Admissions and Registration (cont'd)

New First-Time Students:  Admission Requirements

First-time Students Who Graduated from High School Within the Last Three Years
New students in this category need to follow the “All New Students:  How to Apply” section.  First-time students who graduated from high school within the last three years are also required to do the following:

1.	All first-time applicants who enter college within three years from the date of their high school graduation or from the date when they would have graduated from high school are required to take either the American College Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).  One of these tests should be taken prior to making application for admission and official results sent to Montana State University Billings.  The SAT or the ACT test must be taken no later than by the end of the first term of attendance at MSU Billings.
2.	Students who enter college within three years from the date of their high school graduation need to complete the High School Self-Report Form (listing admission requirements and college preparatory requirements) or complete a high school transcript (reflecting graduation date) and submit it with the application for admission.  This form is available from Montana high school counselors or from the Office of Admissions and Records at MSU Billings.
3.	Students who have graduated from high school within the last three years must meet one of the three following Admission Requirements:
	•	Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5
	•	A composite score of 22 on the American College Test (ACT) or a combined score of 1540 on the SAT
	•	Rank in the upper one-half of the student’s graduating class
4.	Students must also meet the following University Preparatory Requirements:
	•	Four years of English.
	•	Three years of mathematics, including Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II (students are encouraged to take a math course their senior year in high school).
	•	Three years of social studies, including global studies (such as world history or world geography); American history; and government, economics or Native American history or other third-year course.
	•	Two years of laboratory science.  One year must be earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics; the other year can be one of those sciences or another approved college preparatory laboratory science course.
	•	Two years chosen from the following:  foreign language (preferably two years of one language), computer science, visual and performing arts, or vocational education units that meet the Office of Public Instruction guidelines.
5.	Any student seeking admission to a four-year program must also satisfy the mathematics proficiency standard set out in Board of Regent Policy 301.15:
	•	Fall 2007 and following:  Minimum ACT Math score of 18 (SAT score of 440) or a score of 3 or higher on the AP Calculus AB or B exam.
		In lieu of the math proficiency indicators set out above, students may offer CLEP Subject Examinations in selected topics (College Algebra, College Algebra-Trigonometry, Calculus or Trigonometry) if their score on the examination meets or exceeds the ACE Recommended Score for Awarding Credit of 50.
6.	Any student seeking admission to a four-year program must also satisfy the writing proficiency standard set out in Board of Regent Policy 301.16:
•	Fall 2007, students must earn a minimum score of:
		5 on the Writing Subscore or 16 on the Combined English/Writing section of the Optional Writing Test of the ACT; or
		5 on the Essay or 390 on the Writing Section of the SAT; or
		2.5 on the Montana University System Writing Assessment, or
		3 on the AP English Language or English Literature Examination.
•	Fall 2008, students must earn a minimum score of:
		6 on the Writing Subscore or an equivalent score on the Combined English/Writing section of the Optional Writing Test of the ACT; or
		6 on the Essay or an equivalent score on the Writing Section of the SAT; or
		3 on the Montana University System Writing Assessment; or
		3 on the AP English Language or English Literature Examination.
•	Fall 2009 and the following years, students must earn a minimum score of:
		7 on the Writing Subscore or an equivalent score on the Combined English/Writing section of the Optional Writing Test of the ACT; or
		7 on the Essay or an equivalent score on the Writing Section of the SAT; or
		3.5 on the Montana University System Writing Assessment; or
		3 on the AP English Language or English Literature Examination.
	In lieu of the writing proficiency indicators set out above, students may offer CLEP Subject Examinations in Composition if their scores on the examination meet or exceed the ACE Recommended Score for Awarding Credit of 50. A student who has not yet demonstrated the ability to meet these standards may be admitted (without condition) to a two-year degree program or admitted provisionally to a four-year degree program on any campus of the Montana University System.
NOTE:  Admission, college preparatory curriculum requirements, and math and writing proficiency standards do not apply to the following students:
	1.	Students who do not enter college within three years from the date of their high school graduation or from the date when they would have graduated from high school.  (See “First-time Students Out of High School More than Three Years” section.)
	2.	Part-time students taking seven credits or less.
	3.	Summer only students.
NOTE:  A student less than three years from high school graduation and who does not meet the University Preparatory Requirements and/or the Admission Requirements has the following options to enter Montana State University Billings:
	1.	Enroll part-time during a summer session to make up any deficiency.
	2.	Enroll as a part-time student for seven credits or less.  (To receive part-time financial aid, students must enroll for six or more credits.)
	3.	Enroll as a full-time student accepted under an exemption allowed by Board of Regent Policy.
	4.	Enroll as a student at the MSU Billings College of Technology.
	5.	Enroll at a community college or another accredited college and attempt at least 12 semester credits or make up any deficiencies in college preparatory curriculum or proficiency standards, and transfer to Montana State University Billings.  See the Transfer Students information section.
NOTE:  A student less than three years from high school graduation who meets Admission and University Preparatory Requirements, but does not meet the math and/or writing proficiency standards may prove that he/she has the appropriate proficiency in the following ways:
	•	Re-take one or more of the listed assessments to earn the required score
	•	Earn a C- grade or better in a college course that is the prerequisite to the course that satisfies the general education program requirements (See Advising Center for assistance in selecting such a course).

Montana Residents who enter college within three years from the date of their high school graduation

Graduates of an accredited Montana high school are classified as in-state students for admissions purposes.  Students who enter college within three years of the date of their high school graduation must meet the required admission criteria including the University Preparatory curriculum and math/writing proficiency standards outlined previously to be accepted for full-time status.

Non-Montana Residents who enter college within three years from the date of their high school graduation

Out-of-state applicants mut be graduates of an accredited high school.  Students who seek college admission within three years of the date of their high school graduation and are from states without a University Preparatory curriculum will need to meet two of the three Admission Requirements listed previously.

Students in this age category from states that have University Preparatory requirements which are comparable to the Montana Preparatory Requirements must meet those requirements and at least one of the Admission Requirements listed previously for admission to Montana State University Billings.  If the out-of-state preparatory curriculum is determined to require less than Montana’s University Preparatory Requirements, the applicant must meet two of the three admission criteria listed previously in order to be accepted for fulltime status.

Non-resident students wishing clarification of their admission requirements should call the Office of Admissions and Records, (406) 657-2158, for assistance.

First-time Students Out of High School More Than Three Years

In order to be accepted for admission to Montana State University Billings’ senior campus, students must meet the following requirements:

Montana Resident Students out of high school more than three years:  Graduates of any accredited Montana high school out of high school more than three years  must complete the steps for “All New Students:  How to Apply” section.

Non-Montana Resident Students out of high school more than three years:  Non-Montana resident applicants out of high school more than three years must be graduates of an accredited high school and must complete the steps for “All New Students:  How to Apply” section.

[An exception to these requirements pertains to those who are not high school graduates and who have completed the General Educational Development test (GED).  Please see the “Non-high School Graduates” section of this catalog (page 23)].