Students who have not attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school should apply to be admitted as freshmen.

Application Procedures

Prospective freshman students can apply by submitting an application form, application fee and required academic credentials to the Admissions Office. Students can submit an electronic application on the Admissions Office website. Application forms can be obtained by calling the Admissions Office at 330-672-2444.

The Admissions Office must receive a nonrefundable $40 application fee and a high school transcript before processing the application. A personal interview is not required for admission; however, applicants are encouraged to arrange both an interview with an admissions counselor and a campus visit by contacting the Admissions Office.

Required Credentials

Freshmen entering Kent State must submit a high school transcript and American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores. Kent State requires that students take the writing section of the ACT. Students are excused from this test score requirement only if they have been graduated from high school for three or more years or if they are 21 or older at the time of their first enrollment. These test scores are essential in determining students’ admission status and academic aptitudes; assisting in academic advising; and helping to determine scholarship eligibility.

ACT or SAT scores should be reported to Kent State directly from the testing agency. The ACT code number is 3284; the SAT code number is 1367. Students who wish to submit an ACT score to a Regional Campus should use the following codes:

• Ashtabula: 3773
• East Liverpool: 3225
• Geauga: 3224
• Salem: 3354
• Stark: 3226
• Trumbull: 3343
• Tuscarawas: 3361

A final high school transcript verifying graduation or a GED certificate/score report is required for both enrollment and financial aid at Kent State University.

Admission Requirements

Kent State University’s freshman admission policy differentiates among students with varying degrees of preparation for college studies. The students most likely to be admitted and succeed at the Kent Campus are those who will have graduated with at least 16 units of the recommended college preparatory curriculum in high school, who have achieved a high school grade point average of 2.50 or higher, and whose composite ACT score is 21 or better (combined SAT score of 980 in critical reading and math).

Students who do not meet the above criteria but who have graduated with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.20 (on a scale of 4.00) at a chartered or accredited high school or have passed the General Educational Development Examinations (GED) may be admitted. High school course selection, class rank, recommendations and ACT/SAT scores will be closely examined for such students in making admissions decisions.

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Ohio residents and other applicants not offered admission at the Kent Campus may request that the Admissions Office forward their application for consideration at one of the seven Regional Campuses of Kent State University.

Special Admission Areas

Freshmen must meet specific requirements to enter several academic programs and academic units at Kent State. Such selective policies exist for students desiring admission to Aeronautics, Architecture, Communication Studies, Education, Health, and Human Services, Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Interior Design, Journalism and Mass Communication, Music, Theatre and Dance, Nursing and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (six-year medical program). Individual requirements for these programs are listed under the respective departments in this Catalog.

Students interested in these special admission areas should apply one year prior to the date of anticipated enrollment. Even though some of these programs do not have an early application deadline for fall semester, students who apply early will receive priority consideration. Specific questions about these areas can be directed to the Admissions Office or the individual departments.

Application Deadlines

Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the class is determined to be full. The following deadlines exist for some special admission areas:
Architecture Program (Fall)   —   January 31
Six-Year Medical Program (early action)   —   October 1
Six-Year Medical Program (regular notification)   —   December 15

An admission to Kent State University is valid only for the specific term to which students are first admitted. Students who do not enroll in the term to which they were admitted must submit a new application. The Admissions Office will then determine the students’ admissibility for that term.

Postsecondary Enrollment Option Program  (PSEOP)

The Postsecondary Enrollment Option Program, offered through Undergraduate Studies, is designed for high school students wishing to take university courses prior to graduating from high school. It is offered on each Kent State campus.

Upon graduation from high school, Postsecondary Enrollment Option students can apply for admission as freshmen by submitting an application and fee, high school transcript and ACT or SAT scores to the Kent State Admissions Office. Kent State University degrees earned by Postsecondary Enrollment Option students are not posted to the Kent State University academic transcript until the term subsequent to high school graduation. For more information about this program, see Undergraduate Studies.

Destination Kent State: Advising and Registration

Beginning in June, admitted freshmen for the fall semester and their parents are invited to campus for a one-and-a-half day orientation to Kent State. The primary goals of Destination Kent State: Advising and Registration are to acquaint students and parents with university programs and services; provide an individual advising session for each student; and register students for fall classes. New fall semester freshmen are invited to campus to participate in this program. New spring semester freshmen are invited for academic advising and registration for spring classes in January.