Admissions Requirements
General Undergraduate Admissions Requirements
In order to be considered for general undergraduate admittance to South College, the prospective student must be a high school graduate or have earned the equivalent (GED) and achieve a satisfactory score on the entrance examination administered by the college, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the American College Testing exam (ACT), or meet the criteria established for acceptance as a transfer student. Applicants (other than those admitted as transfer students) must meet one of the following requirements.
- Obtain the specified score on the college-administered entrance examination. Score requirements for admission can be obtained from the admissions office.
- Submit a minimum SAT I combined score of 830.
- Submit a minimum ACT Assessment composite score of 17.
- Provide evidence of completion of a degree from an accredited institution with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00.
If you’re concerned about meeting these requirements, there may be other options such as the SAILS program.
Applicants who have completed their high school education through home schooling are required to submit proof of a minimum SAT or ACT score as indicated above, or meet the criteria established for acceptance as a transfer student.
Note: The college-administered entrance examination is required at the discretion of the college if test scores submitted are older than seven years.
Admission in good standing is granted when all general requirements are met. Where required, all documents submitted to the college become its property and will not be returned.
You may be granted conditional acceptance pending the receipt of official documents required by the college. If conditional acceptance is given, you will be allowed to register for classes for one quarter, unless the executive vice president/provost grants an extension. The college does not admit students on a probationary basis.
Military and Veteran Students
In order for VA students to qualify for financial aid related to their military service, South College must receive all official transcripts from previous post-secondary or training institutions no later than the end of the second quarter of enrollment. Click here for more information on support for veteran and military students.
Admission to Individual Academic Programs
General admission to South College does not guarantee admission to specific programs. Please see the Academic Catalog section pertaining to your desired major for information about program acceptance.
If you wish to enter a program leading to a career that requires a license or certification, you should be aware that a prior misdemeanor or felony conviction may restrict your ability to obtain the necessary professional licensure or certification.
Acceptance into a South College program does not imply or guarantee that you will be able to obtain licensure or certification. Difficulties may also arise in relation to clinical, internship, and student teaching placements, affecting your ability to progress in the program.
For more information about requirements for transfer students, high school students seeking dual enrollment, visiting undergraduate students, former students seeking readmission, international students, and students not seeking degrees, return to the main admissions page.
Credit By Examination (Challenge Exams)
South College offers students an opportunity to obtain credit in areas of competency through college administered challenge examinations. The Executive Vice President, in consultation with the academic department, is the final authority on whether or not a course may be exempted through the examination process. Skill courses, such as computer and medical lab courses are reviewed on an individual basis. To be eligible to earn credit, the student must:
- Submit a completed Request for Challenge Examination form signed by all appropriate parties. All challenge examinations must be completed within the first two quarters of attendance unless permission is granted by the Dean/Department Chair.
- Verify that he or she has not previously taken the course at South College.
- Verify that he or she is not currently enrolled in the course at South College.
- Pay a $50 examination fee for computer-related courses and $150 for all other approved courses.
Students may attempt to earn credit by examination for a course only once, must score the appropriate score determined by their academic department to receive credit, and must complete all challenge exams within their first two quarters of attendance. Students who do not earn the minimum required score on any challenge exam must take the course as required in the curriculum. (Students attempting to exempt keyboarding courses must score a B or better on all sections of the examination to earn credit.)
Credits earned by examination are considered in the same way as transfer credits and are not used in the computation of the student’s grade point average. Students may not earn more than 60% of their total credits or 50% of their major credits through credit by examination, transfer credit, or a combination thereof.
CLEP, DSST, and AP exams can be submitted for evaluation for course credit. The guidelines for awarding credit are available from the Executive Vice President.
Fees
To apply for admission to South College, you will need to submit an application online or contact our admissions office. A $50 application fee is required for most programs. The Physician Assistant application fee is $95. The Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Physical Therapy application fee is $60. This fee is not refundable except as provided under the Financial Information section of the Academic Catalog.
A range of financial aid options are available to students, including Tennessee Promise, South College Promise, and Yellow Ribbon Program funding. Click here for more information about financial aid.
Applicants for the Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, EdS in Teacher Leadership, MHS in Physician Assistant Studies, MEd in Teacher as Instructional Leader and Elementary Education (K-5) Initial Licensure, Master of Business Administration, MS in Criminal Justice, or MS in Nursing programs should visit the section of the catalog/addendum and/or the associated webpages dedicated to these programs for information regarding all admission and application procedures.
