Admissions Policies for Traditional Students

Graduating High School Seniors and High School Graduates

Graduating high school seniors and high school graduates who wish to be admitted to the University as matriculating students must complete the following steps:

1.  file an official application form with the University of Massachusetts Lowell prior to July 1;

2.  request high school principals or guidance directors to forward to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions transcripts of secondary school grades, including grade reports for at least the first quarter of the senior year;

3.  arrange to take either the  College Entrance Examination Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or ACT exam.

Detailed information concerning the College Entrance Examination Board tests and the dates throughout the year on which they are administered may be secured from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, high school principals or guidance directors, or the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08540. Special information is provided in the following sections concerning required aptitude examinations for applicants to music programs and for satisfaction of department language requirements through the Foreign Language Achievement Tests of the College Entrance Examination Board.

Following receipt of application forms, transcripts of high school records, and SAT or ACT exam, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions may arrange appointments for personal interviews of applicants. The responsibility for having all credentials forwarded to the University of Massachusetts Lowell rests solely with the applicant.

Admission Requirements for Graduating High School Seniors and High School Graduates

The general expectation is that applicants will present course work, which has been taken within college preparatory curricula. However, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will evaluate the academic units of vocational technical school (Chapter 74) graduates to determine their relevance for University curricula. The ultimate judgment concerning such equivalency rests solely with the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The following pages specify prescribed high school unit requirements and other qualitative requirements for the admission of freshmen students. Applicants must satisfactorily complete prescribed units prior to enrollment. Table 1 specifies the high school unit distribution which is required for general University admission consideration.

Prescribed High School Unit Requirements

Table 1:  General University Admission

Subject Required               Units

English                           4 courses

Mathematics                   3 courses (Algebra I & II and Geometry or Trigonometry, or comparable coursework)

Sciences                        3 courses (including 2 courses with laboratory work)

Social Sciences               2 courses (including 1 course in U.S. History)

Foreign Languages           2 courses (in a single language)

Electives                        2 courses (from the above subjects or from the Arts and Humanities or Computer Sciences)

Minimum Prescribed Units  16

Qualitative Requirements for the Admission of Freshman Students

Graduating high school seniors (including applicants graduated from secondary schools within the last three years) who seek freshman admission as matriculating students must comply with the following:

Division of Sciences: 2.5 GPA and 1000 SAT with sufficient academic background

College of Engineering: 2.5 GPA and 1000 SAT with sufficient academic background

College of Management 2.6 GPA and 1000 SAT

School of Health & Environment (below)

Nursing: 3.25 GPA and 1000 SAT

Exercise Physiology: 3.0 and 1000 SAT

Health Education: 3.0 and 1000 SAT

Clinical Lab Sciences: 2.5 and 960 SAT

Undeclared Health 2.7 and 1000 SAT

Division of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences:

Criminal Justice: 2.6 GPA and 1000 SAT

Sound Recording Technology Concentration: 2.5 and 1000 SAT

All other Liberal Arts, Humanities, and Fine Arts Programs: 2.5 and 960 SAT

Note: ACT scores can be submitted as an alternate to the SAT exam for all majors.

If an applicant does not meet the minimum admissions criteria, a sliding scale may apply

Year  2008                 

GPA                    Combined SAT Scores Must Equal or Exceed

2.51-2.99                    950                      (20)

2.41-2.50                    990                      (21)

2.31-2.40                    1030                    (22)

2.21-2.30                    1070                    (23)

2.11-2.20                    1110                    (24)

2.01-2.10                    1150                    (25)

(ACT Equivalent in Parentheses)

Students who meet the minimum GPA requirement must submit SAT or ACT test scores if they are applying to UMass Lowell within three years of high school graduation. These test scores may be used in determining eligibility for specific majors.

*SAT Requirements

*Criminal Justice & Sound Recording: 1000 SAT or equivalent ACT score

Music Aptitude and Proficiency Examinations, College of Arts & Sciences Music Programs

Students who wish to apply for music programs are required to demonstrate vocal or instrumental ability in a performance audition with a member of the faculty of the College of Arts & Sciences. The student is also required to achieve satisfactory scores on both a written test of music fundamentals and a brief examination in aural comprehension. Performance auditions and theory testing are scheduled throughout the academic year. Applicants will be invited to take these special music tests at the University when all credentials have been approved by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

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