Admission Criteria

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Below are the minimum qualifications high school juniors and seniors must meet in order to enroll in Liberal Arts and Sciences courses (often referred to as “generals”) at Ridgewater College:

Juniors:

• High school class rank – upper 1/3 of their class
• OR HS GPA – 3.0 cumulative GPA
• And placement into college-level reading based on GPA or Accuplacer, ACT or SAT scores 
  • Juniors will automatically meet the reading placement criteria due to 3.0 GPA requirement

Seniors:

• High school class rank – upper 1/2 of their class,
• OR HS GPA – 2.5 cumulative GPA
• And placement into college-level reading based on GPA or Accuplacer, ACT or SAT scores
  • High school seniors with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 to 2.59 will need to take the reading portion of the Accuplacer exam and meet minimum scores OR meet the ACT/SAT scores noted below. 
    • ACT scores:
      • Reading 19 or higher
    • SAT Scores:
      • Reading 440-449 or ERW 480 or higher

Students will be notified if the Accuplacer exam is required. In addition, juniors and seniors wishing to take college-level math or chemistry courses may need to take the math portion of the Accuplacer exam after meeting with their academic advisor.  

Technical Education

High school juniors and seniors applying for technical coursework must demonstrate the ability to successfully complete college coursework at a C level or higher. Students are admitted based on a review of coursework taken in high school, GPA, class rank, and the Accuplacer test. 

Students applying for technical course work who meet admission requirements will be accepted after October 1st for Spring Semester and February 1st for Fall Semester on a space available basis.

Sophomores

High school sophomores may enroll in one career or technical education course at Ridgewater College. High school sophomores are not eligible to enroll in Liberal Arts & Sciences courses. Sophomores must meet the following to enroll in a CTE course:

• Attained a reading score of 850 or higher on the 8th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment.
  • If a student does not have an MCA score, they are eligible to take the Accuplacer reading exam.  A score of 220 or higher is required on the Accuplacer reading test.
• Met any other course prerequisites or course enrollment standards established by the College. This includes, but is not limited to, assessment test scores, program admission, or other requirements.
• If a student receives a grade of C or better in the course, the student shall be allowed to take additional career or technical education courses in subsequent terms. Students may also be eligible to take general education courses, where additional admissions and course placement criteria must be met. Students should meet with their academic advisor in advance to discuss options.
• Sophomores who wish to continue their PSEO experience in their Junior/Senior year should contact the Admissions Office, as additional requirements must be met. This includes submitting an updated high school transcript, Credit Balance Form, and a new Program Notice of Student Registration Form. Accuplacer testing may also be required. 

PSEO classes are available for sophomores on a space-available basis. Please refer to the PSEO Classes Available for Sophomores [PDF]