Southern Arkansas University (SAU) Admission Requirements

Southern Arkansas University (SAU) Admission Requirements

Freshman Admission

To apply for admission as an undergraduate at Southern Arkansas University, an entering freshman must submit the following:

  1. Application for admission
  2. ACT or SAT scores (Note: Waived thru Fall 2022) *Placement exam scores still required for placement purposes.
  3. High school transcript or GED certificate showing graduation date

Transfer Student Admission

To apply for admission you must:

  1. Fill out an application for admission
  2. Have official transcripts from each educational institution previously attended sent to the Office of Admissions.
    • Official transcripts are those received by mail directly from the issuing institution.
  3. If you plan on living on campus, fill out the housing application and return it to the Office of Student Life with a $50.00 deposit

Non-Traditional Students

Students who are 25 years of age or older are admitted regardless of their ACT scores. However, if they have not completed College Algebra and Comp I, they must submit ACT scores to determine whether they must take developmental courses.

Unconditional Admission

Beginning students who have ACT scores of 19 or higher on the English, mathematics, and reading parts of the ACT examination and who have, upon graduating from high school after May 1, 1997, completed the core curriculum with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will be admitted unconditionally to Southern Arkansas University.

Conditional Admission

Beginning Students who do not qualify for unconditional admission but who have received a composite ACT score of 16 or higher will be conditionally admitted to Southern Arkansas University.

Students admitted with conditions may take a minimum of 16 credits during their first regular semester. In addition, students admitted with conditions are required to meet with an assigned academic advisor at least twice a semester to assess their academic progress.

Students admitted conditionally must take developmental courses in the subjects in which they scored lower than a 19 on the ACT examination. The four developmental courses are Fundamentals of Reading, Fundamentals of Writing, Fundamentals of Mathematics, and Intermediate Algebra.

These students must successfully complete in a regular and consistent manner all developmental courses that they are required to take. Successful completion in a regular and consistent manner means that required developmental courses be taken each semester the student is registered. If two or more developmental courses are required, the student must register for at least two developmental courses (Fundamentals of Mathematics and Intermediate Algebra cannot be taken concurrently). The student will not be permitted to register for a fourth semester until all developmental courses are successfully completed.

First-Time Freshman-GED, Home School and Charter School Graduates

These students are admitted by virtue of their ACT/SAT scores as specified in the unconditional and conditional sections.

Graduate Admissions

All application materials are submitted to the graduate office. Students will be notified in writing when they have been admitted. Admission to the School of Graduate Studies at SAU does not imply admission to a graduate degree program. Some graduate programs have additional admission requirements. Applicants must be in good standing with the institution they last attended in order to be eligible for admission to Southern Arkansas University.

Step 1

Submit an application.

(Note: Non-US citizens should apply here)Apply Now!

Step 2

Submit official transcript sent directly from the university where you have obtained a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

PLEASE SEND OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT TO:ORPLEASE SEND ELECTRONIC TRANSCRIPT TO (PREFERRED: E-SCRIP-SAFE OR SPEEDE):
School of Graduate Studies
100 East University #9302
Magnolia, AR 71753		gradstudies@saumag.edu

Step 3

Submit proof of immunizations (MMR)

Note: Only required for the students who will be living on campus.

Please note

Your admissions status will only be determined when the steps above have been completed.

Unconditional Admission Status

  • For the MBA program (including all emphases), must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above out of a 4.00 system
  • For the MAT program, must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or above out of a 4.00 system or a 2.7 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work
  • For all other programs, must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above out of a 4.00 system