Admissions
Joy Brown, Director of Admissions
wou.edu/admission/
503-838-8211 (TTY)
Toll free: 877-877-1593, ext. 1
To attend classes at WOU, students must apply for and receive formal admission. WOU’s admission process reflects the institution’s strong commitment to providing an excellent student-centered education.
To be eligible for admission and to be admitted to first-year student standing, students need to fulfill each of the following requirements:
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Graduate from an accredited high school.
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Have at least a 2.75 cumulative high school grade-point average.
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Complete the following courses upon high school graduation with a minimum of C- or Pass grade:
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4 years in Language Arts
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3 years in Math culminating in a course with a primary focus in algebra, calculus, data science, discrete mathematics, geometry, mathematical analysis, probability, or statistics
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3 years in Science
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3 years in Social Science
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2 years in the same second language
Note: If you do not meet these traditional admission requirements or alternatives, please see the comprehensive admission review section or contact Admissions for a review of your eligibility.
First-year applicants are encouraged to apply beginning their senior year of high school to receive priority consideration for WOU scholarships. The application procedure for entering first-year applicants (students with no preparation beyond high school) consists of the following steps:
- Complete and return an application for admission. Students can apply for admission online at wou.edu/admission/. WOU does not have an application fee (no waiver required).
- Submit your unofficial high school transcript documenting your grade-point average and all course work completed to date.
- Submit a final official transcript documenting all high school coursework, final grade-point average, and date of graduation. First-year and Transfer students seeking to transfer college credit are required to submit an official transcript from each college or university attended to the Office of the Registrar.
First-year students who attend WOU within one year of their high school graduation are required to live on campus (see University Housing policy). Admissions reserves the right to rescind the admission of any student who fails to meet the conditions of their admission to WOU.
WOU conducts comprehensive reviews of applicants who do not meet the minimum admission requirements. Reviews may include the request of additional materials such as:
- Personal essay
- Up to 3 letters of recommendation
Academic performance is not the sole criterion for admission to WOU. WOU may evaluate a person’s behavior and background to determine their ability to maintain the standards of academic and professional conduct expected at the university. An evaluation may take into consideration current behavior and performance as well as past experiences and actions. For information, go to wou.edu/admission/.
A student who does not hold a high school diploma may be admitted on the basis of the GED test as follows:
- A GED received after December 2013 requires a standard score of at least 150 on each of the four subject examinations, with a total score of 680 or higher.
- A GED received between January 2002 and December 2013 requires a standard score of at least 410 on each of the five subject examinations, with an average overall score of 580 or higher.
- A GED received before January 2002 requires a standard score of at least 40 on each subject examination and an overall score of 46 or higher.
For information, go online to wou.edu/admission/.
Students completing the full IB Diploma with a score of 30 or higher receive the following:
- Certain credits to fulfill General Education Requirements. These are based on IB exam scores and official scores must be submitted for review.
- The above could lead to 2nd year level academic standing
Applications from students from unaccredited high schools and home-schooled students are reviewed in alignment with our first-year student admission requirements. Please submit the following for our review:
- Completed WOU application
- High school and college transcripts
For information, visit our website at wou.edu/admission/.
Western Oregon University has a rolling admissions process. While there is both an early action deadline of November 1 and a priority deadline of January 15 each year, applications are accepted throughout the academic year. Students can also apply for each academic term. The final deadline to apply is two weeks prior to the start of each term. Students who wish to apply for financial aid, scholarships or university housing are advised to consult Admissions regarding deadlines.
Students who have confirmed their admission may request to defer their admission to Western Oregon University for up to one academic year. Deferral requests must be submitted to the Office of Admissions prior to the start of the originally admitted term.
Merit scholarships awarded at the time of admission will also be deferred and honored for the approved deferred term, provided the student meets all eligibility requirements at the time of enrollment.
For first-year students, admission and merit scholarship eligibility are based on first-year admission criteria. If, during the deferral period, a student enrolls at another college or university and completes 36 or more quarter credits or 24 or more semester credits, the student’s application and merit scholarship eligibility will be reevaluated under transfer admission criteria.
Deferrals may not exceed one academic year. Students who do not enroll within the approved deferral period may be required to submit a new application for admission.
Transfer Students
- Students with 36 or more transferable, college-level quarter hour credits (24 semester hours) must have a cumulative 2.25 grade point average or higher in all college-level work attempted and be in good academic standing, disciplinary/student conduct and financial standing at all prior institutions attended.
- Students with fewer than 36 transferable, college-level quarter hours are required to provide an official high school transcript or GED scores and must meet freshman admission requirements.
- Transfer applicants who obtain an Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) or an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree (AAOT) from an Oregon community college are admissible with a cumulative grade-point average of 2.00.
A transfer student who does not meet the regular admission requirements may be considered for admission by the Comprehensive Admission Review Committee. Refer to section on comprehensive admission review or contact Admissions.
The application procedure for transfer students consists of the following steps:
- Complete and return an application for admission. Students can apply for admission online at wou.edu/admission/. WOU does not have an application fee (no waiver required).
- Submit your unofficial high school transcript documenting your grade-point average and all course work completed to date.
- Submit a final official transcript documenting all high school coursework, final grade-point average, and date of graduation. First-year and Transfer students seeking to transfer college credit are required to submit an official transcript from each college or university attended to the Office of the Registrar.
Greg Davis
Dual Enrollment Partnerships at Designated Community Colleges
Western Oregon University offers the Degree Partnership Program (dual admission and enrollment) at the following Oregon Community Colleges:
The DPP program is designed to allow qualified students access to Western Oregon University and their selected community college. As a DPP participant, students can attend classes at either institution, utilize financial aid to pay tuition incurred at both institutions, and have the option of using campus facilities and services. There is also flexibility in scheduling with access to more classes and one application process to attend both institutions. Learn more at wou.edu/partnerships/.The state of Oregon has a number of transfer agreements in place to facilitate a smooth transition from Oregon community colleges to four-year public universities.
WOU has approved select transfer agreements with states outside of Oregon, such as Washington’s Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) and California’s Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC).
Students with qualifying transfer courses will be awarded credit at WOU in accordance with Undergraduate Academic Regulation U-13 . Credit for the following standardized exams are awarded as follows:
Students from designated states who have earned specific transfer degree will be considered as having met WOU’s General Education requirements.
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