Mississippi Residents

Regular admission will be granted to the following:

1. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum of a 3.20 high school GPA on the CPC.
2. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with (a) a minimum of a 2.50 high school GPA on the CPC or a class rank in the top 50%, and (b) a score of 16 or higher on the ACT (or the SAT equivalent).
3. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with (a) a minimum of a 2.00 high school GPA on the CPC, and (b) a score of 18 or higher on the ACT (or SAT equivalent).
4. All students satisfying the NCAA Division I standards for student-athletes who are “full-qualifiers or “academic redshirts.”

In 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.

Beginning fall 2021, institutions will use the highest ACT or SAT subject test scores from the same test type when scores from more than one test date are submitted. This process is known as super scoring. A combination of ACT and SAT subtest scores cannot be combined to calculate a super score.

Academic Placement Resulting From Various Deficiencies

Those Mississippi residents who applied and failed to meet Full Admission Standards along with any Mississippi high school graduate regardless of academic performance may, as a result of the review, be admitted to the summer or fall semester. The ACT is not a requirement in this category. The review shall involve a consideration of high school performance, ACT scores (if available), placement testing, special interests, and skills as well as other non-cognitive factors. The review shall result in placement in one of the following categories:

Full Admission
As a result of the review, students in this category may be placed as if admitted under Regular Full Admission. In addition, students may be required to enroll in selected college-level science and social science courses equivalent to high school courses in which their background is inadequate. These courses will yield institutional credit. Other students in this category may be required to participate in the Year-Long Academic Support Program.

Students with Academic Deficiencies
Applicants who do not meet the above-listed standards will be required to participate in a screening process. As a result of the screening process, applicants may be admitted to the fall or summer semester. The review shall involve a consideration of high school performance, ACT/SAT scores, placement testing, and special interests and skills, as well as other nonacademic factors. Applicants will be encouraged to participate in a Year-Long Academic Support Program.

Full Admission with Academic Deficiencies

Students who have not demonstrated adequate readiness in English, Reading, or Mathematics may be granted Full Admission with Academic Deficiencies to the Summer Developmental Program (which is called The S.T.A.R.S. Program: Students Trained for Academic Readiness and Success), if applicable. This is an intensive program that concentrates on high school subject areas (English, Reading, and Mathematics) that are applicable to success in first-year college courses. These courses carry institutional credit. Students who successfully complete the summer program, by passing the developmental courses in which they were determined to be deficient, will receive full admission, with mandatory participation in the Year-Long academic support program. Students who fail to successfully complete the Summer Developmental Program are not eligible for enrollment in the regular academic year and will be counseled to explore other post-secondary opportunities, including those offered by community colleges.

Year-long Academic Support Program

This program is designed to assist those students admitted with academic deficiencies as well as other volunteer students, with their freshman courses. The Year-Long Academic Support Program will consist of classroom, individual, and computer-assisted instruction along with career counseling in a laboratory setting. The Program carries institutional credit.

Intermediate Courses

1. All students admitted under freshman admission requirements (Board Policy 602) enrolled at an IHL university with an ACT Mathematics subtest score of 16 or less will be required to take College Algebra with co-requisite support during their first semester of enrollment. Students with a minimum ACT Mathematics subtest score of 15 who have completed the Mississippi Department of Education’s approved mathematics transitional course with a grade of “80” or higher will not be required to take Intermediate Mathematics and should be enrolled in a college-level mathematics course during their first semester of enrollment.
2. All entering students admitted under freshman admission requirements (Board Policy 602) enrolled at an IHL university with an ACT English subtest score of 16 or less will be required to take English Composition with co-requisite support during their first semester of enrollment. Students with a minimum ACT Reading subtest score of 15 who have completed the Mississippi Department of Education approved literacy transitional course with a grade of “80” or higher should be enrolled in a college-level English course during their first semester of enrollment.
3. All entering students admitted under freshman admission requirements (Board Policy 602) enrolled at an IHL university with an ACT Reading subtest score of 16 or less will be required to take Intermediate Reading during their first semester of enrollment. Students taking Intermediate Reading should not be permitted to take reading-intensive courses, such as History. Students with a minimum ACT Reading subtest score of 15 who have completed the Mississippi Department of  Education approved literacy transitional course with a grade of “80” or higher will not be required to take Intermediate Reading.
4. Students taking two or more intermediate courses must enroll in the year-long Academic Support Program, or some other IHL-recognized intervention strategy to promote success in the courses in which they are not fully prepared, according to the ACT subtest scores and will not be permitted to take more than 17 semester hours.
5. Intermediate courses may be delivered through a co-requisite model coupled with a credit-bearing gateway course.
6. Regarding course placement using an ACT subtest score, exemptions to this policy based on prior high school course performance, postsecondary course performance, or other academic experiences must be approved by the institution’s Chief Academic Officer or designee.

Note: Intermediate courses do not count toward degree requirements and cannot substitute for elective or major courses required for graduation. Co-requisite courses do meet the General Education requirements.

Non-Resident Admissions

Any student identified as a non-resident will be qualified for admission to a Mississippi institution of higher learning based on equivalent preparation as determined by the admitting institution. If, however, an admitting institution determines that anticipated enrollment will exceed the institution’s capacity to adequately serve all prospective students who are otherwise qualified for admission, then the institution may make appropriate admissions decisions from among the pool of otherwise qualified non-resident applicants in light of the institutional capacity and consistent with constitutional and other legal requirements, as well as in light of the IHL and the admitting institution’s values, mission, and goals.

Applicants Without a Diploma From a Regionally Accredited High School; Home School Students; General Education Degree (GED) Students

1. Applicants who have completed high school from a school that does not hold regional accreditation must submit the following:
   1. Transcripts reflecting academic performance
   2. ACT or SAT scores
2. Home-schooled applicants must submit the following:
   1. Home-school transcripts or portfolio summarizing home school education
   2. ACT or SAT scores
3. Applicants who have not completed high school must submit the following:
   1. Qualifying scores on a state-approved high school equivalency exam
   2. Any transcripts reflecting academic performance in high school
   3. ACT or SAT scores
4. International applicants who have completed an international or foreign high school may be admitted in another admissions category or must submit one of the following:
   1. Transcripts reflecting academic performance or a secondary school leaving form or
   2. ACT or SAT scores

All applicants described in this section are subject to the requirements outlined for Freshman Admission Requirements. Applicants in this section may validate the College Preparatory Curriculum in an alternate way. All applicants described in this section may be required to appear for an on-campus interview.