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Freshman Admission Standards

Requirements and Expectations for Admission

Applications for admission are given a comprehensive review. A new student’s admission to River Falls is determined by a number of academic and nonacademic factors. Academic factors include the rigor of the high school curriculum, cumulative grade point average (GPA), high school class rank, and standardized test scores (either the ACT or SAT is required). The nonacademic factors may include, but are not necessarily limited to, such things as leadership, community service, creativity, and/or unique talents, and personal characteristics that contribute to the strength and diversity of the University.

New freshmen admitted to the university typically rank in the top 40% of their high school class OR have an ACT score of at least 22.

New freshman applying to the Elementary Education or Animal Science programs should apply early in their senior year (October or November) and rank in the top 40 percent of their class with an ACT score of 24 or higher. Students who do not meet these criteria may be considered on a space-available basis.

Academic Course Preparation

Academic preparation, and specifically the strength of high school course work, is an important part of the admission decision. Listed below are the minimum course requirements for application. Students who are most competitive for admission typically exceed these unit requirements.

*A unit equals one academic year of a subject.

Programmatic Limits

Higher academic expectations or earlier application priority dates may be imposed on specific majors if necessary to keep enrollments in line with program capacities.