High School Requirements

High School Requirements for Admission

A unit is defined as a subject studied in an accredited high school through a session of not less than nine months, recitation periods being not less than forty minutes in length, five times a week or by other arrangements approved by the Arkansas Department of Education. On the average, a full year's high school should give four units of credit.

Admission Criteria

The failure of colleges and universities to establish clear standards for admission has exacerbated the problem of students seeking admission who are poorly prepared for collegiate work.  Investment in instruction for remediation has increased substantially as a result.  To send a clear signal to students who are contemplating college, Henderson has established significant admission standards which will encourage students to enroll in a pre collegiate curriculum in high school and which   will   permit   the   university   to   deal   effectively with the needs of potentially   promising   students who require   remedial   work.   The   following criteria, therefore, has two major components: (1) overall unconditional admission standards and (2) conditional admission of students who may require extensive remediation.

Students must have an ACT Composite score of 17 and rank in the upper half of their graduating class or have an ACT Composite score of 18.

Students who do not meet the above mentioned ACT requirements may be admitted if they graduate in the upper half of their high school class and complete the college preparatory course of study.

Act 1290 of 1997 requires students graduating from high school in 2002 and after to have completed the high school core curriculum with a grade point of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for unconditional admission.  Students who fail to meet the requirements may be admitted on a conditional basis.  Students who receive a GED or are graduates of home schooling or private high schools after May 12, 1999, must make a composite score of 19 on the American College Test (ACT) or the equivalent score on the SAT, ASSET, or COMPASS in order to be unconditionally admitted.

The Henderson State University Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of University Relations/Admissions are responsible for implementation of this policy.  The Office of University Relations/Admissions will inform incoming students of their admission status upon receipt of application materials.  Transcripts of out-of-state high school students will be evaluated by the Office of University Relations/Admissions for meeting the core curriculum and required grade point.

Students admitted with the state conditional status will be required to complete 12 hours of the Henderson liberal arts core with a minimum 2.0 grade point average as well as any required remedial courses within their first 30 semester hours attempted, excluding developmental courses.  Failure to meet these conditions will result in dismissal from the university.

Not Eligible for Admission

1. An applicant with an ACT composite score of 17 and who graduated in the lower half of his/her high school class or an applicant with an ACT composite score of 16 and below is not eligible for admission to Henderson State University.
2. Applicants not eligible for admission may appeal to the Credentials Committee which will require additional information. All additional required information must be submitted by July 31 for fall semesters and by November 30 for spring semesters.

All first time entering freshmen at all state supported colleges and universities in Arkansas who are admitted to enroll in a bachelor's degree program or in associate degree programs which transfer to the bachelor's degree are tested for purposes of placement in either college level credit courses in English and mathematics or remedial courses in English, reading, and mathematics.  Remedial courses shall not provide credit toward a degree.

To encourage the completion of remedial courses during the first year of college work, a student is limited to one repeat of a remedial course.  Any grade other than "W" in a remedial course is counted as a repeat. If the student has not completed the remedial  requirement after one repeat, the student may either complete the remedial course(s) at another institution or pay additional course fees of $100.00 for each additional repeat. The university has a requirement that students may not enroll in upper-division courses until all remedial requirements have been met.
 
The score for college level courses in mathematics, English, and  reading is 19 or above on the Enhanced American College Test in each of the three areas. Students may offer equivalent scores on the ASSET or SAT.

All admission materials must be sent to the Office of University Relations/Admissions by an official of the high school and should be in that office no later than the date of registration.

 Henderson may accept students in grades 9 12 as part time students for academic credit. Each student must be recommended by the high school principal, have a minimum ACT score of 19 in English, reading, math and composite on national norms, have a minimum grade point average of 2.50 (A=4.0), or meet other performance criteria which justify waiver of test scores and grade average. The student's high school status will be disturbed to the least possible extent.