University & College Admissions

The quality of in-state students along with the HOPE scholarship is making it more competitive to get into some colleges and universities. College admission is based upon several factors, including:

• GPA (Grade Point Average) – Colleges recalculate GPA’s using their own criteria. Each college/university calculates GPA’s slightly different. Not all classes may count and some may count more than others depending on the college.
• AP or IB (Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate) – Generally, more weight is given by the college for successful completion of AP and IB classes because of the rigor associated with these courses.
• Honors classes – Colleges generally do not weight these classes; however, they are a better preparation for more advanced classes.
• Non-academic electives – These courses are typically factored out of GPA calculations (PE, etc.).
• Class Ranking – Class ranking along with high school GPA’s are not factored for admission, although the reputation of the high school and prior success of former graduates from that high school is sometimes considered.
• Course Rigor – Difficulty and rigor of classes are considered. Joint Enrollment courses are ranked according to rigor of the institution where the classes are taken. Usually, an Advanced Placement course taught at the high school level is a better preparation and counts more toward rigor.
• Block schedule – Students on a block schedule where there is ample opportunity to take more classes should be taking more academic core courses than the minimum required in all areas (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language).