Undergraduate Admission

www.lsus.edu/undergraduate-admissions
Office of Admissions and Records
Administration Building, room 168
318/797.5061 Email: admissions@lsus.edu

LSUS encourages applications from all interested individuals and tries to assure a successful college experience for each student. In order to take full advantage of the University environment, however, the student should meet the standards for regular admission to pursue credit in degree programs outlined in this section.

General Information

The University operates on a two-semester academic calendar with an additional multi-session summer term. The University also offers many courses in an accelerated format. These courses are mainly offered 100% online during seven-week terms throughout the year. A qualified applicant may register at the beginning of any semester or accelerated session, as applicable. However, complete admission records must be received in the Office of Admissions and Records well in advance, or in the case of the accelerated online sessions, by the prescribed deadline.

Admission Procedure

Basic Application Procedures

Students seeking admission or readmission to LSUS may complete the online application at https://apply.lsus.edu/. The student should complete an application and submit it to the Office of Admissions at least 30 days prior to the first day of class for the semester in which admission is desired.

A non-refundable application fee is required for first-time students. Records submitted to the Office of Admissions become part of the student’s official file and are not returned to the student or released to a third party. The University may deny admission, readmission, or continued enrollment to persons whose behavior is or may be disruptive, dangerous, or abusive.

Immunization: Before registering, students born after 1956 must provide proof of immunization or immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, and tetanus/diphtheria to the Office of Admissions and Records. In addition, all first-time freshmen must submit proof of immunization against meningitis. This policy applies to all students entering LSUS for the first time and all students returning after an absence of one semester or more. A copy of the Immunization Policy is provided with the admissions material.

A student may claim exemption from the immunization requirement for medical or personal reasons. However, the University may require the student to leave the campus and be excluded from class in the event of an outbreak of measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis, etc. Students claiming exemption may not be permitted back on campus or in class until the outbreak is over or until proof of adequate immunization has been submitted to the Office of Admissions and Records.

Selective Service: In accordance with Louisiana Law, male applicants between the ages of 18 and 26 must provide proof of Selective Service registration to enroll past the first semester of attendance at LSUS.

The Freshman Applicant

• Is required to take the American College Testing (ACT), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), or ACCUPLACER Next Generation test, and have the scores sent to LSUS. These scores are used to determine eligibility for admission and placement of all freshman students at appropriate course levels. Detailed information and registration forms for these tests may be obtained from high school counselors, the American College Testing Program (PO Box 451, Iowa City, IA 52243-0451, www.act.org), or the College Board (45 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10023, www.collegeboard.org). Information regarding the ACCUPLACER Next Generation test can be obtained through the Office of the Division of Continuing Education and Public Service: 318/798.4177.
• Should have the high school send official transcripts to the Office of Admissions and Records. If the student is a beginning freshman or transfer student with fewer than 18 non-developmental credit hours earned who graduated from a Louisiana high school within the past three years, the Office of Admissions and Records will request the final transcript from the Board of Regents and the Louisiana Department of Education’s Student Transcript System. It will not be necessary for the student to have high school transcripts sent to LSUS. If the student is a beginning freshman or transfer student with fewer than 18 non-developmental semester hours earned who graduated from a Louisiana high school more than three years ago or from a high school in another state, the student will need to request that the high school send an official transcript to the Office of Admissions and Records at LSUS. If the student has taken college level courses, an official transcript from each college or university attended must be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Records.

The Transfer Applicant

• should request that each college or university attended send an official transcript directly to the Office of Admission and Records regardless of whether credit was earned at the institution. A student who has earned fewer than 18 non-developmental semester hours of college credit must satisfy the requirements listed for admission from Louisiana Secondary Schools. Any student who fails to acknowledge attendance at each college or university, whether credit was earned, is subject to dismissal from the University. A student who is currently enrolled at another university when they apply for admission should request that the institution submit a current official transcript now and submit a final official transcript at the conclusion of the semester. Until the final official transcript is received and evaluated, the applicant is conditionally admitted. Full admission will not be granted until the final transcript has been received and evaluated. The University may grant conditional admission until the end of a fall or spring semester, or summer session.​

The Alternate Certification Applicant

• should request that each college or university attended mail an official transcript (regardless of whether credit was earned) directly to the Office of Admissions and Records. The final transcript showing the bachelor’s degree earned with a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or better must be submitted. Any student, who fails to acknowledge attendance at each college or university, whether or not credit was earned, is subject to dismissal from the University. A student who is currently enrolled at another university when they apply for admission should request that the institution submit a current official transcript now and then submit a final official transcript at the conclusion of the semester. Until the final official transcript is received and evaluated, the applicant is considered to be conditionally admitted. Full admission will not be granted until the final transcript has been received and evaluated. The University may grant conditional admission until the end of a fall or spring semester, or summer session.

The Visiting Student

• must submit a complete official transcript from the student’s home institution. Enrollment for visiting students is for one regular semester or one summer session only. It does not constitute or presuppose continuing admission to the University. A student admitted under these conditions assumes full responsibility for course selection and should seek the guidance of the institution to which credits are to be transferred. A visiting student who seeks to continue enrollment at LSUS beyond one semester or session must apply for admission as a non-visiting student.

The Audit Only Student

• should indicate clearly on the application their intention to audit only. No official records are required to be submitted. The student admitted for audit only pays the same tuition and fees as the regularly admitted student. (See also AUDITOR  under UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS .) Auditors who later wish to enroll for credit must follow the procedures applicable to their status.

Other New Applicants

Educational Enrichment Program (EEP) students should indicate clearly on the application intention to enroll as EEP. No records of previous work are required for admission to this non-degree program, providing that the student is at least 25 years of age and at least three years have elapsed since last enrollment in high school, college, or university. (See also EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM.)

International students should submit an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the completed application, complete official scholastic records, and other required documents at least 90 days before the beginning of the semester in which admission is desired. (For complete requirements, see ADMISSION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.)

Freshman Admission

All applicants must meet standards that the University applies to increase students’ chances of academic success. Applicants must submit to the Office of Admissions and Records a completed application, an application fee, immunization records, official test scores, and a high school transcript. For all students who graduated from a Louisiana high school in the last three years, the LSUS Office of Admissions and Records will request the final high school transcript from the Board of Regents and the Louisiana Department of Education’s Student Transcript System.

An applicant to LSUS who has earned fewer than 18 hours of credit in non-developmental courses must meet the admission criteria for first time freshmen, and be in good standing with previous institution.

LSUS has a selective admissions policy for the first-time student that is correlated to the age of the student - stringent requirements for recent graduates of high school (those less than 25 years of age), and minimal requirements for those students 25 years of age and older.

First Time Freshmen - Age Less Than 25

Admissibility is based on high school curriculum (must meet Louisiana Board of Regents Core Requirements in effect at the time of graduation), high school GPA, ACT scores, and the need, if any, for developmental course work. Specifically, students needing more than one developmental (remedial) course at the time of enrollment at LSUS will not be eligible for immediate admission.

Admission from Louisiana Secondary Schools: To be admitted, a first-time freshman who is less than 25 years of age and who has graduated from a Louisiana high school must meet the following:

First Time Freshmen - Age 25 Years and Older

A first time freshman who is 25 years of age or older is not required to meet Board of Regents’ minimum admission criteria for first time freshmen. However, they must require no developmental courses as determined by ACT, SAT, ACCUPLACER Next Generation (passing Writing and Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics [QRAS]), or departmental placement test. They must provide ACT or SAT scores prior to the Office of Admissions accepting ACCUPLACER Next Generation scores. The student must have a high school transcript or proof of high school graduation (or GED) sent to the Office of Admissions.

Visiting First Time Freshmen - Summer only

The student must submit a high school transcript, test scores (ACT, SAT, ACCUPLACER Next Generation), as well as an acceptance letter or letter of intent from the college or university they plan to attend that Fall semester. A student admitted under these conditions assumes full responsibility for course selection and should seek the guidance of the institution to which the credits are to be transferred. The student should meet the prerequisite requirements for each course in which enrollment is desired.

Other Types of Admission

• Be eligible to return to the institution from which they are transferring
• Have earned at least a 2.0 GPA on all non-developmental college work attempted, and
• Must have completed, with a grade of C or better, a college-level English course and a college-level Mathematics course designed to fulfill general education requirements.

Readmission of Former Students: Former students who were not registered at LSUS for the preceding regular semester must apply for readmission (no application fee is required). A student who has registered at another college or university since enrollment at LSUS must request that those institutions submit official transcripts directly to the LSUS Office of Admissions and Records, regardless of whether credit was earned. Failure to submit transcripts by the end of the semester or session will prevent future registration.

To be eligible for readmission, the student must be in good academic standing

Educational Enrichment Program: The Educational Enrichment Program (EEP) admits students without requiring records of their previous academic work, provided that the student is at least 25 years of age and at least three years have lapsed since they were enrolled in a high school, college, or university.

A student in this non-degree program may register for a maximum of nine hours of credit during a fall or spring semester, six during a summer session, and may earn a maximum of 24 hours of credit. The student who wishes to continue after earning credit for 24 hours must submit complete academic records before a decision is made regarding admission to a degree program.

The student enrolled in the EEP is subject to university regulations as set forth in this catalog.

A student in the EEP is not enrolled in a degree program and thus is not eligible for veteran’s benefits or other forms of financial aid.

Conditional Admission: Upon approval of the Office of Admissions and Records, an applicant who does not have complete admission documents on file at the time of admission may be granted conditional admission pending receipt of complete and satisfactory records. Upon receipt of all the required records of a conditionally admitted student, the admissibility of the student will be determined and the registration of a student who does not meet the admission requirements will be cancelled. A student admitted conditionally whose required records are not received within the first semester will be unable to register for future semesters. A student without complete records is not eligible for financial aid or veteran’s benefits. No official records of a student’s enrollment while at LSUS will be release until all required records are received. 

Admission of International Students: An international student may apply for admission as a freshman or a transfer student. Freshman international students must have completed a recognized secondary program comparable to U.S. high school graduation and have academic records comparable to those required to meet the Admissions from Louisiana Secondary Schools requirements. Admission decisions for freshman international students must be made in accordance with recommendations in nationally recognized publications. Students should have at least completed a program of study that would recommend them for admission to a university in their native country. The students must be eligible for college-level mathematics and, English-speaking students must be eligible for college-level English enrollment. International applicants transferring from institutions in or out of the U.S. must have completed a recognized secondary program and meet Admissions by Transfer requirements.

All foreign credentials must be submitted in English to the Office of Admissions and Records using a member organization of one of the following two national associations of credential evaluation services:

• National Association of Credential Evaluators (NACES) (www.naces.org)
• Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) (www.aice-eval.org)

A course-by-course evaluation is required. Additional information concerning the evaluation process and the associated fees can be obtained online from the evaluation service provider’s website.

Undergraduate applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate college-level English proficiency before admission; upon arrival they may be required to enroll in credit-bearing (but not-for-degree-credit) English as a Second Language coursework based on university-administered placement tests. Students can satisfy the LSUS English Language Requirements by one of the following:

1. Official TOEFL scores sent directly to Louisiana State University Shreveport (Code Number 6355) by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Minimum score for undergraduates is 500 on the paper-based version, 173 on the computer-based version, or 61 on the internet-based version [www.toefl.org].
2. Minimum score of 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) [www.ielts.org].
3. Completion of Level 112 at an ELS Language Center [www.els.edu].
4. Minimum score of 47 on the Pearson Test of English (PTE) [http://pearsonpte.com/].

Applicants who meet the following criteria are exempt from the above English language proficiency requirements:

1. Earned U.S. high school diploma, having attended all 4 years of high school in the U.S.,
2. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree earned from a college or university accredited by one of the six institutional accrediting bodies listed here: Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Higher Learning Commission (HLC), New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), or WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
3. Score of 480 on the English/Critical Reading section of the SAT; or 20 on the English Section of the ACT,
4. Minimum 2.50 overall GPA on 30 or more semester hours above remedial level, including a college-level course in English and in Mathematics, or two consecutive English courses, from a U.S. college or university accredited by one of the six institutional accrediting bodies listed above.
5. Secondary or tertiary education including bachelor’s or master’s degrees in a country where English is the primary official language: Australia, Belize, Botswana, British West Indies (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bay Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Croix, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, The Turks and Caicos Islands), Canada, England, The Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Swaziland, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Union of South Africa, United Kingdom, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Other requirements for admission:  International applicants must indicate the availability of sufficient funds to meet all costs while studying at the University. A complete educational background report is required. The application, complete official scholastic records, and other required documentation must be in the Office of Admissions and Records at least 90 days before the beginning of the semester in which admission is desired. If complete documents are not on file by this deadline, the application will not be considered for the next scheduled registration period. A non-refundable fee of $30 must accompany the application. First consideration is given to applicants who apply early and supplement their academic records with scores earned on college entrance examination board tests such as ACT, SAT, or other recognized tests.

Before registering for classes at LSUS, the student will be required to present verification of an adequate health insurance plan to cover hospital, medical, surgical, major medical expenses, as well as repatriation expense protection or its equivalent.

Early Start Opportunities for High School Students

Dual Enrollment: LSUS offers Dual Enrollment through the Academic Excellence Programs (AEP), offering high school students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit or college credit only. Students participating in this program may use credits earned in this program to satisfy degree requirements at LSUS.

For a full description of both programs, including all guidelines, please contact the Office of Admissions and Records at admissions@lsus.edu.

• A permanent postsecondary academic transcript will begin with enrollment into the program. The transcript records all institutional credit that the student attempts.
• Students are expected to follow the same withdrawal deadline as any other undergraduate student in the university.
• If the student resigns or withdraws from a course or enrollment is cancelled, the student must receive permission from both the high school and college to continue enrollment in subsequent semesters/terms.
• Student must be eligible to enroll at the postsecondary institution.
• Continued enrollment in subsequent semesters/terms requires students to have successfully completed prior dual credit courses (earned A, B, C, or P).
• Students must reapply each academic year.

Academic Excellence Program (AEP): The AEP provides academically superior high school students the opportunity to earn college credit on-campus at LSUS.

• Students must have completed at least their freshman year of high school.
• Students must be currently enrolled at a public, private, parochial, or home school in Louisiana.
• Students must have taken the ACT or SAT and met the program requirements.
• Tuition for AEP students is $50.00/credit hour and is subject to change annually. Financial Aid does not apply to Dual Enrollment credits.
• Applications, deadlines, and additional information about the program may be obtained by calling the LSUS Office of Admissions and Records: 318/797.5061.

Correspondence or Independent Study

A student wishing to take correspondence courses or independent study should contact the LSUS Office of the Division of Continuing Education and Public Service: 318/797.5311, or the Office of Independent Study: E 106 Pleasant Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, or by phone: 800/234.5046.

For information about acceptance of credit, see CREDITS FOR CORRESPONDENCE and EXTENSION COURSES under UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS.

Louisiana Residence Status

The residence status of an applicant of student is determined by the Office of Admissions and Records in accordance with LSU regulations and is based upon evidence provided in the completed application for admission and additional required documents.

Resident students are those who have had their domicile in the state of Louisiana continuously for at least 365 days immediately preceding the first day of classes of the semester for which residence classification is sought. A domicile is the true, fixed, and permanent home at which the individual remains when not called elsewhere for special or temporary purposes, and the place to which the individual returns after an absence. Factors considered in establishing residence classification include the residence of a dependent’s parents; tax returns and other financial information, particularly when emancipation is claimed; former domicile in Louisiana; location of the source of the student’s income; and the state in which the student is registered to vote.

Persons who are transferred to the state by their employer or regularly do business in Louisiana may be eligible for a waiver of nonresident fees and should contact the Office of Admissions and Records for further information. Students who are members of the armed forces, stationed in Louisiana, and their dependents must submit a Military Residency Form and supporting documents. The form is available online or in the Office of Admissions and Records.

An international student holding a student visa is classified as a nonresident. Residence status is not determined for students who are only auditing classes. Individuals who come to the Shreveport area from out-of-state just to attend the University will be considered nonresidents until demonstrating that their previous domicile has been abandoned and a Louisiana domicile has been established.

LSUS has a limited number of non-resident tuition exemptions available for students from out-of-state who meet certain criteria. Students may apply for these exemptions by contacting the Office of Admissions and Records. The Office of Admissions and Records will award the exemptions on a first-come, first-served basis.