Criteria for Admission

Admission to the University of New Hampshire is competitive. The Admissions Office expects its first-year applicants to complete rigorous coursework, generally with consistent "B+" or higher grades during high school in preparation for the demands of college. Most students rank in the top 25 percent of their class.

Students should complete the following sequences of college preparatory coursework to be considered minimally qualified for baccalaureate admission to the University. Note that some programs, particularly in the math and science fields, require an additional year of high school preparation in those areas beyond what is listed here.

• Four years of English
• Three years of mathematics including algebra I, geometry and algebra II
• Three years of science, two of which must be laboratory sciences
• Three years of social sciences (including U.S. History)
• Two years of a single foreign language (three years is preferred)

We define college preparatory coursework as classes that prepare students for the academic expectations of baccalaureate institutions. This is to distinguish our course requirements from those high school courses classified as college preparatory courses for students continuing their educations at two-year, associate's-degree-granting institutions.

The latest statistics on high school coursework completed by the University’s enrolling first-year students indicates the following:

• 93 percent of our enrolling students completed the equivalent of four or more years of mathematics
• 85 percent of our enrolling students completed the equivalent of three or more years of a social science
• 83 percent of our enrolling students completed the equivalent of four or more years of laboratory science
• 64 percent of our enrolling students completed the equivalent of four or more years of foreign language

The University of New Hampshire conducts an individualized, holistic review of our applications for admission. This admissions philosophy allows the University of New Hampshire to make appropriate exceptions to any stated policy in place, provided compelling evidence exists to assure the Admissions Office that a student will succeed academically at the University of New Hampshire.

University of New Hampshire Admissions Standardized Test Policy for Fall 2009
The University of New Hampshire requires all 2009 high school graduates to submit results from the SAT Reasoning Test (which includes the required essay) or the ACT with writing test. Scores will be used in the following manner for the fall 2009 admission cycle:

1. The essay portion of the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT with writing test will not be used for admissions decisions during the first two to three admissions cycles until we determine what correlation exists between the essay score and academic success during the first year of college at UNH.
2. Only the math and verbal portion of the new SAT and core five sub-scores of the ACT will aid in our determination of admissions eligibility, merit scholarships and admission to the University’s Honors Program.