Undergraduate Admissions Policy

Policy Category	Policy Owner	Version Effective Date	Review Cycle	Policy Contact
III. Academic Affairs	Policy Owner SVP & CAO	Version Effective Date Jan. 31, 2023	Review Cycle Every 2 years	Policy Contact admissions@umgc.edu

Purpose
1. In accordance with University System of Maryland (USM) Policy III–4.00 — Policy on Undergraduate Admissions, the Undergraduate Admissions Policy (hereinafter, Policy) sets forth the requirements for admission to University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) for undergraduate study in all UMGC divisions.
2. These admissions requirements reflect UMGC's mission as an open-access university.
Scope
1. This Policy applies to all applicants to UMGC for study towards an associate degree, a bachelor's degree, or an undergraduate certificate.
2. This Policy also applies to applicants who seek to enroll in undergraduate courses but who are not seeking a degree or certificate.
3. This policy applies to all applicants who submit a UMGC admissions application on or after March 30, 2020.
General Admissions Requirements
1. Applicants must be at least thirteen (13) years old at the time of application to UMGC.
2. Applicants must have certified on the admissions application that they have earned a high school diploma or achieved one of the following equivalencies:
  1. Passing scores on a state high school equivalency exam, such as the General Educational Development test (GED); or
  2. Graduation from a homeschool or alternative high school that meets the criteria set forth in section VIII.D.3; or
  3. Graduation from a non-U.S. high school; or
  4. An associate degree or higher from an approved postsecondary institution or at least 60 college credits from an approved postsecondary institution with at least a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.
3. Applicants who are currently attending high school may be considered for admission to UMGC according to the requirements in section VI.B.
4. Applicants must meet UMGC's English proficiency requirement through one of the following ways:
  1. Certification on the admissions application that the applicant graduated from a U.S. high school, or a homeschool or alternative high school, or earned a passing score on a U.S. GED;
  2. Certification on the admissions application that the applicant completed high school in one of the countries approved by UMGC;
  3. Certification on the admissions application that the applicant earned at least 24 credits or an associate or higher degree from an approved U.S. college or university or from a college or university in one of the countries approved by UMGC;
  4. Applicants who have not graduated from a high school, college, or university located in the United States or in one of the countries approved by UMGC must demonstrate written English proficiency to be eligible for admission by submitting an official score report from one of the testing options found on the Students Educated Abroad page.
  5. Applicants who are not able to provide an official score report from one of the testing options found on the Students Educated Abroad page may contact Admissions Services for additional information and may be considered to meet the English proficiency requirement on a case-by-case basis.
5. Applicants must certify on the admissions application whether they were in good standing at any previous institutions attended at any time. Applicants who were not in good standing at any previous institution attended must indicate on the admissions application if the failure to remain in good standing was due to academic or disciplinary misconduct.
  1. Academic Misconduct
    1. In accordance with USM Policy III-1.00 – Policy on Faculty, Student, and Institutional Rights and Responsibilities for Academic Integrity:
      1. Applicants expelled for academic misconduct by a USM institution will not be admitted to UMGC; and
      2. Applicants on suspension for academic misconduct from a USM institution at the time of the application to UMGC will not be admitted to UMGC during the period of suspension.
    2. Applicants expelled or on suspension for academic misconduct by a non-USM institution at the time of the application to UMGC will be considered for admission to UMGC on a case-by-case basis. Additional documentation regarding the expulsion or suspension will be requested from the applicant after the admissions application is submitted.
  2. Disciplinary Misconduct
    1. In accordance with USM Policy V-8.0 –Board of Regents Policy on Event-Related Student Misconduct:
      1. Applicants expelled for event-related misconduct by a USM institution will not be admitted to UMGC for a period of one year from the effective date of the expulsion; and
      2. Applicants on suspension for event-related misconduct by a USM institution at the time of the application will not be admitted to UMGC during the period of the suspension.
    2. Applicants expelled or on suspension at the time of the application to UMGC for non-event-related disciplinary misconduct at a USM institution or any disciplinary misconduct at a non-USM institution will be considered for admission to UMGC on a case-by-case basis. Additional documentation regarding the expulsion or suspension will be requested from the applicant after the admissions application is submitted.
6. In accordance with federal law, non-U.S. citizenship or international residency may limit an applicant's eligibility for admission. Additional admissions procedures may apply for those applicants.
7. To be eligible for admission into the associate degree, applicants must be in one of the following categories:
  1. Full-time active duty service members, Selected Reservists, National Guard members, or Commissioned Corps members of the U.S. Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
  2. Spouses or dependent children of any service member noted above;
  3. Veterans;
  4. Spouses or dependent children of veterans;
  5. Applicants to the Europe or Asia Division (Students who begin an associate degree while admitted to the Europe or Asia Division and subsequently relocate to the Stateside Division may continue to pursue the associate degree);
  6. UMGC employees;
  7. Spouses or children of UMGC employees;
  8. Participants in a negotiated business-to-business agreement that includes the option of pursuing an associate degree with UMGC; or
  9. Applicants with a permanent and mailing address outside the state of Maryland.
Admission Statuses
Applicants will be considered for admission to UMGC in one of the following statuses in accordance with the requirements noted in sections V, VI, and VII.
1. Regular
2. Provisional
3. Visiting
Regular Status Admission Requirements
1. Applicants who meet all of the General Admissions Requirements may be admitted in regular status if the applicant:
  1. has never attended another institution of higher education; or
  2. has not attended another institution of higher education within the last two years; or
  3. has attended other institutions of higher education within the last two years and at the time of application to UMGC, has a 2.0 cumulative GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale and is in good academic standing at the last institution attended.
2. Students in regular status are limited to enrolling in the number of credits set forth in UMGC Policy 215.00 - Student Academic Load and Enrollment Status.
Provisional Status Admission Requirements
1. Applicants who meet all of the General Admissions Requirements and have attended other institutions of higher education within the last two years will be admitted in provisional status if, at the time of application to UMGC, the applicant:
  1. has a cumulative GPA lower than a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale from the last institution attended within the last two years; or
  2. is on probation for poor academic performance at the last institution attended within the last two years; or
  3. was dismissed for poor academic performance from the last institution attended within the last two years.
2. Applicants who do not meet the criteria in Section III.B of the General Admissions Requirements and who are currently attending a U.S. high school may be admitted in provisional status for concurrent enrollment as follows:
  1. The applicant submits prior written permission from the appropriate officials at the applicant's high school; and
  2. The applicant submits a high school transcript reflecting superior scholarship and college readiness, as determined by UMGC, in its review of this documentation.
  3. Applicants who are currently being home-schooled or attending an alternative high school may qualify for concurrent enrollment if the applicant's home school or alternative high school meets the requirements set forth in section VII.D.3.
  4. Students who are concurrently enrolled are limited to enrolling in no more than seven (7) credits per term and will be classified as non-degree seeking at UMGC. Once the student meets all of the General Admissions Requirements, the student may contact an advisor to request to be changed to degree-seeking.
3. Changing Admissions Status
  1. Students who were admitted in provisional status on the basis of VI.A and have earned a cumulative term GPA of at least 2.0 during their first term of enrollment will be changed to regular student status.
  2. Students who were admitted in provisional status on the basis of VI.B must have met all of the General Admissions Requirements to be changed to regular student status.
  3. Students in provisional status may contact an advisor regarding changes to their student status.
4. Students in provisional status should review Policy 158 – Academic Standing Status for Undergraduate Students for GPA requirements.
Visiting Status Admission Requirements
1. Students attending another USM institution may take undergraduate courses at UMGC by submitting a letter of permission from the student's home institution.
  1. Visiting students do not need to submit a UMGC admissions application in order to take undergraduate courses at UMGC.
  2. The student's home institution determines the number of credits that the visiting student may take at UMGC, subject to UMGC's policies.
  3. Visiting students may only be admitted as non-degree seeking.
2. Students attending a non-USM institution are not considered to be visiting students and must submit a UMGC admissions application in order to take undergraduate courses at UMGC. These students will be considered for admission in accordance with this Policy.
3. Transferability of academic work completed at UMGC is determined by the student's home institution.
Verification of Eligibility for Admission
1. Students must submit evidence within the time period specified below of eligibility for admission to UMGC.
  1. Students are assigned an admission term (Admit Term), which is reflected in the MyUMGC portal.
  2. Students have until the end of the term following their Admit Term to submit documentation to verify eligibility for admission to UMGC.
2. UMGC will determine the sufficiency of the documentation submitted.
3. Students who fail to submit sufficient documentation will be prohibited from enrolling in courses in future terms until sufficient documentation is provided.
4. Documentation for verifying eligibility for admission to UMGC should be submitted as follows:
  1. U.S. High School – A student who graduated from a U.S. regionally accredited or state-approved high school must submit either an official transcript from that school or complete and submit a UMGC-issued Attestation Form, certifying their graduation from high school. At any time, UMGC may require that the student submit an official transcript from that school for audit or verification purposes.
    1. If UMGC has reason to believe a student’s diploma or transcript is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary or postsecondary school education, it will complete additional steps to determine if the document is acceptable. These additional steps may include contacting the granting institution or confirming with a relevant department or state agency.
  2. GED or other Equivalency Exam – A student who completed a state high school equivalency exam, such as the GED test, must submit either an official score report or complete and submit a UMGC-issued Attestation Form, certifying their completion of a high school equivalency exam. At any time, UMGC may require that the student submit an official score report for audit or verification purposes.
  3. Homeschool or Alternative High School – A student who graduated from a homeschool or alternative high school must submit documentation sufficient to show:
    1. High school completion; and
    2. Compliance with state and local education regulations for the state in which the student was homeschooled or attended the alternative high school.
  4. Non-U.S. High School – A student who graduated from a non-U.S. high school must submit documentation to a UMGC-approved international credit evaluation agency to determine whether the student's education is equivalent to graduation from a U.S. high school.
    1. A list of the UMGC-approved international credit evaluation agencies is available on the Students Educated Abroad page;
    2. Evaluations obtained from other international credit evaluation agencies may be submitted for review by UMGC. UMGC will consider using an evaluation from an alternative international credit evaluation agency on a case-by-case basis.
  5. Military Service – The University accepts the Joint Services Transcript and the Community College of the Air Force transcript as proof of high school graduation or equivalency. On a case-by-case basis, the University may accept other military service verification records as proof of high school graduation or equivalency.
  6. Graduation from High School with College-Level Credits – Students who have certified on their admissions application that they graduated from a high school program but who also have completed at least 30 college-level credits are not required to submit documentation verifying high school graduation or its equivalent but are required to submit official documentation of the completed college-level credit from one or more of the following sources:
    1. UMGC-approved two and four-year colleges and universities;
    2. Professional non-collegiate coursework;
    3. Military occupational specialties and experience;
    4. Vocational and technical coursework;
    5. Professional or technical coursework based on statewide agreements and alliances; and/or
    6. Standard examinations.
  7. Associate Degree or Higher or 60 College-Level Credits with No High School Graduation – Students who have not graduated from a high school program but who have completed an associate degree or higher or at least 60 college-level credits are required to submit official documentation of the completed degree or college-level credit from one or more of the sources noted above in VIII.D.6.
5. Applicants who are required to prove English proficiency as set forth in Section III.D must send official score reports directly from the testing agency to Student Records prior to enrolling in courses at UMGC. UMGC will determine whether scores more than two years old may be used to meet English proficiency.
6. Applicants who are younger than 18 years old at the time of the application must submit a Parental Consent for Minor Students form signed by the applicant's parent or guardian prior to enrolling in courses at UMGC.
Submission of False Information or Documentation
1. Applicants are required to certify on their admissions application that the information provided is accurate.
2. Applicants or current students who submit false information or documentation for the admissions process will be subject to Policy 151.00 Code of Student Conduct.

Policy 210.00 Undergraduate Admissions Policy

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