Prepping for College

Qualifying for College Admission

Most freshmen admission policies provide for a comprehensive, individualized review of applicants. This enables each college to admit students whose academic preparation, background, and personal experience suggest that they will succeed at the campus, benefit from the educational experience, and contribute to the educational environment.

Of primary consideration in the admission decision are academic factors: rigor and quality of high school coursework, rank in class, grade point average (GPA), ACT/SAT test scores, and trend in grades. Other factors that may be considered include, but are not limited to, student experiences, work experience, leadership qualities, motivation, community service, and special talents. Students are responsible for meeting post-secondary school admission requirements for specific institutions and are encouraged to monitor requirements periodically as they are subject to change.

Alternative Educational Backgrounds

If you are not a high school graduate, you must provide proof that you have satisfactorily completed the requirements for a high school equivalency certificate or diploma from a recognized high school, school system or state department of education/public instruction, based on the General Education Development (GED) exam, the Wisconsin High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) or other established criteria. Applicants from alternative education backgrounds, including home-schooled students, should communicate with the admissions office at the campus(es) of interest for information regarding admission. Additional documents, testing, letters of recommendation, and/or a personal interview may be required.

Standardized Test Requirements

The majority of colleges require new freshman applicants to submit the results of the ACT or SAT. All students will complete the ACT in the spring of their junior year and have the results sent to the appropriate campus(es). Both the SAT and ACT include a Writing Test; however, the ACT Writing Test is optional while the SAT Writing Test is a part of the SAT assessment and is not optional. Students have the opportunity to send their test results to 4 colleges of their choice for free. Sending test scores after they have completed that information will result in a fee from ACT.

The Admission Decision

High school seniors notified of admission before finishing their senior year are expected to graduate, successfully complete coursework in progress at the time they applied, and maintain the class rank required for admission. UW System institutions reserve the right to rescind admission if a student fails to meet conditions on which admission was based.

RECOMMENDED PREPARATORY COURSEWORK FOR UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE ADMISSION

College-bound students are encouraged to take English, math, science and social studies all four years.

Which high school credits do I need?

Minimum entrance requirements for technical colleges, and universities are constantly changing. Meeting minimum requirements does not always guarantee admission. Each institution of higher education has its own unique entrance requirements. For more information regarding preparation for a specific program or institution, obtain a program brochure or a college catalog. You may also check with a school counselor or contact an admissions counselor at your chosen campus. Application forms and general information for a large number of schools are available in Student Services.

All UW System institutions require a minimum of 17 high school credits in the following areas (one credit is equal to one year of study) and distributed as follows:

Core College Preparatory Credits:

English - 4 credits

Mathematics - 4 credits

Social Science - 3 credits

Natural Science - 4 credits

Elective Credits - 4 credits

Elective credits are chosen from the core college preparatory areas above, foreign language, fine arts, computer science, and other academic areas. A minimum of two credits in a single foreign language is required for admission UW-Madison and may help meet graduation requirements at other UW System campuses. Some campuses may accept career/technical courses for a portion of these four credits. The University of Minnesota requires four credits of math (see college websites for acceptable courses).

ENGLISH

English 9, English 10, English 11, English 12, AP Literature and Composition, AP Language and Composition, English 101 (0.75 high school credit; 3 college credits) and English 202 (0.75 high school credit; 3 college credits) are UW-Stevens Point dual enrollment courses offered here at the high school.

MATH

Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, AP Statistics. Students that are planning on attending a 4-year university need to have a minimum of Algebra II.

Examples of College Preparatory Math tracks:

Bolded classes are considered by universities as high school math credits

SCIENCE

Colleges require a significant high school lab experience such as Physical Science or Biology and one additional credit from Chemistry, AP Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Organic Chemistry, or Physics. Merrill High School counts Agriculture courses: Veterinary Science, Forestry, and Greenhouse Management as a science credit. You would need to contact the individual UW schools to make sure that they would accept one of those if you are using it as your third science credit.

SOCIAL STUDIES

World History, U.S. History, American Government, and a Social Studies elective such as Intro to Psychology, Sociology, AP Psychology, AP Human Geography, or AP US Government and Politics.

WORLD LANGUAGE

Two years of a single world language are required for admission to UW-Madison, as well as some Minnesota public colleges. Some colleges may require credits in a world language for graduation from college. Some requirements may be fulfilled at the high school level.

Start College Now Program will allow high school students the opportunity to take college courses at Wisconsin Technical Colleges.

Early College Credit Program will allow high school students the opportunity to enroll in a UW System institution or a private, nonprofit institution of higher education located in this state.

To participate in these programs, you must obtain approval from your school district, meet admission criteria, and be accepted by a UW System campus or technical college. For more information, talk with your school counselor or the admission office at the campus you hope to attend. Students looking to take courses in the fall semester must turn in the application by March 1. For spring semester courses the same application is used, however the due date is October 1.

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