Admissions Requirements

Prospective students must complete a formal application for admission. The admission period sought must be stated. The application will be acted upon for the stated period only, and this application cannot be considered a continuing application. In the event an application is denied for any reason or the applicant is not admitted for any reason, a new application is required for subsequent consideration. A high school transcript of work completed through the junior year showing courses in progress for the senior year and the American College Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores are required. Students may be granted provisional admission at any point during their senior year; however, full admission will be determined by the cumulative grade point average (CGPA), test scores (ACT or SAT), completion of the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) at the time of high school graduation, and receipt of a complete and official transcript in the Office of Admission and Recruitment. An official transcript must be mailed to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment (unofficial transcripts are not accepted from students), which lists the date of graduation, grade-point average and class rank. The high school course units listed in the next section are required and must be listed on the transcript.

High School Course Requirements

All entering freshman applicants must have earned at least a 2.0 in the high school units listed below. The official high school transcript must indicate credit in the following College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC):

CPC = College Prep Curriculum; ACT = American College Test;
SAT = Scholastic Aptitude Test
Option 1: Complete the CPC with a minimum of 3.20 high school GPA on the CPC.
Option 2: Complete the CPC with a minimum of 2.50 high school GPA on the CPC or a class ranking in the top 50% of the class, and an ACT score of 16 or higher or a combined score of 880-910 on the SAT.
Option 3: Complete the CPC with a minimum of 2.00 high school GPA on the CPC and an ACT score of 18 or higher or a combined score of 960-980 on the SAT.
Option 4: Satisfy the NCAA Division I standard for student-athletes who are "full qualifiers" or “academic redshirts” are accepted as equivalent to the admission standard.
In the lieu of ACT scores, students may submit equivalent SAT scores. Students scoring below 16 on the ACT (composite) or the equivalent SAT are encouraged to participate in the Year-Long Academic Support Program during their freshman year.

 

The minimum REQUIRED CPC for full admission into a Mississippi public university is as follows:
English: 4 Carnegie units
  • All must require substantial communication skills (i.e., reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Compensatory Reading and Writing may not be included.
Science: 3 Carnegie units
  • Biology I or its equivalent
  • Science higher than Biology I (2 units)

Mathematics: 3 Carnegie Units

  • Algebra I or its equivalent
  • Math higher than Algebra I (2 units)
Social Studies: 3 Carnegie units
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • U.S. Government (½ unit)
  • Economics (½ unit) or Introduction to World Geography (½ unit)
Arts: 1 Carnegie unit
  • Includes any one Carnegie unit (or two ½ units) of visual and performing arts course(s) meeting the requirements for high school graduation.
Advanced Electives: 2 Carnegie units
  • Option 1: Foreign Language I and Foreign Language II
  • Option 2: Foreign Language I and Advanced World Geography
  • Option 3: Any combination of English, Mathematics higher than Algebra I, Science higher than Biology I, Advanced Elective category, any AP course, any IB course
Technology: ½ Carnegie unit
  • A course that emphasizes the use of technology as a productivity tool. Instruction should include utilizing various forms of technology to create, collaborate, organize, and publish information. The application of technology as a productivity tool, rather than specific hardware and/or software packages should be the focus of the course.
Total Carnegie units: 16½

Click here for ACT/SAT concordance information