Non-Traditional Students

The non-traditional freshman category applies to applicants who have been out of high school for at least five years and who have never attended college or have less than 30 transferable hours of college credit. Applicants in this category do not have to meet the same standards as recent high school graduates and do not have to submit SAT or ACT test scores.

To qualify for non-traditional freshman admission, all of the following criteria must apply:

  1. Applicants must have graduated from an accredited or approved high school or have satisfactorily completed the General Educational Diploma (GED).
  2. Applicants who have attended college must have earned fewer than 30 semester hours of transferable credit to be considered a non-traditional freshman. (See the transfer section for additional information about special requirements for non-traditional freshman applicants who have some transfer credit.)
  3. Applicants must take the ACCUPLACER test and make an acceptable score.

Prior to being accepted, applicants classified as non-traditional may be required to take an entry examination (ACCUPLACER) to determine admissibility. Students not meeting minimal scores on the ACCUPLACER will not be admitted.

Students who meet the minimum standards but do not test into college level courses in English, reading and/or mathematics will be required to take the appropriate pre-college “Learning Support” course(s). If the ACCUPLACER indicates the need for Learning Support Courses, the admitted non-traditional students will be required to enroll in such courses and must exit Learning Support (through successful completion of the appropriate Learning Support exit course(s)) in accordance with Learning Support policies.

Students not meeting the minimum level for admission or placing into Learning Support courses are allowed one retest each semester. Non-traditional students who fail to make a minimum score upon retesting on the ACCUPLACER are advised to seek admittance to another institution, and then transfer to Clayton State based on the transfer standards listed below.