Concurrent Admission

A junior or senior high school student may, if he or she meets the requirements set forth below, be admitted provisionally to USAO as a special student taking courses in college while still in high school. A student who does not meet one of the applicable criteria detailed below, may be given an exception to enroll in a specific course in which the student has demonstrated exceptional ability.

Admission Requirements

High school seniors and juniors may enroll, who meet the following:

National ACT	20
Pre-ACT (10^th grade)	20
Residual ACT	20¹
SAT	1020² OR 940³
PSAT 10	1020² OR 940³
GPA and Class Rank	Unweighted High School GPA 3.0 and Class Rank top 50%

¹Only one residual ACT per year (from November 1 to October 31) is valid for admission and course placement.

²This score is valid on SATs and PSATs administered on or after March 5, 2016. This score is based on College Board’s Concordance Table that was published on May 9, 2016. It is subject to change.

³This score is valid on SATs and PSATs administered before March 5, 2016.

A student receiving high-school-level instruction at home or from an unaccredited high school may be admitted provisionally to USAO as a special student if he or she meets the requirements set forth below:

Must have completed enough high school coursework to be equivalent to an individual who is classified as a junior or senior at an accredited high school.
Must have achieved a composite score of 20 or whose combined evidence-based reading and writing and mathematical scores equal 1020.

Course Placement and Enrollment

At minimum, concurrent students shall demonstrate college readiness in a particular subject area to be eligible to enroll in a college level course in the corresponding subject area. A high school student not demonstrating college readiness in science, reasoning, mathematics, or English will not be permitted to enroll in any other collegiate course (outside the subjects of science, mathematics, and English). Concurrent students are prohibited from enrolling in any form of development education, including any configuration in which developmental education is embedded within a credit-bearing course. College readiness is demonstrated through USAO Assessments, ACT, Pre-ACT, Residual ACT, SAT, or PSAT scores.

Enrollment may not exceed a combined number of high school and college courses per term of 19 term-credit-hours. For purposes of calculating workload, one-half high school unit shall be equivalent to three-term-credit hours of college work. Non-academic high school units are excluded from the workload calculation. All students must have a signed form from the high school principal or counselor stating that he/she is eligible to satisfy requirements for graduation from high school (including curricular requirements for college admission) no later than the spring of the senior year. Students must also have written permission from a parent or legal guardian. This form is available in the USAO Admission's Office.

University coursework is designed to be both an enriching and challenging experience. High school students who seek concurrent enrollment in college or university classes must meet special, higher admission standards as specified in State Regents Policy. Concurrently enrolled students will find themselves competing with older students, all of whom have achieved a high school diploma or equivalent. Many will have already completed several years of college-level work.

In addition, higher education caters to adult learners and presumes a high level of responsibility on the part of students. USAO students accept the primary responsibility for attending class, reading assignments, meeting deadlines, understanding course requirements, and monitoring their own progress during the term. While USAO prides itself on the accessibility of its faculty and offers numerous tutoring and academic counseling services, it is understood to be the duty of students to be proactive and access these resources.

Credits earned at USAO become part of a student’s university record and will transfer to other higher education institutions. By the same measure, while under certain conditions unsatisfactory grades may be appealed or retaken, they cannot normally be expunged and will remain a part of a student’s permanent undergraduate record. To continue concurrent enrollment, the student must maintain a “C” average (2.00 grade point average).

High school students concurrently enrolled in college courses may continue concurrent enrollment in subsequent terms if they achieve a college grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale. Following high school graduation, such a student may continue his or her enrollment at USAO, provided he or she has achieved a college grade point average of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale and meets USAO'S entrance requirements (including the high school curricular requirements).