General Admission Requirements

Student Girl

For First Time Freshmen Under 21 Years of Age

Admissibility is based on high school curriculum, high school GPA, high school class rank, ACT scores, and the need, if any, for developmental course work.

Graduated High School from Louisiana

To be admitted, a first time freshman who is less than 21 years of age and who has graduated from a Louisiana high school must meet the following:

  1. Completion of the Regents’ high school core curriculum (currently TOPS core curriculum) of 17.5 course units:
    • English I, II, III, IV
    • Mathematics: 3 units to include Algebra I (one unit) or Applied Algebra 1A and 1B (two units); Algebra II; Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, or an approved math substitute
    • Sciences: 3 units to include Biology; Chemistry; Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physical Science, Biology II, Chemistry II, Physics I, Physics II, or Physics for Technology (one Unit)
    • Additional Math or Science: Geometry, Calculus, Advanced Math I, Advanced Math II, Pre-Calculus, Probability and Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, Algebra III, Applied Mathematics III, Integrated Mathematics III, AP Calculus AB, Biology II, Chemistry, Physics, Physics II, AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism, or AP Physics C: Mechanics
    • Social Sciences: 3 units to include Civics (one unit) or Civics and Free Enterprise (one unit combined); American History; World History, Western Civilization, or World Geography
    • Humanities: 3 units to include 2 units in the same foreign language and one unit in fine arts survey
    • Computer Science: ½ unit in Computer Science, or Computer Literacy, or Business Computer Applications
  2. And one of the following:
    • High school GPA of 2.0 or greater OR
    • High school graduation rank top 50% of class OR
    • ACT composite score of 20 or greater
  3. And need no more than one developmental course by having one of the following:
    • An ACT English score of 18 or greater OR
    • An ACT Mathematics score of 18 or greater
      Starting Fall 2009 the ACT Mathematics subscore will increase to 19.

Graduated High School outside Louisiana or Home-School Programs or G.E.D

Freshmen students who are less than 21 years of age and who have graduated from out-of-state high schools or were home-schooled or received a G.E.D. must meet one of the following minimum admissions criteria:

  • Any criteria for students who graduated from Louisiana secondary schools which are presented in 1, 2, and 3 above; OR
  • Have a high school GPA of 2.0 or greater, and rank in the top 50% of their high school graduating class, and have a 20 or greater on the ACT composite, and need no more than one developmental course; OR
  • Have a 23 or greater on the ACT composite and need no more than one developmental course.

For First Time Freshmen Between 21 - 24 Years of Age

Students who are at least 21 years of age but not older than 24 years of age may be admitted to LSUS under one of the following options:

  • Option #1 - Meet the minimum admissions requirements listed above for freshmen students, that apply based on whether the student graduated in-state or out-of-state, was home-schooled, or received a G.E.D.
  • Option #2 - Enroll as a non-matriculating (not eligible for federal financial aid) student until achieving a GPA of 2.0 on 12 or more term hours of non-developmental course work.
  • Option #3 - Enroll as a part-time student taking 6 hours or less in fall/spring term or 3 hours or less in the summer until achieving a GPA of 2.0 on 12 or more term hours of non-developmental course work.

For First Time Freshmen Older than 25 Years of Age

A first time freshman who is aged 25 years and older is not required to meet the Board of Regents minimum admissions criteria for first-time freshmen. However, an ACT score is needed for placement or student will be placed in developmental math and English.

Alternate Admission

Applicants who do not meet these requirements may do one of the following:

  • Retake the ACT and submit a set of scores.
  • Enroll in a community college such as LSUE or other preparatory program in order to transfer later to LSUA. LSUE offers classes on the LSUA campus and at the Learning Center for Rapides Parish. Our collaborative agreement makes it easy for students to move from one institution to the other. LSUE students have access to all resources that LSUA students have on campus including library, computer labs, bookstore, meal plans and on campus housing.

Admission Exceptions

Students who do not meet the admissions criteria listed above may be considered for a limited number of admission exceptions. The Records Office will notify students who qualify for these exceptions.

Provisional Admission

Until all final official transcript(s) is received and evaluated, the applicant is considered to be provisionally admitted. Full admission will not be granted until the final transcript has been received and evaluated. The University may grant provisional admission until the first day of a term. Students whose records are not complete by the first day of class will have their registrations canceled.