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Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. Winston-Salem State University is open to people of all races and actively seeks to promote diversity among its student population by recruiting and enrolling students without regard to race, gender, or ethnicity. Admission requirements are indicated for those entering the freshman class, for those entering with advanced undergraduate credit, for those seeking admission as unclassified or special students, and for those seeking re-admission to the university. Students may be admitted at the beginning of the fall or spring semester or at the beginning of the summer session. Early application is advisable for any term. All requests for application forms and inquiries for information concerning undergraduate admission should be addressed to:
Winston-Salem State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
206 Thompson Student Center
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27110
(336) 750-2070 or (800) 257-4052
A non-refundable application fee must accompany the completed application form. Students are encouraged to visit the university’s website at www.wssu.edu.
Admission to the Freshman Class
In selecting the freshman class, decisions are based upon the candidate’s academic record and scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board or the American College Test (ACT) of the American College Testing Service. The university’s CEE B code for the SAT is 5909; the ACT code is 3178. The admissions criteria are the same for public and private school applicants. It is possible for holders of high school equivalency certificates to be given individual consideration for admission. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to any academic program.
Academic Requirements—An official transcript showing graduation from an accredited high school or an official transcript showing that the applicant is scheduled for graduation during the current scholastic year is required. The transcript should include the courses which the applicant has completed and those in which the applicant is enrolled, the number of weeks given each subject, the grade in each course and the scholastic standing of the student in their class. The school official authorized to sign these records must sign the transcript. All transcripts received by the university become the property of the university, and are filed among its records. Transcripts cannot be forwarded or returned to the applicant.
The minimum units required for admission for students graduating from secondary school in and after 2006 are as follows: (1) four course units in English, emphasizing grammar, composition and literature; (2) four course units of mathematics in any of the following combinations: algebra I and II, geometry, and one unit beyond algebra II; algebra I and II, and two units beyond algebra II; or integrated math I, II, and III, and one unit beyond integrated math III; (3) two course units in social studies, including one unit in U.S. history; (4) three course units in science (including at least one unit in life or biological science, one unit in physical science, and one laboratory course); and (5) two course units of the same foreign language. It is recommended that prospective students take a mathematics course unit in the 12th grade.
Transfer Admission*
I. Admissions Requirements for Transfer Applicants
It is required that applicants that have attended another college/university (including 2-year, 4-year, and/or junior colleges) submit an application for admission, all official transcripts for institutions of higher learning attended, and other needed documentation to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
A. Applicants graduating from high school in 1990 and earlier or who are at least 24 years of age are not required to submit a high school transcript or SAT/ACT score.
B. Applicants graduating from high school after 1990 and/or are under 24 years of age must submit SAT/ACT scores and official high school transcript to verify Minimum Course Requirements (MCRs). Students who do not meet MCRs must transfer at least 30 semester hours, including: 6 SH of College English, 6 SH of College Mathematics, 6 SH of College Social Science, 6 SH of College Science and 6 SH of College Foreign Language or receive an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree.
C. Applicants that have been enrolled in one of the 16 University of North Carolina system schools are not required to submit a high school transcript and SAT/ACT score.
To be eligible for admission to WSSU, transfer applicants must be in good academic standing and eligible to return to the last institution which they attended.
II. General Guidelines for Transfer of Academic Credit
A. Equating Quarter Hours (QH) to Semester Hours (SH) for Transfer—One QH = two-thirds SH. If transfer credit comes within one-third SH of a WSSU requirement, it will be considered to have fulfilled that requirement. (Thus, a 4 QH course in biology will fulfill a 3 SH biology requirement at WSSU since 4 QH equals 2 2/3 SH. A 3 QH biology course, however, will not fulfill a 3 SH biology requirement since 3 QH equals 2 SH.)
B. The North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) (2007), states that “to be eligible for the transfer of credits under the CAA, the student must graduate from the community college with an Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) degree or have completed the 44-hour general education core as defined … and have an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and a grade of “C” or better in all CAA courses.” Therefore, students who have met the CAA are considered to have met the general education requirements at WSSU. Students are still responsible for meeting any pre-requisite course requirements required by academic major programs at WSSU.
C. WSSU will accept courses from regionally accredited colleges and universities for which the student earned a grade of “C” or better.
D. WSSU will transfer no more than 64 SH (96 quarter-hours) earned at two-year institutions.
E. No more than 75% of credits toward graduation can be transferred.
F. Courses will transfer as equivalent courses when such a course or precedent exists (course has been accepted previously as equivalent to a WSSU course).
G. Courses for which there is no equivalent course will transfer as elective credit.
H. The chairperson of the transfer student’s major or minor department will review the transcript and make the recommendation regarding appropriate credits for elective credit that could satisfy major course requirements.
I. All courses approved for transfer are listed on the WSSU record, but grades and grade point averages are not.
III. General Elective Credit
General rules governing transfer credit for General Elective Transfer Credit:
A. Courses taken at regionally accredited institutions which do not transfer as general education credit or equivalent credit for major and minor courses will be considered for general elective transfer credit.
B. No credit below “C” level will be accepted; grade points and averages do not transfer.
C. Transfer credit is awarded only upon receipt in the WSSU Office of the Registrar of an official transcript from the institution where the credit was earned.
D. No more than 30 credit hours can be transferred as General Elective Transfer Credit.
E. Provisional transfer credit may be granted for study at foreign institutions or U.S. institutions that are not regionally accredited, but must be validated by 30 semester hours of successful performance in residence at Winston-Salem State University.
IV. General Education Requirements
General Education at Winston-Salem State University provides the intellectual foundation for both the completion of a major program of study and learning beyond college by affording students a broad based education rooted in the Arts, Humanities and Sciences. The General Education curriculum is designed to foster the development of critical skills such as thinking, writing, and speaking while offering students the opportunity to explore the vast fields that make up the academy.
A. The registrar will determine credits that can transfer to WSSU based on the guidelines in the section II. Students will work with their advisors to distribute the courses relative to the general education framework.
1. Transfer students are required to take or transfer approximately 60 SH of credits outside of their major program requirements. Many of the 60 SH will be used to address requirements of the general education curriculum.
2. For transfer students who have not met the general education core curriculum requirements as defined in the CAA, general education transfer decisions will be made on a course-by-course basis.
3. Transfer students should have at least one course in each of the seven general education Areas of Knowledge – Culture and Foreign Language, History, Literature, Mathematics, Natural Science, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and The Fine Arts.
4. For transfer students with less than 60 hours of general education transfer credit, advisors will work with students to determine if there is a need, because of skill deficits, to take courses that are focused on any of the seven general education learning outcomes as part of general education before the student enters the major.
B. Developmental skills courses do not count towards the hours needed to fulfill either general education requirements or the 60 SH outside of the major requirement. Developmental skills courses are non-credit, basic skills classes for students who demonstrate skill deficiencies in writing in English, mathematics, or reading as determined by placement examinations.
C. Transfer students are advised to review the WSSU catalog regarding specific pre-requisite course requirements related to courses in the various major programs. Many of these courses are found in the general education curriculum at WSSU and other colleges and universities.
D. Students who transfer less than 30 SH are required to complete a Liberal Learning Seminar (LLS) sometime during their first year at WSSU unless they transfer into a distance learning program.
V. Placement Test
Placement tests are not required if students have taken developmental or college level English and/or mathematics at another accredited institution. Students who have maintained a 2.5 (C+) grade point average through 24 SH of course work at a technical college or similar institution, or a 2.0 (C) grade point average through 24 SH of work at a community, junior college; four-year college or university will not be required to take the Reading Placement Test.
*(Amended policy approved by BOT September 16, 2011 for implementation July 1, 2011)
Admission Requirements for an Additional Baccalaureate Degree
A student that has received a bachelor’s degree from WSSU or another regionally accredited institution may earn an additional baccalaureate degree by the following means:
- Completing a minimum of 30 additional SH at WSSU beyond the hours required for their first degree, for each subsequent degree.
- Satisfying upper division requirements in the major field as recommended and approved by the department and approved by the department chair granting the additional degree.
- Completing other requirements or pertinent supporting courses as approved by appropriate department chairperson or dean.
International Student Admission
WSSU accepts qualified students from other countries. International applicants must satisfy all requirements for admission as outlined for other students, and must have command of written and spoken English. In addition, prospective international students must:
- Have all academic records, including official transcripts showing all school coursework and proof of graduation from a secondary school, translated into English and evaluated by an international academic evaluation service such as World Education Services (www.wes.org) before the records are submitted to the Office of Admissions.
- Send official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOE FL) scores to the Office of Admissions. The verbal score on the SAT I or the English score on the ACT may be used instead of the TOEFL.
- Submit a certificate of financial responsibility and supporting documentation showing sufficient financial resources to be used to cover the cost of attendance. This amount must exceed the annual out-of-state budget used by the University’s Financial Aid Office.
Prospective international students are encouraged to submit all application materials no later than January 15 for fall admission and July 15 for spring admission. The university’s Office of International Programs will issue the I-20 once applicants have satisfied all admission requirements.
All other requests for information or questions regarding admission should be directed to:
Office of Admissions
Winston-Salem State University
206 Thompson Student Center
Winston-Salem, NC 27110
(336) 750-2070 or (800) 257-4052
Special Students
Special students are students who wish to take courses for the purpose of broadening their cultural interest or for other personal reasons; students visiting from another institution; or graduates of four-year institutions seeking certification. Interested individuals should:
- Submit application for admission with the non-refundable application fee.
- Send unofficial high school and/or college transcripts to the Office of Admissions.
- Submit proof of high school graduation or a permission from the current institution.
Students admitted as non-degree seeking Special students are not eligible to receive any federal or university financial aid. Special students may be considered as degree seeking after all requirements for new freshmen or transfer admission have been met. Special students not seeking certification may enroll in and accumulate no more than 12 SH. Credits earned while enrolled as a Special student will not count toward graduation until all university admissions have been met.
Visiting Students
Students from other colleges or universities may be admitted as visitors. Applicants from other colleges or universities must obtain prior approval from their current institution to take courses at Winston-Salem State University. The university assumes no responsibility for determining the student’s course selection when the credits are to be transferred elsewhere. Enrollment by permission from another institution does not obligate the university to continue the student’s enrollment at Winston-Salem State University after the expiration of the permission period.
Admission to the Summer Session
Regular WSSU students (freshmen or transfers) who wish to start course work during the summer session must satisfy the same admission requirements that are prescribed for students entering for the first time in the fall or spring semester, including the testing requirements. Students enrolling for the summer session only as visiting students should contact the Continuing Education and Summer Sessions Office at (336) 750-2638
High School Students
Winston-Salem State University will accept, for enrollment in certain university courses, high school juniors and seniors who are above average in academic achievement and who have the formal endorsement of and permission from the high school principal. Enrollment is limited to one course per semester. The cost per course for which university credit is given is the same as for other students taking fewer than nine hours. Credit earned before completion of high school may be applicable to a degree program at Winston-Salem State University when the student has met all requirements for high school graduation and satisfied the requirements for admission as a freshman, or the credit can be transferred to the school of the student’s choice. Individuals wishing to enroll in university courses as indicated should proceed according to the policies of the high schools, and the high schools should contact the Winston-Salem State University Office of Admissions for application forms and further information.
Re-Admission of Former Students
When a student’s attendance is interrupted for any reason, an application for re-admission must be filed with the Office of the Registrar. If the student has attended another college or university, the student must also pay the non-refundable application fee and submit official transcripts of credit from these institutions. Special students who have not interrupted their enrollment do not need permission to take courses until they have accumulated 12 SH or completed requirements for certification.
Applicants are notified of action taken on their applications as soon as possible. However, final action cannot be taken until all required information is in the Office of Admissions.
Note: Any student who supplies false or misleading information or who conceals pertinent facts in order to enroll at Winston-Salem State University will be subject to immediate dismissal from the university. |
