Requirements for Admission

Freshmen: Students who wish to enter Upper Iowa University 1) directly from high school or 2) with less than 24 semester hours of graded transferable college credit or ACE (American Council of Education) credit will be considered for admission based on their completion of high school course requirements and college courses attempted.

Transfer: Transfer students with 24 or more semester hours of graded transferable college credit will be considered for admission based on their college credentials from all institutions.

Upper Iowa reserves the right to refuse admission to anyone who does not meet its standards for admission. Acceptance to a center, online or self-paced degree program does not guarantee acceptance to Fayette Campus.

Applying for Admission

Submit the following documents directly to Upper Iowa University, PO Box 1857, Fayette, IA 52142:

1. A completed application for admission. Apply online at www.uiu.edu/apply. Students may submit an application for admission at any time but no later than the day prior to the first day of the session in which the student plans to register.
2. Official transcripts from each college and university previously attended. Official reports for Advanced Placement may also be submitted. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the granting institution. They must not pass through the student’s hands.
3. Official transcript of the student’s high school record for those seeking admission as a freshman (see Requirement for Admission). This includes students who have completed Advanced Placement or college transfer credit while in high school. This requirement is fulfilled by one of the following:
   1. An official high school transcript
   2. Official GED certificate or score report
   3. Official copy of Joint Services Transcript (JST) or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF)
   4. Evidence of a passing score on tests recognized by the state such as the High School Equivalency Test (HSET) and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC)
   5. For International students only, official transcripts verifying completion of secondary education
4. Official or unofficial transcript of the student’s high school record for those seeking admission as a freshman with less than 24 semester hours of graded transferable college credit or ACE (American Council of Education) credit that is earned after graduating from high school (see Requirement for Admission). This requirement is fulfilled by one of the following:
   1. Any item in 3a - 3e above
   2. Official college or university transcript that lists the high school graduation date
   3. Unofficial high school transcript or copy of high school diploma
   4. Official copy of Joint Services Transcript (JST) or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF)
5. Veterans - an application for veterans’ benefits or change of place of training form and a copy of the DD214.
6. Active duty military and reservists - an official copy of DD295, CCAF, or JST transcript. Optional - Not required for official admission. Required for posting of credit.
7. Teachers seeking additional endorsements - copy of current teaching license (for Iowa only).
8. To be considered for admission, international students and non-English speaking students must validate they have met Upper Iowa University’s proficiency in English requirement in one of the ways listed in the following column. The student will be notified in writing of the approval or denial of admission. If a student does not complete the admission process and enroll within that year, materials may be required to be resubmitted.

The student will be notified in writing of the approval or denial of admission. If the student does not complete the admission process and enroll within that year, the student may be required to resubmit materials.

Applicants who receive an offer of admission while completing high school must understand that the offer of admission is contingent upon the completion of their high school diploma, or the equivalent. A student entering Upper Iowa University under provisional admittance will be cleared for full acceptance upon receipt of the official high school transcript(s) with the graduation date. The official transcript(s) are required prior to registration. Please note that financial aid funding will not be available until after full acceptance at Upper Iowa University.

Failure to comply with the above conditions may result in the offer of admission being rescinded.

Until a student submits all required admissions documentation, they are considered a non-degree seeking student. A non-degree seeking student is not eligible for financial aid, is limited to no more than 30 credits at UIU, and may not have a degree conferred.

Students are allowed up to 30 credit hours to complete their admission file as long as Terms of Payment are met.

Experiential Learning documentation should be submitted only after an initial evaluation is completed, upon registering for at least one course through UIU, and after discussion of an individual degree plan with an academic advisor.

International Student Admission

International Students - U.S. Center

Programs/Distance Education

Upper Iowa University is authorized under federal law to enroll international students at certain locations. For additional information contact the Office of Admissions. International student applicants must submit the following documents directly to the U.S. center or Distance Education Office in order to complete the international student admission process. Enrollment in self-paced or online courses does not qualify foreign students for a student visa because these programs can be completed from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, international students in the U.S. are prohibited by federal immigration regulations from enrolling full-time in online courses.

1. A completed Application for Admission..
2. Official transcripts from each college and university previously attended. Official transcripts may require evaluation by a certified evaluator at the student’s expense. This evaluation must be sent directly to Upper Iowa University. Contact an academic advisor to discuss the type of most useful evaluation.
3. Certified True Copy (CTC) of the certificate verifying credit earned through postsecondary public examination (i.e. A-Level, STPM, etc.).
4. A CTC of the credential verifying completion of secondary education if the student has earned college credit, or an official secondary education transcript if the student has not previously earned college credit.
5. To be considered for admission, international students and non-English speaking students must validate they have met Upper Iowa University’s proficiency in English requirement in one of the ways listed below.

Until a student submits all required admissions documentation, they are considered a non-degree seeking student. A non-degree seeking international student is not eligible for financial aid, is limited to no more than a total of 30 credits at UIU (maximum of 6 credits without meeting English Proficiency Requirement), and may not have a degree conferred.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy

Students may take classes at Upper Iowa University without being accepted in a degree-seeking program. Their official status is “non-matriculated” – a traditional academic term meaning not enrolled in a degree program. All non-matriculated students will be required to complete an application for admission. Non-matriculated students are required to complete prerequisites.

If a non-matriculated student decides to pursue a degree program, he/she will be required to go through the regular admissions process.

Until a student submits all required admissions documentation, they are considered a non-degree seeking student. A non-degree seeking international student is not eligible for financial aid, is limited to no more than a total of 30 credits at UIU (maximum of 6 credits without meeting English Proficiency Requirement), and may not have a degree conferred.

English Proficiency Requirements

To be considered for admission international students and non-English speaking students must validate the UIU English Proficiency requirement. If a student is transferring from a US institution or has been educated in one of the English proficiency waiver countries, the English proficiency requirement is waived.

For a list of English speaking countries, see uiu.edu/english-waiver.

Validation of Upper Iowa University’s English proficiency requirement is met in one of the following ways:

UIU will also consider the following evidence to meet the requirement of English proficiency:

• Official transcripts validating completion of secondary education from a U.S. high school or GED equivalent.
• Official transcripts validating a minimum of two years of instruction at the secondary education level in a country where the official language is English (contact the Office of Admissions or visit its website for a list of recognized countries) or an English language international school.
• Official transcripts from a two-year minimum combination of secondary and post-secondary education in a country where the official language is English.
• Official transcripts showing 24 or more successfully completed college-level semester credits* from a regionally accredited college or university where the official language is English and English is the language of instruction.
  Cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 is required.
• Successful completion of an Upper Iowa University approved Intensive English Program (IEP)

*Non-degree awarding credits (i.e. intensive English, Foundations, or deemed equivalent credits) will not be considered to meet this requirement.