College Entrance Requirements

Generally, college requirements are stated in terms of a four-year high school program. It is advisable for students to begin an early study of colleges to assure they have the required subjects for entrance to the college of their choice.  The school counselor aids the student in choosing suitable schools and determining the special requirements of the colleges within a university; for example, liberal arts, fine arts, engineering, and medicine may well have entirely different entrance requirements. Students are encouraged to use SchooLinks to obtain up-to-date college information. 

Some institutions in the Connecticut State University System have revised their admission criteria. Students may be required to complete the following coursework to be considered for admission: 

• English - 4 years

• Math - 4 years including Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and a fourth year in an algebra intensive course such as Trigonometry or Probability  

• Science - 3 years including one life and one physical science, and two laboratory courses

• STEM - 1 year elective studies in science, engineering, technology, or math

• Social Studies - 3 years including at least one year of US History and the equivalent of a half year in American Government and Citizenship

• World Language - 2 years of the same world language is required, however, 3 years are recommended

• Humanities - 1 year of coursework in humanities electives 

• Arts - 1 year of coursework in the Arts

• Physical Education/Life Skills - 1 year of physical education and 2 years of life skills elective courses such  as career/technical education, English as a Second Language, personal finance or nutrition and health. 

Please note: Some colleges do not recognize classes taken in middle school to count toward their admission requirements.