Undergraduate Admissions

Policy Number: 4.2
Effective Date: March 14, 2023
Revision History:  August 1, 2019; May 26, 2016
Policy Contact:  Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Services

I. Purpose and Policy Statement

The purpose of this policy is to create admissions requirements that fulfill the stated mission of Georgia Gwinnett College (“GGC”), by encouraging students of diverse levels of preparation, ethnicity, and age to enroll and develop their full potential. These requirements are in keeping with Georgia Gwinnett College’s strong commitment to student success. Georgia Gwinnett College complies with the access mission institution admission standards established under University System of Georgia (“USG”) Board of Regents policies and is committed to ensuring that the admissions procedures support these standards.

II. Scope

This policy applies to all applicants to GGC and to all GGC faculty, staff, and administrators with the authority to make or influence admission decisions.

III. Definitions

Applicant: A person who applies for admission to GGC.

Application: The process by which individuals apply to gain admission to GGC.

Freshman: Applicants who have never attended other colleges or who have earned fewer than 30 transferable semester hours from previous colleges.

Transfer: Applicants with 30 or more transfer hours of college credit

IV. General Admissions Requirements

1. Admissions requirements are determined annually in conjunction with USG policy, the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Institutional Research/Chief Enrollment Management Officer (“VP for Enrollment Management”), and the President. The current admissions requirements and deadlines can be found on the GGC website. Several programs of study such as Nursing and Education have an additional application for program admission. Information on a particular degree program or major may be found on the Academic Degrees and Programs website.
2. Admission Services reviews and evaluates applications and required documents submitted by applicants when the application file is complete and ready for review. An application file is considered complete when GGC Admissions Services has received the following:
   1. A completed application for admission to Georgia Gwinnett College submitted online with a nonrefundable application processing fee.
   2. Official high school and college transcripts from all colleges previously attended, regardless of transferable credit sent directly from those institutions through an approved electronic service or delivered in a sealed institutional envelope to GGC.
   3. Official test scores must be sent directly from the testing service to GGC for student types required to submit test scores for admission.
   4. Applicants who indicate that they have a criminal conviction or charges pending, or charged with disciplinary action or misconduct must provide supplemental information. Failure to provide this information may impact the applicant’s eligibility for admission.
3. Application Deadlines. Application and document deadline dates may be moved to later dates in the year by the VP for Enrollment Management in consultation with others if conditions warrant. Any change in dates will be communicated to prospective students on the GGC website and in other communications through the admissions office. The deadline is the next business day if the deadline falls on the weekend.
4. English Language Proficiency Requirement. All non-native speakers of English must demonstrate satisfactory English language proficiency as defined by the BOR Academic & Student Affairs Handbook Section 3.1.1.2

V. Freshman Requirements

1. High School Diploma and Required High School Curriculum
   1. Freshmen must have a diploma from a high school accredited by a regional accrediting association (such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (“SACSCASI”)), or University System of Georgia recognized accrediting bodies or from a public school regulated by a school system and state department of education. Certificates of attendance or special education diplomas are not acceptable. High school students with a general diploma must have a minimum 2.00 grade point average calculated by GGC based on the grades in the 17 units of Required High School Curriculum (“RHSC”) as defined by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
   2. As part of the admission process, each student will be evaluated to determine satisfactory completion of the following 17 units of the University System of Georgia 3.1.1.1 Required High School Curriculum.
2. Applicants with Fewer than 30 Transfer Hours of College Credit
   1. The college transcripts of students who have attended other colleges (but earned fewer than 30 semester hours of eligible transfer credit) will be considered as part of the admissions process. If a student meets the freshman requirements listed above and their cumulative combined GPA from previous college work is at or above a 2.00, the candidate will be admitted without condition; those who fail to meet both these requirements will be denied admission.
   2. An applicant who has fewer than 30 semester hours of college credit will be admitted on Academic Probation, if one of the following two conditions occur:
      1. The student meets the freshman admission requirements listed above but has a combined GPA from previous college work below a 2.00 or
      2. The student does not meet the freshman admission requirements listed above but has a combined GPA from previous college work above a 2.00. Furthermore, students will be required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by their academic classification in order to be placed in good academic standing at Georgia Gwinnett College.
3. Home School Applicants
   1. Applicants graduating from non-accredited home schools or high schools must meet the admission criteria required of other applicants and criteria set forth in the GGC Home School Portfolio.
   2. All home school and non-accredited high school applicants must demonstrate equivalent RHSC competence as required by Board of Regents policy.  Home school applicants who receive credit from accredited institutions and curriculum providers can demonstrate compliance by submitting official transcripts from these providers. These transcripts will be evaluated for RHSC completion based on the general RHSC requirements detailed in Freshman Requirements. 
   3. The Admissions Services Committee will review the GGC Home School portfolio for RHSC compliance, and at its sole discretion can recommend that an applicant has met some, all, or none of the RHSC requirements. Applicants who do not satisfy these requirements may still be admitted following an Admissions Appeal Committee review.
   4. Home School Portfolio Admissions Appeals Committee Review. The committee will review the applicant’s portfolio with the primary goal of determining the applicant’s potential for success at the college level. If the committee is not satisfied with the material submitted in the portfolio, it will seek additional information from the applicant for further admission review. If the committee’s review is not satisfactory, the applicant will be denied admission.  

VI. Transfer Requirements

1. Admission Requirements for Transfer Students
   1. Applicants who have attended other colleges are required to submit an official transcript(s) from each college previously attended, regardless  of whether or not the applicant receives transfer credit. Documents must be sent directly from the sending institution to GGC’s Admissions Services office through an approved delivery method.
   2. Transfer applicants must present a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or above (based on a 4.00 scale) on all work attempted and must be in good academic standing at the last institution attended in order to be admitted to Georgia Gwinnett College in good academic standing. Transfer applicants with a GPA below 2.00 will be denied with the option to appeal their decision.
   3. Dismissals from Other Institutions. If an applicant has been permanently suspended from another institution, the Admissions Appeals Committee will process the application like any other transfer student who appeals the denial of admission to Georgia Gwinnett College. Any exceptions to this policy must be appealed to the VP for Enrollment Management.
2. Transfer of Credit
   1. Evaluations of transfer credit are available for admitted students  by viewing  the Grizzly Den within  Banner.
   2. Credit earned from regionally accredited colleges may be transferred to Georgia Gwinnett College provided the course content is comparable to that of a course offered by Georgia Gwinnett College. Non-comparable courses that satisfy the guidelines of the University System of Georgia may also be transferred.
   3. Transfer students are required to earn a grade of “C” or better in all Area A requirements (ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102, MATH 1001, MATH 1101, MATH 1401, MATH 1111, or equivalents) in order for those courses to transfer to Georgia Gwinnett College. In addition, a grade of “C” or better is required in all courses used in Area F and in the major.
   4. The total number of combined hours through military experiences shall not exceed 15 semester hours. In order to determine military credit, the student must submit discharge paperwork (DD-214) or a military course transcript (Joint Services Transcript, AARTS, SMART, CCAF, etc.).
   5. Transfer credit from colleges and universities outside the United States must be evaluated by an approved, National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) evaluation service or InCred.  The applicant must submit transcripts to an evaluation service and request that an appropriate course by course evaluation be submitted to the office of Georgia Gwinnett College Admissions Services..
   6. Transfer students must complete requirements in United States History and Constitution as well as Georgia History and Constitution prior to graduation. Completion of American History and American Government at a previous University System of Georgia institution will transfer to Georgia Gwinnett College. Completion of American History and American Government at a non-University System of Georgia institution (including out-of-state institutions) will satisfy the U.S. History and Constitution requirement upon transfer, but not the Georgia History and Constitution requirement. A proficiency examination in these legislative requirements is available for the student to complete prior to graduation. See the Testing Center for additional information.

VII. Non-Traditional Students

1. In order to make the University System of Georgia more accessible to citizens who are not of traditional college-going age and to encourage a higher proportion of Georgians to benefit from life-long learning, Georgia Gwinnett College is authorized by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to admit non-traditional students. The number of non-traditional students GGC enrolls is not counted against the percent of limited admissions allowed by the Board of Regents at GGC.
2. Non-Traditional Freshmen. Non-traditional freshmen are defined as individuals who meet all of the following criteria:
   1. Have been out of high school at least five (5) years and whose high school class graduated at least five (5) years ago;
   2. Hold a high school diploma from an accredited or approved high school as specified in the High School Diploma/Required High School Curriculum Section  of this Policy Manual or have satisfactorily completed the GED; and,
   3. Have earned fewer than 30 transferable semester credit hours.
3. Admissions Services will make the decision on non-traditional applications without going to the Admissions Committee based on the following criteria:
   1. H.S. GPA of 2.0 or greater - regular admissions
   2. H.S. GPA between 2.0 and 1.50 - conditional admission up to 14 hours
   3. H.S. GPA less than 1.50 - applications still reviewed by the committee.
4. All non-traditional freshmen will be evaluated for learning support status in English (reading/writing) and mathematics using GGC placement criteria.  In order to possibly avoid placement in Learning Support, applicants are encouraged to submit SAT/ACT scores if exam date is within seven years or Next-Gen Accuplacer scores for Write Placer, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra and Statistics.
5. Non-Traditional Transfers
   1. Non-traditional transfer students are defined as individuals who meet all of the following criteria:
      1. Have been out of high school at least five years or whose high school class graduated at least five (5) years ago; and,
      2. Have earned thirty (30) or more transferable hours of college credit.
   2. Placement evaluation for English and Mathematics will be  completed if students have not yet completed these requirements.

VIII. Immunization

All enrolled students must satisfy immunization verification requirements. For more details on document submission and specific immunizations required for enrollment, consult the the Health Services Immunization Requirement website.

IX. Lawful Presence Verification

Any student requesting to pay at the in-state tuition rate will be required to provide verification of their lawful presence in the United States in order to be classified as an in-state student or awarded an out-of-state tuition waiver as per Board of Regents Policy 4.3.4. A list of lawful presence verification methods can be found on the Proof of Lawful Presence GGC webpage.

X. Admission Appeals

1. Any applicant denied admission to Georgia Gwinnett College may appeal the decision by submitting a written letter of appeal directly to the Admissions Appeals Committee. The Committee will review the appeal and academic history to determine the student’s potential for college-level academic work. Additional documentation may be required, including official test scores to support the applicant’s appeal. If an appeal is approved, the applicant will be admitted conditionally with a probationary status and must complete any prescribed conditions as specified by the Committee. If an appeal is denied, the decision of the Committee may be appealed to the VP for Enrollment Management.
2. The letter of appeal must be typed and include the applicant’s electronic or handwritten signature, and it should be delivered to Admissions Services.
3. The letter should provide details that will help the Committee make an informed decision to help the student achieve success at the College.  Such information may include:
   1. Reasons why the applicant’s previous academic work may have suffered
   2. How the applicant intends to perform better academically
   3. The applicant’s weekly work and/or family commitments
   4. Any other information the applicant would like the committee to consider

XI. Related Regulations, Statutes, Policies, and Procedures

BOR Policy Manual 4.2 Undergraduate Admissions
BOR Policy Manual 4.2.1.5 Transfer Requirements
BOR Policy Manual 4.2.1.8 Non-Traditional Requirements
GGC Admissions: Application Procedures
GGC Admissions: Proof of Lawful Presence Verification Methods
GGC Academic Degrees and Programs
GGC Home School Portfolio
University System of Georgia Recognized Accrediting Bodies
BOR Academic and Student Affairs Handbook 3.1.1.2 International Freshmen Requirements
USG English Proficiency Requirements
University System of Georgia RHSC Freshman Admission Requirements Document