Admissions Procedures and Policies

Application for admission is your first step toward becoming a part of the Huntington University community. You may visit the University Web site for information and an application form at www.huntington.edu, or you may send an e-mail to admissions@huntington.edu. You may contact the Office of Admissions at 260-359-4000 or toll-free at 800-642-6493 or write to Huntington University, Huntington, IN 46750.

The recommended high school program for entering students includes four years of English, two years of college preparatory mathematics and three years of social studies including a year of American history and a year of world history. Regular admission assumes completion of a standard college preparatory program; applicants who have completed other secondary programs will be reviewed by the admissions committee to ascertain the appropriateness of their preparation.

You should submit an application for admission to the Office of Admissions along with a non-refundable application fee of $20. You should also request that your high school guidance office send a copy of your high school transcript to the Huntington University Office of Admissions. You should take the SAT or ACT and have your scores sent to Huntington. The admission decision is not final until complete records of all high school and previous college or university work have been received. Students who have not provided complete official records of all previous post-secondary work will not be permitted to attend classes. Attendance at all previous institutions must be reported on the application; fraudulent or incomplete information about one’s previous academic record will subject the individual’s admission decision to review for possible immediate dismissal.

Your application for admission should be submitted during the fall semester of the senior year of high school. Although applications will also be received through the spring and summer months for anticipated fall enrollment, earlier applications have an advantage in financial aid awards. Campus-based financial aid is generally awarded for the following year by April 30 and awarded only as funds are available after that date.

Within two weeks after all application materials have been received, the applicant will be notified of his or her status by the Office of Admissions.

Students should apply at least one month prior to the beginning of the term so that all documents can be received and the admission decision made prior to classes beginning. A $100 general student deposit, refundable until May 15, confirms your acceptance of admission and intention to enroll.

Applicants are required to submit scores of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board or the American College Test (ACT). The results are considered, along with the high school record and the applicant’s appreciation for the standards and purposes of Huntington University, in determining the likelihood of success and for placement (students with less than a 550 SAT math score, for example, will take a math placement test prior to registration). Registration for the SAT or ACT is through the high school guidance counselor, and scores are sent to Huntington University at the request of the applicant. Huntington University requires that all students participating in the ACT test after 2004 complete the Writing portion of the ACT exam.

Graduation from high school with a minimum gpa of 2.3 in a college preparatory program and satisfactory test scores are required for regular admission to Huntington University. Selected students who do not meet regular admission requirements but who have a combined SAT score above 850 in Critical Reading and Math or an ACT composite score above 18 and who have at least a 2.0 gpa or rank in the upper half of their class may be reviewed by the admissions committee for their potential to be successful at Huntington and may be given admission on limited load.

Other students not accepted for admission but who have at least a C average may be advised to attend another accredited institution to demonstrate their ability to complete post-secondary work successfully. International students may be asked to provide evidence of English language proficiency by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). International students who meet other academic requirements for admission to the University but score below 200 on the computer-based TOEFL may have their admission deferred until they can provide evidence of adequate English language skills.

Applicants anticipating participation in athletics must meet admission requirements to be regularly enrolled as a full-time student in good standing and, in addition, must meet NAIA requirements in two of the following in order to be eligible for athletics in the freshman year: have earned above a C average in high school, be in the top half of the graduating class and have an 860 SAT in Critical Reading and Math or 18 ACT (NAIA requirements subject to change annually).

Applicants over the age of 25 or those who have completed a nontraditional high school program such as the GED equivalency will be considered by the admissions committee on the basis of their potential to be successful as evidenced by exam scores and other relevant information and life experiences.

Students who wish to apply to the EXCEL Program for Adults should contact the Huntington University EXCEL Office (800-600-4888 or 260-359-4162). To be eligible for regular admission, bachelor degree students must have completed a minimum of 64 semester hours of post-secondary credit from an accredited institution with at least a 2.0 gpa and be 25 or older with three years of work experience. Associate degree students must be 23 or older and have two years of work experience.

Huntington University admits individuals of any race to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities accorded or made available to every student and does not discriminate on the basis of race, class, sex or age in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan policies and athletic and other administrative programs.

Transfer Students

Students with letters of honorable dismissal and official transcripts of credits from other accredited post-secondary institutions may be admitted to advanced standing at Huntington University.

Transfer students pursuing a degree will be required to complete at least eighteen hours in their major at Huntington and satisfy the residency requirements for the degree level sought.

Only courses with a grade of C or above are transferable, and only those courses which are appropriate to programs offered at Huntington will be transferred. The registrar will determine which courses meet Huntington requirements in specific majors and general education based on appropriate relevant materials provided by the student. Work completed more than ten years prior to a student’s date of graduation is subject to review by the registrar and the appropriate academic departments to determine whether those credits will count toward graduation.

Only credits are transferred--no transfer grades are recorded nor counted in the cumulative grade point average. However, students who are regularly enrolled at Huntington may take course work at other institutions as transient students and have the grade as well as course credit listed on their Huntington transcript and calculated in the cumulative index, provided that approval of the course work has been given by the registrar before enrolling in the course. Grades are not transferred for courses taken by correspondence and credit for correspondence work requires special approval. Credit awarded by another institution on the basis of an examination or proficiency test is not transferable to Huntington University. Credit for AP, CLEP and DANTES examinations taken prior to enrollment is awarded by Huntington University only after the University has evaluated an official score report.

Credit, if awarded, from a non-accredited institution is not transferred until the student has completed at least 12 hours at Huntington with a C average or better. Provisional acceptance of work appropriate to the Huntington University program is contingent on the student performing satisfactorily in courses with advanced standing.

Transfer students whose cumulative gpa is less than 2.0 or who are on academic probation at the most recent institution attended as a full-time student may be admitted on probation provided the student would have been regularly admitted on the basis of the high school record. Such students must obtain a C average in their first semester at Huntington to be removed from probation and be permitted to continue their enrollment.

A transfer student released from another post-secondary institution for poor scholarship may be admitted on probation after at least one semester has elapsed between the student’s release and the admission to Huntington provided the student would have been regularly admitted on the basis of the high school record. However, based on an evaluation of the admissions committee, such a student may be conditionally admitted on probation if there is promise of success at Huntington but may be limited to less than full-time attendance until the student has completed 12 or more hours with a 2.0 cumulative gpa at Huntington. Subsequent action for release from probation or for dismissal will follow regulations for regularly enrolled students.

Transfer students follow regular admissions procedures. An official transcript of his or her post-secondary record is requested by the student to be sent from the registrar of that institution to the Huntington University Office of Admissions. Attendance at all previous institutions must be reported on the application; fraudulent or incomplete information about one’s previous academic record will subject the individual’s admission decision to review for possible immediate dismissal.

Transient Students

Students who are regularly enrolled at another post-secondary institution may earn a limited number of credits at Huntington to apply toward their degree program at the other institution. Transient students do not need to make formal application for admission provided they secure a statement from the registrar of the institution to which they wish to transfer their credits certifying that those credits apply towards their anticipated degree. Such transient students may take courses in summer session or during the semester when it is convenient to their programs. January Term courses may also be applicable.

Readmission

Students who interrupt their enrollment for one or more semesters must apply for readmission in the Office of Admissions. Students in continuous enrollment covering a number of years may graduate under the Catalog requirements which were in force at the time of the initial registration, provided the enrollment period does not extend beyond seven years. Students who interrupt their enrollment will graduate according to the Catalog under which they return.

Work completed more than ten years prior to a student’s date of graduation is subject to review by the registrar and the appropriate academic departments to determine whether those credits will count toward graduation.

Alumni LIFE Program

Graduates who completed their baccalaureate degrees at Huntington University are encouraged to return after three years to take classes for LIFE that enhance their under-graduate education in the Lifetime Investment for Education program. Alumni may enroll in regular undergraduate classes at a special LIFE rate after a three-year waiting period from the date of graduation. LIFE students are limited to enroll for a lifetime maximum of 30 credit hours. LIFE students are not eligible for other University financial assistance.

LIFE students may enroll in any regular undergraduate course on a space-available basis. Where a minimum enrollment is needed in order for a course to be offered, such as in summer session or designated special evening program, LIFE enrollments do not count toward those minimum requirements. Laboratory, course, activity or other applicable fees are assessed in addition to the special tuition rate. The LIFE tuition rate does not apply to specially offered courses such as tutorials, internships or independent studies, nor to special programs such as EXCEL. These provisions for LIFE are periodically reviewed and revised and may change over time. An application for readmission must be completed in the Office of Admissions.

Early Admission

A superior high school student may be permitted to enroll in not more than six credits during the summer and each semester of the senior year before high school graduation. Superior scores on standardized tests, excellent grades and the recommendation of the high school principal are required. Special tuition rates enable such students to bank credits at Huntington for later enrollment or to transfer the work.

Audit and Visitor Students

Students wishing to take courses only on a noncredit basis may be allowed to enroll as special students to take courses as auditors or visitors. Such students are exempted from portions of the admissions process and are not regularly admitted.

An auditor is a student who wishes to take a credit course and participate with the class but does not wish to receive credit. The student pays a reduced tuition plus applicable laboratory or studio fees. Students are invited to participate fully with the class, submitting papers and taking exams at their option. A permanent record entry is made with a designation of audit enrollment provided the student attends
a minimum of two-thirds of the class sessions and makes a minimum passing effort. Full-time students may audit one course without tuition.

A visitor has permission only to attend a course as space is available. A visitor registration charge per course entitles the student to attend lectures but not laboratory or studio sessions. No permanent record is made nor is course work to be evaluated by the instructor.

Advanced Placement, CLEP and DANTES

High school students who take advanced placement courses are encouraged to take the CEEB advanced placement (AP) examinations and have their scores sent to Huntington. The University grants credit for scores of three or higher.

The University also grants credit to enrolled students for subject examinations (not general exams) in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and for selected DANTES exams. These exams may be taken at any open test center, including Huntington, with the scores sent to the University. Certain institutionally administered tests are also given in subjects for which no national test is available. The organizations that administer CLEP and DANTES exams require test-takers to wait six months (180 calendar days) from the last test date to retest on the same title.

To receive university credit, the student must be enrolled or completing a program of study at Huntington or a graduate from the University. Credit by examination for individuals who are not enrolled is held until they do enroll. No credit is awarded in a course for which credit has already been received. A CLEP exam may be used to repeat an unsuccessfully attempted course; however, the prior record, including the grade, is not altered. Thus, credit is granted if no credit was earned in the course attempted, but a CLEP exam will only be used to waive the requirements for a minimum grade of C if credit was earned by obtaining a D.

CLEP or DANTES credit is not used in calculating the gpa, and it does not satisfy residency requirements for the major or the degree.

To earn credit for EN 121, Academic Writing and Research, by CLEP, students must pass both the multiple choice and essay sections of the Freshman College Composition CLEP examination. The Huntington University English and Modern Languages Department evaluates the essay section and deter-mines whether credit can be awarded. Incoming freshmen must complete the Freshman College Composition CLEP examination in June of the year of enrollment if they wish
to be exempted from enrolling in EN 121. (An exception is permitted for students who attempt to earn credit via AP as those scores are unavailable until July.) Similarly, students wishing to earn credit for EN 151, Perspectives on Literature, by CLEP must pass both the multiple choice and essay portions of the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam. That exam is available during the scheduled testing week in the months of January, April, July and October.

In addition, entering freshmen who plan to take CLEP examinations to earn credit for the first semester of the required western civilization course must do so no later
than August. University policy requires first-time freshmen to enroll in the composition and western civilization courses in the fall semester if they do not have AP or CLEP credit.

Huntington uses the CLEP exams for placement and credit decisions in modern languages. Students who have studied two or more years of high school foreign language should take the CLEP exam by August so that scores of the test, along with the high school record, may be used to place students in the language course appropriate to the level of achievement.

Students who transfer to Huntington with CLEP or DANTES credit from another institution shall have the credit reviewed by the CLEP director. Credit may be granted by the University based on the scores and the University’s current practice. Because institutions differ on the minimum score for which they may grant CLEP or DANTES credit, students cannot assume that a score accepted by another institution will be sufficient to meet Huntington’s minimum score for credit.

International Baccalaureate Programme

Huntington University will award up to 30 hours of credit, equivalent to approximately one year of academic work, to students who receive the full International Baccalaureate Diploma and have earned grades of five or better in their three higher level subjects. Students who have not earned the full diploma may receive credit by earning a score of five or higher in a specific subject. Students must have an official transcript from IBO sent to the Office of the Registrar in order for specific credit awards to be determined. Credit awards of up to six semester hours are made for higher level subjects and up to four semester hours for standard subjects. Equiva-lency to Huntington requirements will be determined on a case by case basis.

New Student Programs

The annual June Freshman Registration Weekend provides an opportunity for freshmen and their parents to become more familiar with university life by spending a weekend on campus. Students meet peers, faculty, staff and administrators and register for fall classes with an academic advisor.

Freshmen and transfer students are expected to attend new student orientation for several days before the beginning of the fall semester. This program assists new students in gaining a perspective on the Huntington University experience. The focus of orientation is to help students adjust academically, personally, socially and spiritually while familiarizing students with campus policies, procedures, services and opportunities.

Small groups meet for discussion and mutual support with an advising team of a faculty member and an upper class student during orientation. For freshmen, this group also meets as a class throughout the fall semester. The emphasis for the course is the integration of faith and learning.

An abbreviated orientation for new students is also conducted at the beginning of the spring semester.

Parents’ Orientation for New Students

Sessions for parents and guardians are held during Registration Weekend to provide an opportunity for families of new students to learn more about the University and how the University seeks to partner with them in the education of their students.