  4. Applicants with an incomplete application for admission may be approved on a provisional basis only by the Vice President for Enrollment or a designate.


J. Term of Entry

  1. The official terms of entry shall be fall, winter and spring.
  2. A degree seeking student whose first enrollment at Aurora University is in a summer session is considered a fall term applicant and is governed by the catalog and regulations in effect for the fall term immediately following the summer term in which the student was first enrolled.
  3. Students-at-large are not considered matriculated until the first term (excluding summer) in which they are enrolled as a fully, conditionally or provisionally accepted student.
  4. Provisionally or conditionally accepted students are considered to have entered in the first term of enrollment, regardless of provisional or conditional status.


Posted: 11 March 2002