Freshman Admission Requirements

The President and Board of Trustees of Eastern Oregon University set admission policies and enrollment limits. Such policies are subject to change, therefore, students should consult with Admissions staff about current standards.

Qualifications

All freshman applicants must submit the following to the Office of Admissions:

• Completed Application for Undergraduate Admission and pay the non refundable $50.00 application fee or submit a completed fee deferral form.
• Official high school transcripts or GED scores.
• Official college transcripts (if applicable)
• Any other documents required per instructions below.

*If you have any questions, please contact your admissions counselor at admissions@eou.edu.

Grade Point Average

• Students will be automatically admitted to EOU with a cumulative high school GPA of 2.75 and all other requirements are met.
  • (Must complete with a minimum of C- or better in each area as EOU does not accept D’s as passing grades.)
• Please refer to the special admission procedure outlined below if you do not meet the above requirements.

College Preparatory Subject Requirements

Entering first-year students must complete the following subjects by high school graduation, with a C minus or higher:

• English (4 units)
  • Shall include the study of the English language, literature, speaking and listening, and writing, with an emphasis on, and frequent practice in, writing expository prose all four years.
• Math (3 units)
  • Shall include first-year algebra and two additional years of college preparatory mathematics selected from geometry (deductive or descriptive), advanced topics in algebra, analytical geometry, finite mathematics, advanced applications, calculus, probability and statistics, or courses that integrate topics from two or more of these areas. (One unit is highly recommended in the senior year. Algebra and geometry taken prior to the ninth grade will be accepted.)
• Science (3 units)
  • Shall include a year each in two fields of college preparatory science such as biology, chemistry, physics, or earth and physical science, one recommended as a laboratory science.
• Social Studies (3 units)
  • Shall include one year of U.S. history, one year of global studies (world history, geography, etc.), and one year of social studies elective (government is strongly recommended).
• Second Language (2 units) Completion of a foreign language is not a requirement for admission to EOU; however, it is a requirement to receive a degree from EOU. To satisfy this requirement, incoming freshman must either: 
  • Have completed two years of the same high school-level second language at a grade of C- or above, or
  • Complete two terms of the same college-level language with a grade of C- or above, or 
  • Meet satisfactory performance on an approved assessment of second language knowledge and/or proficiency.

Advanced Placement (AP)

Eastern Oregon University gladly accepts your Advanced Placement scores. This Advance Placement table shows the credit and/or General Education credit awarded.*

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Eastern Oregon University recognizes IB achievement by awarding credit to students who score 5 or above on standard and higher level IB exams. Students must indicate that they would like official test scores sent to EOU in order to award credit. Contact your IB Coordinator or IB North America to request score reports. 212-696-4464 | Order IBO Transcript Direct Link

Non-Accredited and Home Schooled Students

Students who did not graduate from a standard or accredited high school and home schooled students must qualify for admission by meeting the following standards:

• A minimum composite score of 1070* on the new SAT Reasoning or 1470* on the old SAT Reasoning, or 21 on the ACT Enhanced AND
• An average 470 or above (1410 total) on three College Board SAT-Subject Tests (English/Literature, Mathematics Level 1 or 2, and a third test of the student’s choice) OR
• Earn a General Education Development (GED) and meet the score requirements below.

For Non-Accredited and Home Schooled Students to be eligible to receive Federal Financial Aid at Eastern Oregon University, they must earn the GED or have completed 72 college credits.

General Education Development (GED)

If you earned a General Education Development degree (GED), follow the directions outlined below on the basis of when you received your certificate:

• Received after December 2013, a total score of 680 or higher with a minimum standard score on each of the four examinations of at least 150.
• Received between January 2002 and December 2013, standard score on each of the five (5) examinations must be at least 410, with an overall average of 550.
• Received before January 2002, standard score on each of the five (5) examinations must be at least 41, with an overall average of 55 or higher. *See below about language requirements within this time-frame.
• Please go to the GED Testing Service site to request an official transcript.

*Applicants who received their GED in 1997 or later must also meet the second language requirement as described above.

Returning Adult Applicants

Applicants who graduated from high school prior to 1985 must meet the minimum GPA requirement for entering first-year students. The high school subject requirements are waived. Applicants who graduated from high school between 1985 and 1996 are required to have two years of college prep courses which may include second language, computer science, fine and performing arts or other college prep electives, which may be at the discretion of the admitting institution, include a comprehensive sequence of units in a vocational-technical area of study.

Individual Admissions Review

Students who do not meet EOU’s minimum admission requirements but can demonstrate strong potential to be successful in college-level coursework and progress toward a degree may be provisionally admitted to the university by petitioning for Individual Review. The Admissions Individual Review Committee may set additional conditions for students who are provisionally admitted to help maximize their chances for success.

Students seeking provisional admission to EOU are asked to provide further evidence that they can be academically successful in college coursework and progress toward a degree: 

1- Any Official Transcripts not Previously Submitted with Application to EOU (official copy of all transcripts, including official college transcripts for any dual credit courses completed in high school and transcripts of any high school grades earned since initial date of application.)

2- Personal Essay: The personal essay written by the student is one of the most important parts of the petition for provisional admission to EOU, giving the committee a fuller understanding of each applicant’s goals, strengths, and likelihood of success in college-level courses. 

Students should address their statement to a professional audience of faculty, staff, and advisers responsible for reviewing the evidence presented to determine whether applicants are ready for the rigors of college-level work at this time. The personal statement should answer the following questions in detail (approximately 500 – 700 words total, typed and proofread) :

• Why have you chosen to apply to Eastern Oregon University? 
• What do you hope to study and why?
• What do you consider to be your greatest strengths academically? What examples or evidence of these strengths have you included in your petition for admission, if any? 
• In what areas have you struggled that have affected your academic success? What strategies have you used, or do you plan to use, to address these challenges? Please provide specific examples if possible. 
• If admitted to EOU, what steps will you take to be academically successful in your first year? Please include any EOU or outside resources you plan to use to support your success. 
• Is there any other evidence or information you would like the committee to consider as they assess your readiness for college-level work at EOU? 

3- Supporting Materials: Provide at least two additional pieces of evidence from the list below to help the committee evaluate your potential for academic success at EOU. The greater variety of evidence directly relevant to your academic performance, the better. 

• Accuplacer- Take the math and writing portion of the Accuplacer placement exam through the EOU Testing Center (online or on campus) and submit both placement recommendations and raw scores (highly recommended for GED students)
• Letters of Educational Recommendation- Submit letters of educational recommendation from teachers, school administrators, and/or guidance counselors familiar with your academic ability. These letters should discuss your preparation for college-level reading, writing and/or mathematics, providing specific evidence and examples if possible that will help the committee evaluate your ability to make academic progress at EOU. Please avoid submitting letters from individuals who have not worked with you in core academic areas. (Minimum of two educational letters recommended for recent high school graduates; each letter counts as one piece of evidence.)
• Letters of Professional Recommendation– Submit letters of professional recommendation from supervisors, commanding officers, or other individuals who can meaningfully evaluate your preparation for college-level work. References should explain their relationship to you, including how long they have known you and in what capacity, and provide specific evidence and examples if possible that will help the committee assess your ability to make academic progress at EOU. The more familiar letter writers are with college-level expectations and your preparation for college-level reading, writing, and/or math, the more useful the letters will be in evaluating your petition. Please avoid submitting letters from close friends and family members. (Minimum of two Professional and/or Educational letters recommended for adult and non-traditional students; each letter counts as one piece of evidence.)
• Writing or Professional Work Sample– Submit a writing or professional work sample that demonstrates your preparation for college-level work. Please include a brief description of when this work was completed, over what length of time, and for whom, including whether it was an individual project or a collaborative one. If collaborative, indicate which elements best represent your own work. Provide the name and contact information of a teacher or supervisor who can verify that this is your original work. 
• SAT or ACT Scores– Submit official SAT and/or ACT scores

In most cases, the Director of Admissions will refer students who have submitted a complete petition to the Admissions Individual Review Committee for review. If the petition lacks substantive evidence of potential to be academically successful at EOU, the Director of Admissions may, after initial screening, deny the petition without full committee review.

Students from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands

In addition to the above admissions requirements, students from the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau and Republic of the Marshall Islands are required to demonstrate English language proficiency by:

• English proficiency as demonstrated by achieving 500 on the TOEFL, or 61 on the Internet-based TOEFL; a score of 5 on the IELTS, and satisfactory completion of level 112 in an English Language School.
  • EOU English Proficiency Policy

Foreign Transcripts

Transcripts from non-U.S. schools can have evaluations done by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) accredited agency. We recommend using World Education Services (WES) for these services.

• High School transcripts require a document-by-document evaluation
• College transcripts require a course-by-course evaluation

New Student Checklist

• Complete application for admission
• Send official test scores to EOU’s Office of Admissions
• Request official transcripts are sent from your high school now and after graduation (final high school transcript), as well as all colleges you have attended.
• Send proof of immunization records and health history to Student Health Center.
• Print the checklist and start completing tasks