Admission and Readmission

General Information

East Carolina University is an equal educational opportunity institution; and, in keeping with this policy, the university makes no distinction in the admission of students, or in any other of its activities, on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, creed, disability, age, or national origin.

All students who are seeking college credit, whether or not they are working toward a degree, must gain admission to the university. Unless otherwise specified, undergraduate students are admitted to the university by the director of admissions. The completed application, with required evidence of eligibility, should be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by the posted application deadline. Applicants should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to determine deadline dates for each academic term. Visit www.ecu.edu/admissions.

• Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to individual programs. Individual program admission requirements are described in the specific academic sections.
• Post-baccalaureate students seeking a second undergraduate degree should apply to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
• Post-baccalaureate students seeking teacher licensure should apply to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
• Post-baccalaureate students seeking a graduate degree or nondegree credit only should apply to the Graduate School. This includes students with four year degrees who want to take undergraduate courses as prerequisites to graduate admission application.

The university seeks to admit undergraduate students who show evidence of being able to succeed in and benefit from academic programs of the rigor offered. The admission decision is based on those criteria indicative of performance and potential as listed below. The chancellor or his designee may admit students whose special talents indicate success in programs requiring those talents. In addition to the above, the Board of Trustees has authorized the Admissions and Retention Policies Committee, at its discretion, to require a personal interview and/or any test deemed advisable.

Prior to enrollment, admitted students must submit a satisfactory health certificate to Student Health Services.

Applicants who have registered in other colleges, universities, or technical institutes (whether or not they earned credit or wish to transfer credit) are required to submit official transcripts of all previous college attendance to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions prior to admission.

All official records must be forwarded from the institution previously attended and must be on file in the admissions office before a student can be admitted. Falsification of the application or any academic records will result in dismissal from East Carolina University.

Transcripts will be evaluated on the basis of East Carolina University requirements, not those of any institutions previously attended. If a transfer student meets all admission requirements, full credit will be awarded for all transfer courses passed with a grade of C (2.0) or better and for which East Carolina University has equivalent courses. To have a transcript evaluated, the student must have on file in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions an application for undergraduate admission, the $75 application fee, and an official transcript from each school previously attended.

Any record submitted for evaluation may be totally or partially disallowed according to East Carolina University policies and regional accrediting association regulations. East Carolina University routinely accepts credit from institutions accredited by regional accrediting associations. Validating examinations may be required in any or all subjects and will be required for work completed at institutions not accredited by regional associations, if the student wishes to establish such credit. All transfer students must earn a minimum of one-half the hours of credit required for graduation through enrollment in a regionally accredited senior college; a minimum of 30 semester hours and one-half of the hours in the major must be completed through enrollment at ECU.

In exceptional cases, students may secure the equivalent of transfer credit by passing previously arranged special examinations in subjects in which they have systematically acquired knowledge under conditions which did not permit the earning of transferable credit. Freshmen whose high school records and/or pre-entrance tests show unusual achievement and promise in a subject may take special examinations to receive college credit. (See Advanced Placement, below.) Limits on the number of semester hours of credit earned by special examination may be imposed by schools or departments. Credit earned by examination may not be used to reduce minimum residency requirements.

Grades transferred from another institution are not considered in computing the GPA at East Carolina University, except in the case of seniors graduating with degrees with distinction.

Admission Requirements

Freshmen

Admission requirements for freshmen are listed below:

1. Official certificate of graduation (or its equivalent) from an accredited secondary school and a satisfactory scholastic record.
2. Fifteen acceptable units of secondary school credit, including in English, four course units emphasizing grammar, composition, and literature; in mathematics, four course units including algebra I, algebra II, geometry and a higher level mathematics course for which algebra II is a prerequisite (fourth unit of mathematics is required of students graduating high school in 2006 and later); in science, three course units, including at least one unit in a life or biological science (for example, biology), at least one unit in a physical science (for example, physical science, chemistry, physics), and at least one other laboratory science course; in foreign language, two course units in same language (two units in foreign language are required of students graduating high school in 2004 and later); and in social studies, two course units, including one unit in US history.
   East Carolina University recommends that prospective students complete at least one course unit in the arts. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to individual programs; individual program admission requirements are described in the specific academic sections.
3. Satisfactory scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (www.collegeboard.com) or American College Test (www.act.org). Registration forms for either of these examinations are available online and at individual high schools. Official scores must be sent to the ECU Office of Undergraduate Admissions to be eligible to be considered for admission to the institution.
4. A nondeductible, nonrefundable application fee of $75.

Transfer Students

General Transfer

General admission requirements for transfer students are listed below:

1. Official transcript(s) from each regionally accredited college, technical institute, or university previously attended showing the following:
   1. A 2.5 grade point average (GPA) on all hours attempted. (Admission to programs in some professional schools may require a GPA which is higher than that required by the university.) A minimum of 24 transferable semester hours is required for transfer consideration which must include the equivalent college credit hours for ENGL 1100 .
   2. Honorable dismissal and eligibility to return to the college or university at which last matriculated. (Attendance only at summer school does not apply.)
   3. Students who will be 21 years old at the time they propose to enroll may submit their application for transfer admission, with 24 or more transferable hours from a regionally accredited institution are not required to provide a high school transcript or general educational development tests (GED) certificate.
   4. Students who are under the age of 21 and do not have 24 transferable credit hours will be required to submit final high school transcript and official test scores.
2. Nondeductible, nonrefundable application fee of $75.

Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to individual programs. Individual program admission requirements are described in the specific academic sections. It is the student’s responsibility to request that all transcripts and other records be forwarded to the admissions office.

Note: Transfer students under the age of 21 must also meet the University of North Carolina subject matter admission requirements by completing high school courses as stated above, or by completing 24 or more transferable credit hours.

Applicants Who May Require Special Consideration or Exceptions to Policies

All students interested in enrollment as an undergraduate must complete an application for admission. Each application is considered individually based upon a combination of a student’s previous academic work, test scores, essays, and other personal statements. However, students who feel special circumstances should be considered during this review may request a holistic review. The intent of this policy is to offer students the opportunity to present evidence of demonstrable promise of academic success at ECU. The review will consider all information supplied by the applicant with emphasis placed on, but not limited to high school grade point average trends, college grade point average, rigor of course work, duration or time away from high school or college, and other information the applicant considers critical to the review of their application. For example, a transfer student with an overall GPA including all previous work below the ECU minimum of 2.5, but who has successfully earned a 3.0 over the course of their last 24 credit hours might be offered admission through the holistic review process. Another example, a high school senior who does not meet the UNC minimum admission requirements but who has a demonstrated artistic talent might be offered admission through the holistic review process. Freshman applicants requesting a holistic review should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at admissions@ecu.edu; transfer applicants requesting a holistic review should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at transfer@ecu.edu.

Freshmen Applicants

Any applicant for undergraduate admission as a freshman who does not meet the UNC minimum requirements for first-time undergraduate admission minimum course requirements (MCR) or the minimum admission requirements (MAR) may request a holistic review through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. International applicants should consult with the Office of Global Affairs. Students who do not meet the MAR requirements will be considered as chancellor’s exceptions.  Freshman applicants requesting a holistic review should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer Applicants

Any applicant for undergraduate admission as a transfer who does not meet ECU’s transfer requirements may request a holistic review through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. International applicants should consult with the Office of Global Affairs. Transfer applicants requesting a holistic review should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to individual programs. Individual program admission requirements are described in the specific academic sections. It is the student’s responsibility to request that all transcripts and other records be forwarded to the admissions office.

International Students

East Carolina University actively seeks to attract international students into its undergraduate and graduate programs. The presence of these students, with their varied geographic and educational backgrounds, helps promote international goodwill and understanding in North Carolina, and provides an opportunity for other university students to further their knowledge and appreciation of the cultures of many lands.

The Office of Global Affairs serves as a clearinghouse for the admission of international students. Academic assessments, financial evaluations, and immigration issues as well as admissions are handled through this office. Admissions requirements for international freshman and undergraduate transfer students are:

1. Graduation from a secondary school and submission of academic records and an official English translation. Transfer applicants should request a course-by-course evaluation of their university-level coursework from an evaluation agency. An official evaluation should be sent directly from the evaluation agency. Documents on which an evaluation is based should be sent as well. A list of accepted evaluation agencies can be found at http://www.naces.org/members.html.
2. Non-native speakers of English are required to provide an evidence of English proficiency by submitting one of the following:
   1. TOEFL score of minimum 527 (paper-based) or 71 (Internet-based)
   2. IELTS score of 6.0 or higher
   3. 450 SAT I Critical Reading or 19 Combined English/Writing scores section of the ACT
   4. Applicants who have completed at least 30 credit hours at a U.S. institution of higher education and received a grade of B (3.0) or better for an academic English writing/composition course will be exempt from the English proficiency requirement.
   5. Applicants may choose to attend the ECU Language Academy (ECULA) instead of taking the TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, or ACT. To meet English proficiency requirements, applicants must successfully complete the highest level of the ECU Language Academy (ECULA). More information on the ECU Language Academy, including the ECULA application, is available at ecula.ecu.edu.
3. Completion of an application for international undergraduate admission, which can be mailed, downloaded from or submitted online at http://internationalapply.ecu.edu
4. Nondeductible, nonrefundable application fee of $75

In order to have an I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student status issued, international students are also required to submit the Confidential Financial Information Form together with documents showing that they have sufficient financial resources to fund their education in the US.

International students interested in applying may do so through inquiries to the Office of Global Affairs, International House, 306 East 9th Street, Mailstop 598, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353, USA. International admissions information is available at http://www.ecu.edu/globalaffairs or by email at international@ecu.edu.

The Office of Global Affairs also assists ECU students from other countries with the many matters that are of particular concern to them during their stay in the United States. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Global Affairs, International Student Advisor, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353. Email inquiries may be sent to globalaffairs@ecu.edu.

Veterans and Children of Deceased and Disabled Veterans

Veterans and children of deceased and disabled veterans must meet regular admission requirements. They should make preliminary application for any educational benefits due them directly to East Carolina University or to the nearest regional Office of the Veterans Administration well in advance of the desired admission date so that the necessary details and documents may be obtained. (See Expenses and Financial Assistance  section.)

Postbaccalaureate Students Seeking a Second Baccalaureate Degree or Nondegree Credit

Students holding a baccalaureate degree and seeking only nondegree credit or seeking undergraduate coursework to satisfy prerequisites for graduate study should apply to the Office of Graduate School Admissions. Students holding a baccalaureate degree and applying for admission to pursue a second baccalaureate degree or teacher licensure should apply to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. (See freshman or transfer admission requirements, above, or www.ecu.edu/admissions.)

Nondegree Students

Individuals may be allowed to enroll in the university on a space-available basis as nondegree, auditing, or visiting students if they qualify under one of the categories listed below. Admission under these categories will be limited by the university’s enrollment projections. The students will register directly with the Office of the Registrar.

Many individuals desire to take courses for reasons such as certification, needs arising from the workplace, and self-satisfaction. Individuals who have not earned a baccalaureate degree and who desire to complete coursework should apply to the Office of Undergraduate Admission. (See freshman or transfer admission requirements, above, or at www.ecu.edu/admissions.)

Individuals enrolled as nondegree undergraduate students can apply no more than 28 semester hours earned in this status toward an undergraduate degree upon admission to East Carolina University. However, nondegree enrollees may not use those hours to satisfy UNC minimum admission requirements for admission to East Carolina University but may transfer them to another institution.

Auditors

Auditing a course consists of attendance at classes and listening but taking no part in the class. An auditor is not responsible for any assignments, nor is he or she allowed to take any tests or examinations. However, in order to have the audited course recorded on the official transcript, a student must attend classes regularly. An auditor may not enroll in a participation course (art classes, laboratories, etc.). Under no circumstances will a grade be assigned, evaluations be made, or performance reports be issued on a student auditing a course. Auditing a course or part of a course is contingent upon the approval of the instructor and the appropriate departmental chairperson or school/college dean. Students may not register to audit a course until the last day of the course adjustment period. Persons who wish to attend university classes without earning credit must be admitted to the university before seeking approval to audit any course. The applicants shall then complete the prescribed procedure for registering through the Office of the Registrar and pay the audit fee to the cashier’s office before attendance in classes is permitted.

Students regularly enrolled in the university wishing to audit course(s) must initiate the approval process with their advisor. A student may audit no more than two courses in any semester.

Visitors

Students attending another regionally accredited college or university may desire to attend East Carolina University for a limited period of time and then return to their original institutions. Such applicants must complete a visitor’s application, send all official transcript(s) from each regionally accredited college and have the dean or other appropriate official at the parent institution verify that the applicant is in good academic standing. This official should specify the courses to be taken at East Carolina University. The student should enroll in only specified courses and then only if the required prerequisite courses or their equivalents have been completed. Enrollment as a visitor will be limited to no more than 28 semester hours earned at East Carolina University. Credit earned as a visiting student cannot be used to establish eligibility for admission to East Carolina University, but up to 28 semester hours earned at East Carolina University may be applied after the student has been admitted.

Summer Session

The university offers three schedules of summer classes for both on-campus and distance education instruction: one eleven week session, and two five-week terms. Please see ECU’s Academic Calendars.

1. For those working toward a degree from East Carolina University, all of the admission requirements must be met. (See freshman or transfer admission requirements, above, or www.ecu.edu/admissions.)
2. For any visiting student, an official copy of transcripts, and a statement must be presented from the dean or registrar of the college or university at which the student is enrolled, verifying good academic standing and recommending the courses to be taken. (See Nondegree and Visitors, above.)
3. Students holding a baccalaureate degree and seeking only nondegree credit should apply to the Graduate School.

Early Admission to Graduate Studies

There are a variety of ways that ECU undergraduate students may be admitted to take graduate courses before completing the requirements for their undergraduate degree. All questions concerning graduate admission and transfer requirements, should be directed to the ECU Graduate School. To view graduate program degree requirements, academic regulations, and university policies, please visit the university’s graduate catalog.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program

ECU undergraduate students with advanced academic standing (3.0 minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA) may apply to accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Individual accelerated programs may specify additional or higher standards, including GPAs above 3.0 as the minimum requirement. Students who meet minimum admission standards are recommended for provisional admission to the Graduate School by the graduate program’s graduate admission committee at the time they apply as undergraduates.

Students admitted to these highly selective accelerated programs may count up to 12 s.h. of approved level courses towards the completion of both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree. Upon completion of the bachelor’s degree requirements, students meeting the requirements for admission in the accelerated program are enrolled in the corresponding master’s degree program.

Accelerated Program Guidelines

1. Students apply to the accelerated program in their sophomore or junior year and receive provisional admission to the master’s program.
2. Students who are granted provisional admission to the accelerated program begin taking graduate level courses in their senior year and must maintain advanced standing (cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0).
3. The GRE or other graduate admission exam requirements may be waived for students that meet the accelerated program’s advanced standing requirements. Programs are not required to waiver standardized tests for accelerated students.
4. Individual programs list approved graduate courses that may double count towards the undergraduate degree and provide these lists to the Graduate School.
5. At the time of completion of the undergraduate degree, students granted admission to the accelerated program will matriculate into the master’s program in good academic standing as long as they maintain advanced standing as defined in number 2. Approved graduate courses completed as part of the accelerated program with a grade of B or higher as an undergraduate student will be counted as transfer credits in the master’s program.
6. Students who do not maintain a GPA of 3.0 at the time of matriculation into the master’s degree will be placed on academic probation in their first semester in the master’s program and subject to dismissal from the program if they do not achieve a graduate GPA of 3.0 in courses related to their program of study after 9 s.h. of graduate credit attempted.

Six-Hour Rule

ECU seniors who are within 6 s.h. or less of completion of all undergraduate degree requirements may apply for admission to graduate degree programs. If admitted prior to the semester or summer term during which 6 s.h. or less and any remaining requirements must be completed, they may enroll in 5000 - or 6000-level courses applicable to graduate degree requirements. Graduate courses taken under the “six-hour rule” do not double count toward completion of the undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate/Nondegree Graduate Dual Enrollment

Senior undergraduate students at East Carolina University who possess at least a 3.5 GPA in their last 30 semester hours of completed ECU course work are eligible to enroll in the Graduate School as a nondegree student and complete up to 9 semester hours of graduate-level course work. Graduate courses taken under the dual enrollment arrangement do not count toward completion of the undergraduate degree. These courses are eligible to count toward the graduate degree upon approval of the department offering the degree program. This form of dual enrollment is intended to give a student contemplating future admission to a graduate program the opportunity to take graduate courses while still an undergraduate. Permission must be obtained from the student’s undergraduate advisor, the chairman of the department offering the courses, and the Graduate School prior to admission into the Graduate School.

Advanced Placement

Applicants who present acceptable scores on advanced placement examinations of The College Board will be given credit or advanced placement in the appropriate subject matter areas. Applicants who have successfully completed IB courses will receive college credit for those courses. Additional information on acceptable examinations and required scores is available at www.ecu.edu/admissions.

Credit may also be given for acceptable performance in the appropriate subject matter areas on both the general examination and subject examinations of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Defense Activity Nontraditional Education Support (DANTES). Additional information concerning required scores and acceptable tests is available in the Office of Admissions and on their Web site at www.ecu.edu/admissions.

Transfer students should submit an official copy of advanced placement and CLEP scores to the Office of Admissions with the application. These hours cannot be used to meet the twenty-four (24) hour minimum requirement for transfer admission.

Placement Testing

Placement tests are given in mathematics and foreign language. However, placement tests will not be administered, nor will placement credit be awarded, in any of the three academic areas in which the student has earned any college credit. Credit earned through placement testing is awarded without grade and without quality points, and no fee is exacted for such credit. (See below.) The student should strive for a high score on placement tests because the resulting reduction in the number of credits to be earned to satisfy minimum requirements for graduation and the time made available for elective courses justify the effort. Tests are scheduled during the summer orientation program and at certain other times as determined by the department concerned. Distance education students may be required to visit the campus to take placement tests. Information pertinent to each area is included in the sections immediately following.

English

Entering freshmen who present a score of 3 on the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) Advanced Placement Examination (language and composition or literature and composition) receive 3 semester hours credit and will enroll in ENGL 2201  in their second year to complete the writing foundations requirement. Students with scores of 4 or 5 receive 6 semester hours credit and have completed the writing foundations requirement. Honors students who do not take the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination or who present a score below 3 may enroll in honors sections of ENGL 1100. Quality points will be granted only for those students who complete ENGL 1100  and/or ENGL 2201  through regular class attendance.

Foreign Language

Students who already have advanced placement (AP), international baccalaureate (IB), college level examination program (CLEP), or college transfer credit in a language should continue with the next level and are not eligible for placement testing in that language. Bachelor of arts (BA) students and bachelor of science (BS) in communication students who have only high school credit in the language are strongly encouraged to take a placement test and continue study as freshmen. Free online tests are available at www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/foreign/flrc/placement.cfm. Students who wish to study a language in which they have no prior experience may enroll in level 1001, but all students enrolling in Spanish are required to take a placement test.

Foreign students or native speakers of a language other than English may have the foreign language requirement waived after meeting with the chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Students are not eligible to take a placement test in their native language to receive bypass credit for basic elementary and intermediate level courses in that language, though they may still major in that language and consult with coordinators about placement above the 2004 level. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures defines a native speaker as a person who has graduated from high school in a language other than English or has the equivalent proficiency. In order to determine if students meet this definition, students should have transcripts on file with the Office of Admissions, and then contact the chair of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Students who think that other life experiences have given them the proficiency to read, write, speak, and listen to a language other than English at a level comparable to 2004 may provide evidence, such as foreign language proficiency test results from an authoritative source, to the chair for evaluation. If the requirement is waived, the chair will submit a petition in Degree Works. In this case, no credit is given for 1001-2004; and students must still satisfy the total hours required for graduation by their major, which may mean taking up to 12 s.h. of electives in place of the foreign language requirement.

Students who take the placement test receive bypass credit without a grade, only upon successful completion of the course into which they place, as follows:

• Upon passing 1002, students receive bypass credit for 1001.
• Upon passing 2003, students receive bypass credit for 1001, 1002.
• Upon passing 2004, students receive bypass credit for 1001, 1002, 2003.
• Upon passing a course above level 2004, students receive bypass credit for 1001, 1002, 2003, 2004 (the chair will submit a petition in Degree Works).

Students who think that the placement test has placed them incorrectly may enroll one level lower than indicated without departmental approval, or one level higher with permission of the chair, either prior to the start of classes or during the course adjustment period. After successful completion of the course, upon request, students may receive bypass credit for the course(s) preceding the one completed.

In languages offered by ECU for which placement testing is not available, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers placement interviews. Students who plan to take languages not offered by ECU should consult the chair for placement, course evaluation, and advice prior to enrollment.

Mathematics

Students who score 570 or better on the mathematics sub-score of the SAT may be placed into MATH 1065  or MATH 1066 , all of which count toward the general education mathematics requirement. MATH 1050 , which also counts toward the general education mathematics requirement, does not require a minimum SAT score. Students without the minimum SAT score will be placed into MATH 0045  or MATH 0001  or higher based on their score on the mathematics placement test. A student who earns a higher score on the math SAT or has taken AP calculus in high school can be placed into a higher level course with the consent of the department.

Readmission

Regular Readmission

Students leaving in good standing with ECU for one or more regular semesters, are eligible to apply for readmission. Any student not enrolled for one or more semesters on the main campus of the university must apply for readmission. Applications for readmission and submission deadlines are available from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at www.ecu.edu/admissions. Readmission to the university does not guarantee readmission to individual academic programs.

Transfer Readmission

Students who have been enrolled at another college or university since their last enrollment at East Carolina University must submit to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions official transcripts indicating that a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale has been earned on all courses attempted since leaving East Carolina University. In order to ensure processing, applicants should submit readmission applications according to the deadline provided by the admissions office. Transfer credit will be evaluated in accordance with established university policy. (See Transfer Credit.)

Following Suspension

See section on academic regulations, academic eligibility standards, for policies on readmission following suspension and the Readmission Under Forgiveness Policy.