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Admission Requirements

A student may be admitted to Howard College according to anyone of the following conditions and in compliance with the criteria of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools:

  1. For admission to a standard academic or general curriculum, Howard College shall require that the applicant be a graduate of an accredited high school or meet the institutional requirements for transfer from another institution of higher education.
  2. An applicant who has not graduated from high school and has no transferable credit from any institution of higher education:
    1. must be admitted upon completion of the General Educational Development Testing Program; or
    2. may be admitted on the basis of submission of a score of 18 on the American College Test (ACT) or 800 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or upon the recommendation of the principal or superintendent of the last high school attended.
  3. An applicant who has not been graduated from a high school, has no transferable credit from any institution of higher education, and is under the age of 18 and who attended anon-accredited public or private high school, or who was schooled in a non-traditional setting:
    1. may be admitted on the basis of submission of a score of 18 on the American College Test (ACT) or 800 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or upon the recommendation of the principal or superintendent of the last high school attended;
    2. must present a notarized record of the high school equivalent work completed and the date of successful completion; and
    3. must agree to limitations or conditions of admissions established by the institution.
  4. A person who is eighteen years of age or over and has nontransferable credit from any institution of higher education may be exempt from the admissions requirements of this section and admitted on "individual approval," provided the admitting officer is convinced that the applicant's record indicates the student would be competent to benefit from a program of the institution as demonstrated by a score equal to or above the 25th percentile on a placement test or the THEA test. Students admitted on individual approval shall be subject to the same policies and regulations as all other students. To be admitted on individual approval, the student must present his or her academic record to the Registrar for evaluation. If the Registrar denies admission, the student may appeal to the Admission and Standards Committee. To file an appeal with this committee, contact the Vice President for Educational Programs at Howard College in Big Spring.
  5. Students enrolling in the terminal curriculum, including technical education courses, shall have the same entrance requirements as those listed in this section. A student not meeting the requirements for admission to a standard academic or general curriculum may be admitted to a terminal program on individual approval if the student is at least eighteen years of age.
  6. A student who has completed the junior year of high school may be permitted to enroll in a community college upon recommendation of the high school principal. Normally, the class load of such student shall not exceed two college credit courses per semester. However, under special circumstances that indicate a student with exceptional academic abilities is capable of college-level work, based on such factors as grade point average, ACT or SAT scores, and other assessment indicators, the chief instructional officer of Howard College may grant exceptions to the two requirements. The student must take the THEA test prior to enrolling in college-level work.
  7. Residents of the state of Texas may seek admission without consideration of courses taken ten or more years prior to enrollment under Senate Bill 1321. Students have the option of electing to have course work taken ten or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll either counted as usual or ignored for admission purposes. Applicants who elect to apply for admission under this law and who are admitted as students may not receive any course credit for courses taken ten or more years prior to enrollment.
  8. A student transferring from another accredited college or university is ordinarily eligible for admission if he or she is eligible for readmission to the institution that he or she previously attended. The following conditions apply:
    1. A student on academic or disciplinary suspension from the last school attended will be considered for admission to Howard College on an individual basis only.
    2. Credits for courses in which a passing grade("D" or better if student's overall grade average is "C" or better) has been earned may be transferred from any college accredited through one of the regional accrediting associations, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Credits may not be transferred from any U.S. institution not so accredited. Preparatory or any other non-degree credit courses cannot be used for transfer or in determining the 2.0 ("C") transfer average. Howard College awards transfer credit for credit by examination if the credit is included on a transcript from an accredited college or university, if it is within the established 18-hour limit, and if it is appropriately related to the student's educational program .
    3. For students who have a declared major and who are seeking a degree, a course-by-course evaluation of a transferred transcript will be completed by an advisor, program director, or other appropriate personnel as needed for a degree plan or program plan.
    4. Course work completed at colleges outside the United States will be considered for transfer on an individual basis. See the International Student Policy.
    5. Students must comply with THEA guidelines prior to enrolling in college-level courses. Students who are unable to meet this requirement may enroll in only preparatory (precollegiate) or non-credit courses until the test is taken.
  9. Satisfying these admission requirements does not guarantee admission/acceptance into certain programs. Some programs have additional procedures, standards, and/or requirements that must be met in order to be accepted into the program. Some programs also require specific performance standards to be maintained in order to continue enrollment in the program. Please see specific program descriptions for these requirements.