Lamar University will strengthen its undergraduate admissions standards beginning Jan. 1, 2009, officials announced today.
The new admissions standards for students entering from high school include more stringent requirements for scores on either the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test, better known as the SAT, or the ACT college entrance exam.
To fulfill the unconditional admissions requirements, applicants must have graduated from an accredited high school and have taken SAT or ACT. Equivalency diplomas granted on the basis of GED scores are not accepted unconditionally. Prospective students who do not fulfill the unconditional requirements for admission can find guidelines for individual approval admissions and exemptions on the web at www.lamar.edu/admissions/hsgrads.php.
Under the new admissions standards, applicants ranked in the Top 10 percent of their class have no minimum score requirement for either the ACT or SAT. Applicants ranked in the Top 11 percent to Top 25 percent of their class must have a minimum score of 17 on the ACT or 800 (combined score for math and critical reading) on the SAT for unconditional admission. Applicants in the second quarter of their high school class must have a minimum ACT score of 18 or an SAT score of 850 (combined score for math and critical reading) for unconditional admission to the university. Applicants in the third quarter must have a minimum ACT score of 23 or an SAT score of 1050 (combined score for math and critical reading) for unconditional admission. Applicants ranked in the bottom quarter must have a minimum ACT score of 29 or an SAT score of 1200 (combined score for math and critical reading) for unconditional admission.
Students presenting GEDs, those graduating from high schools that do not provide class ranking and those who are home schooled must have a minimum ACT score of 20 or SAT combined math and critical reading score of 930 for unconditional admission.
Under the previous standards, no minimum scores were required on the ACT or SAT for applicants in the top half of their graduating classes.
For applicants in the third quartile, ACT scores of 21 or SAT scores of 1000 were required. For applicants in the fourth quartile, a minimum ACT score of 24 or SAT score of 1100 was required for unconditional admission.
In addition to the minimum ACT or SAT scores, applicants seeking unconditional admission must hold a diploma from an accredited high school and have successfully completed 14 high school units in college preparatory courses including four units in college preparatory English courses, three units of college preparatory math courses, two units of laboratory science courses, two-and-a-half units of social science courses and two-and-a-half units of approved college preparatory course electives (two units of foreign language are recommended).
Registration for the spring semester and winter mini-session is ongoing. The mini-session will be Dec. 19-Jan. 9. Spring classes begin Jan. 12.
Before registering, students must apply for admission. For more information on applying, call (409) 880-8888 or visit lamar.edu/ admissions. To view the complete spring semester class schedule, go to lamar.edu and click on Class Schedules on the left.
