NEW FRESHMEN ADMISSIONS
Applications for admission can be sent electronically by
accessing the Web at
apply.wisconsin.edu. Applications for the fall semester are
accepted beginning September 15 of the previous year. All
complete applications received by February 1 will receive full
consideration for admission. After February 1, applications will
be considered on a space-available basis. Applications for
spring semester are accepted beginning September 1 of the fall
preceding that term.
To be considered for admission, individuals must submit the
following items to the Admissions Office, UW-La Crosse, Cleary
Center, 1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI 54601 USA:
1. a completed UW System application (application at
apply.wisconsin.edu)
2. an official high school transcript
3. a non-refundable application fee
4. official American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Aptitude
Test (SAT) scores sent directly from ACT/SAT
Freshmen Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission as new freshmen must satisfy the
following minimum requirements to be considered:
I. Graduation from a recognized high school or the equivalent.
A. A recognized high school is
1) accredited by a regional accrediting
association or state university
2) recognized or accredited by a state department of public
instruction or its equivalent
B. An applicant who has not graduated from
a recognized high school must provide evidence of satisfactory
completion of
the requirements for a high school equivalency certificate or a
diploma from a recognized high
school,
school system, or state department of public instruction based
on the GED examination, the Wisconsin
High School
Equivalency Diploma, or other established criteria. Applicants
from alternative educational
backgrounds,
including home-schooled students, should contact the
Additional
documents, testing, and a personal interview may be required.
II. Completion of the following 17 high school credits is
minimal preparation and is required for admission consideration.
Applicants are strongly recommended to take advanced courses
beyond the required 17 high school credits.
A. Four credits of English
B. Three credits of mathematics,
specifically algebra, advanced algebra and geometry
C. Three credits of natural science with
two credits from biology, chemistry, physics, earth science or
advanced
courses in
these disciplines. (Integrated Science I and II courses will be
counted on a one-for-one basis.)
D. Three credits of social science (i.e.,
anthropology, economics, history [
[civics/government], psychology or sociology.)
E. Four academic credits from the above
and/or in the arts, computer science, or other academic areas.
Students
admitted
on the basis of a high school equivalency diploma are
considered to have fulfilled these minimum subject
matter
requirements.
III. Submission of Wisconsin Regional Placement test scores in
mathematics and English.
Candidates for admission must satisfy
requirements I and II.
All applications receive a comprehensive review. Due to
enrollment limitations and the competitive nature of admission
to the university, admission consideration will be primarily
based on rigor of courses, high school rank, grade point
average, and ACT/SAT scores. While academic preparation is the
primary criterion used in the admissions review process, other
nonacademic secondary factors may contribute to the strength of
an application. These may include qualities such as demonstrated
leadership, extracurricular involvement, content of personal
statement and recommendations, and/or adding a diverse dimension
to our campus community. Based on institutional and UW System
objectives and the need to provide the social and cultural
diversity essential to a comprehensive university, additional
consideration may be given to provide admission opportunities
for special populations including, but not limited to
minority/disadvantaged students, international students,
veterans, non-traditional students, and those with special
talent.
The following is a general profile of our admitted freshmen
for fall 2010. This is reported for the middle 50% range, so 25%
of admitted freshmen fall above this range and 25% of admitted
freshmen fall below this range.
Class Rank: 75th to 91st percentile
ACT Composite: 23 - 27
ACT/SAT Examination
Freshman candidates for admission must take the American
College Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
Scores must be sent to the Admissions Office directly from ACT
or SAT. No admission decision will be made until official scores
are received. High school students are recommended to take the
exam in the spring of their junior year or early in their senior
year.
Information concerning the test dates, locations, fees and
application information may be obtained from any high school
guidance office or by visiting the university Counseling and
Testing Center Web site at
www.uwlax.edu/counseling/testing.htm The ACT/SAT
requirement may be waived for non-traditional students.
Mathematics and English Placement
Placement into the appropriate level of English and
mathematics courses is determined by using scores earned on the
Wisconsin Regional Placement Exams and the ACT/SAT. Students
cannot take classes above their placement level. Course
registration in either discipline is limited to those students
who have demonstrated their competency through the examinations.
ENG 050 and MTH 050 and 051 are courses designed for students
whose test scores indicate a low probability for success in
college-level courses. Any student may enroll in ENG 050 or MTH
050 or 051, but if you need ENG 050 and/or MTH 050 or 051, you
must complete the requirement(s) prior to earning 30 degree
credits. Placement exam results expire two years from the date
of the exam after which the placement exam must be retaken.
Concurrent High School/UW-L Enrollment and Youth Options
UW-L offers enrollment options to high school students who
wish to pursue university course work while completing their
studies in high school. Applicants must have completed at least
the ninth grade and preferably the eleventh grade before
entering the university. Special admission is granted only to
those highly qualified applicants who demonstrate that they can
benefit from entrance into college and who have exhausted all
high school course work in the educational disciplines for which
they plan to enroll.
The Youth Options (Wisconsin Act 27) program stipulates that
qualified Wisconsin high school juniors and seniors may attend
post secondary institutions and the school districts may be
responsible for tuition and fees for the course(s).
Registration for courses as a high school student is subject
to course, program, and institutional enrollment limits.
Admission Requirements for Concurrent High School/UW-L
Enrollment
1. High school seniors must rank in the upper
25 percent of their high school class or score in the upper 10
percent
on the ACT/SAT (26 or higher ACT composite score or SAT of
1190 in Critical Reading + Math). High school
sophomores and juniors must rank in the upper 10 percent of
their high school class. (Youth Options does not
include sophomores.)
2. Completion of appropriate preparatory high school course work
for college courses
3. A personal interview may be required for sophomore candidates
Application Procedures
1. Submit a UW System application
(available at
apply.wisconsin.edu). Students apply as a “special
non-degree”
student. The
application fee is not required.
2. Submit a completed “High
School/UW-La Crosse Enrollment and Youth Options Program”
information sheet
(available at
http://www.uwlax.edu/admissions/Documents/youthoptions.pdf )
3. Submit an official high school
transcript
4. The UW System application (if not
sent electronically), “High School/UW-La Crosse Enrollment and
Youth Options
Program”
information sheet, high school transcript, and, if applicable,
ACT or SAT I scores should be mailed to the
Admissions
Office, UW-La Crosse, Cleary Center, 1725 State Street, La
Crosse, WI 54601 USA.
Credit by Examination and Retroactive Credit
Students may earn university credit through a variety of
options. For specific information, admitted students should
contact the Admissions Office and continuing students should
contact the college or school in which they are enrolled.
The five options are:
1. Advanced Placement Program - Students who
have participated in the College Board Advanced Placement
program
(AP) in high school and have received grades of 3, 4, or 5
will receive academic credit. Transcripts of your AP
work must be submitted directly from the College Board to the
Admissions Office for evaluation to determine how
academic credit will be awarded.
2. College Level Entrance Program - The
College Level Entrance Program (CLEP) is a national program
administered
through the College Board. UW-La Crosse follows the American
Council on Education (ACE) guidelines and
recommendations for minimum scores for awarding credit in all
subject examinations. Transcripts must be
submitted directly from the College Board to the Admissions
Office.
3. Departmental Credit by Exam - Each
department will have on file an examination for each course the
department
determines to be introductory, including courses applicable
to the skills component of the General Education
program.
4. Retroactive Credit - Three departments,
computer science, modern languages and mathematics, offer
retroactive
credit for previous course work. See those department pages
for more information.
Transcripts must be submitted directly from IB to the
Admissions Office.
Click here for specific credit by exam
policies and procedures. Some departments include more
information on their department pages.