Summer Provisional Admission
Under certain conditions, a student may qualify for summer provisional admission in the summer immediately following the student's high school graduation.  Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. be a first-time-entering student.
2. graduate from an accredited high school or have earned a GED certificate. GED recipient's high school class must have graduated.
3. meet the curricular requirements.
4. have a minimum ACT score of 17 or a minimum high school GPA of 2.5.
5. participate in a comprehensive assessment battery. If the need for remedial coursework is indicated, the student must successfully complete the required developmental coursework prior to entering this provisional program.

If accepted, the student must take a minimum of two summer courses in "core academic" disciplines.  If the student earns at least a “C" or the equivalent, he or she will be admitted in the following fall term.  A provisionally admitted student who does not meet these academic requirements will be unable to enroll for further work at USAO until such time as the student is eligible for regular transfer admission to USAO.

Summer Curricular Deficiency
This program permits students who have met the performance requirements for admission but have two or less high school deficiencies to attain entry by successfully completing the relative summer coursework with no grade lower than a "C."

A provisionally admitted student who does not meet these academic requirements will be unable to enroll for further work at USAO until such time as the student is eligible for regular transfer admission to USAO.

Alternative Admission
First-time students admitted under "Alternative Admission" are those who do not meet State Regents' admission standards but possess unusual talent or abilities. Students may be admitted under this category if they:

• Have a reasonable chance for academic success, usually based on one of three:  ACT composite score, high school GPA and class rank, or GPA in the 15-unit core,
  or
  have unusual talent or ability in art, drama, music, sports, and the like
  or
  are educationally or economically disadvantaged and show promise of being able to succeed in a program or curriculum at USAO.

Home Study or Unaccredited High Schools
A graduate of a private, parochial, or other nonpublic high school which is not accredited by a recognized accrediting agency is eligible for admission to USAO as follows:

1. The student must have taken the ACT or SAT and earned a score on each subtest's frequency distribution (as defined by the State Regents) that is equal to or greater than the composite score required for admission at state colleges. Simply put, a student wishing to enter USAO must earn a comprehensive score of 21 or better on the ACT (or 980 on the SAT) and also earn a 19 or better in each of the subtest categories: English, math, science, and reading.
2. The student's high school class must have graduated.
3. The student must satisfy the high school curricular requirements for state colleges, as verified from the private school transcript. For home school students, this verification may come from the parent-teacher.

1. Must meet the published criteria of the State Regents (other than high school graduation and curricular requirements) for admission.  This includes having earned a composite score of 23 on the ACT or combined critical reading and mathematical scores on the SAT of 1020.
2. Must be enrolled in less than a full-time load (fewer than six courses per semester) at the high school which he or she is attending, as attested by the high school principal.
3. Must obtain a written recommendation from the high school counselor, written permission from their parent(s), and a signed statement from their hight school principal confirming their eligibilty to satisfy by the spring of their senior year the high school graduation requirements, including curricular requirements for college admission.  This form is available in the USAO Registrar's Office.

A high school student admitted under the provisions above may enroll in a combined number of high school and college courses per trimester not to exceed a full-time college workload of 19 trimester credit hours. For purposes of calculating workload, one high school course shall be equivalent to three credit hours of college work. For example: Three (3) high school courses equal nine (9) college credit hours.

University coursework is designed to be both an enriching and challenging experience.  High school students who seek concurrent enrollment in college or university classes must meet special, higher admission standards as specified in State Regents Policy.  Concurrently enrolled students will find themselves competing with older students, all of whom have achieved a high school diploma or equivalent.  Many will have already completed several years of college-level work.

In addition, higher education caters to adult learners and presumes a high level of responsibility on the part of students.  USAO students accept the primary responsibility for attending class, reading assignments, meeting deadlines, understanding course requirements, and monitoring their own progress during the semester.  While USAO prides itself on the accessibility of its faculty and offers numerous tutoring and academic counseling services, it is understood to be the duty of students to be proactive and access these resources.

Credits earned at USAO become part of a student’s university record and will transfer to other higher education institutions.  By the same measure, while under certain conditions unsatisfactory grades may be appealed or retaken, they cannot normally be expunged and will remain a part of a student’s permanent undergraduate record.

Following high school graduation, such a student may continue his or her enrollment at USAO, provided he or she has achieved a college grade point average of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale and meets USAO's entrance requirements (including the high school curricular requirements).

An 11th-grade (junior) student enrolled in an accredited high school may, if he or she meets the requirements listed above and the additional requirements set forth below, be admitted provisionally to USAO as a special student:

If the student has achieved a composite score on the ACT which places him or her at or above the 90th percentile in Oklahoma on the ACT, which, for fall 2008 is an ACT score of 23
or
if the student's combined verbal and mathematical score on the SAT places him or her at or above the 90th percentile using national norms, which is 1050 for fall 2008
or
minimum high school GPA of 3.5.

A student receiving high-school-level instruction at home or from an unaccredited high school may be admitted provisionally to USAO as a special student if he or she meets the requirements set forth below:

• Must be 17 years of age or older and meet the standardized test admission requirements of USAO,
  or
  must be 16 years of age and have achieved a composite score which places him or her at or above the 72nd percentile on the ACT using Oklahoma norms
  or
  whose combined critical reading and mathematical scores on the SAT places him or her at or above the 72nd percentile using national norms.

Special Opportunity Admission Category
Under certain conditions, a student who does not qualify for "Concurrent Enrollment" status but who has not graduated from high school may apply for enrollment at USAO.  The Registrar will determine admissibility based on

1. test scores (ACT of 32 or SAT of 1410)
2. the student's level of maturity and ability to function in the adult college environment, and
3. whether the experience will be in the best interest of a student intellectually and socially.

Transfer Students
A transfer student is any undergraduate who has attempted more than 6 credit hours, excluding "0-level" courses and pre-college work, such as concurrent hours earned in high school.

To transfer to USAO from another Oklahoma State System Institution, a student must fulfill one of the following criteria:

• originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met USAO's high school curricular and performance requirements and earned at least an overall retention/graduation GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on all college course work elsewhere;
  or
  originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met USAO's high school curricular requirements but not the performance requirements and earned at least an overall retention/ graduation GPA of 2.0 on at least 24 attempted trimester credit hours of regularly graded (A, B, C, D, F) college work;
  or
  originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met USAO's performance requirements but not the curricular requirements, have earned (on high school course work) an overall GPA equal to a 2.0 (on a 4-point scale), and have satisfactorily completed USAO's high school curricular requirements before transferring;
  or
  originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met neither USAO's curricular nor performance requirements but have earned an overall 2.0 GPA on at least 24 attempted trimester credit hours of regularly-graded (A, B, C, D, F) college work, and completed USAO's curricular requirements before transferring.

Depending on the status of the individual student, other requirements may be pertinent. All transfer students should consult the Admissions' Office for information.

A student transferring from another Oklahoma System institution must be in good standing at that institution. If a student has earned fewer than 24 credit hours, the Registrar will require a high school transcript or GED, and  ACT scores.

An undergraduate student wishing to transfer from an out-of-state college or university to USAO may do so by meeting the entrance requirements of USAO as outlined above in the transfer criteria and by the following:

1. Transcripts of record from colleges or universities accredited by the North Central Association or other regional associations will be given full value.
     1.  Each nonresident applicant must be in good standing at the institution from which he or she plans to transfer.
     2.  Each nonresident applicant must have made satisfactory progress (an average grade of "C" or better to meet this policy's current retention standards, whichever is higher) in the institution from which he or she plans to transfer. 
   
2. Transcripts of record from institutions not accredited by a regional association may be accepted in transfer when appropriate to the student's degree program and when USAO has had an opportunity to validate the courses or programs.
   1.  Each nonresident undergraduate applicant must meet the conditions of a(1) and a(2) above.
   2.  Each nonresident undergraduate applicant who meets a(1) and a(2) above also will be required to validate the transferred credit by making satisfactory progress (an average of "C" or better) for at least one semester.

A maximum of 62 credit hours of junior college course work may count toward the baccalaureate degree at USAO.

Students who hold associate of arts, associate of sciences, or baccalaureate degrees and who transfer from accredited junior colleges or four-year colleges or universities of Oklahoma will be considered by USAO as having met all lower-division general education requirements for a baccalaureate degree from USAO.

Teacher education candidates may need to take additional courses in general education to meet the minimum certification requirements as defined by the State, including health and physical education, geography, mathematics, science, or similar additional requirements of other professional fields.

In addition to the general education requirements, specific programs or fields may call for particular GPAs.

Students transferring to USAO without associate or baccalaureate degrees or their equivalents must meet the same general education requirements as first-time entering freshmen.

Special Non Degree-Seeking Student
Students who wish to enroll in courses without intending to pursue a degree may enroll in up to nine (9) credit hours without submitting academic credentials or meeting the curricular or performance requirements of USAO. Retention standards will be enforced. Should a student wish to enroll in more than the nine permitted hours, he or she must be formally admitted to USAO. The student will then be required to meet USAO's formal admission or transfer criteria.

International Students, First-Time Admission follow this link for additional information.