• Freshman Admission Criteria

• Transfer Admission Criteria

• Admissions Decisions

• Special Application Situations

Freshman Admission Criteria

The Office of Admissions at Purchase College seeks to enroll highly motivated, hard-working and academically strong students with a consistent record of achievement in a challenging high school curriculum.  Generally, successful freshman applicants have earned a high school GPA of at least 3.0/85 and a combined Critical Reading and Math SAT score of at least 1100 or better (24 ACT composite score). Please review our fact sheet fall 2010 for more information about the students who have been admitted to the college.

Students that do not meet these exact requirements but demonstrate a compelling academic history or, in the case of our professional training programs in the visual and performing arts, exceptional artistic talent may still be considered for admission. For the additional admission requirements for students applying to programs in the visual and performing arts, see the Application Instructions section of this website.

All candidates are encouraged to pursue a rigorous college prep curriculum throughout their entire high school career, enhancing their college preparation through honors courses and Advanced Placement courses.

Minimum coursework requirements are:

• Four years of English
• Three years of Math (including Algebra, Geometry/Trigonometry, and another  higher level math course)
• Three years of lab science
• Three years of social studies
• Two years of the same foreign language

Score Choice:

Purchase College does not participate in the Score Choice option available through the College Board or the similar program through Educational Testing Service (ETS).  We encourage you to submit scores from all test sittings of the SAT, ACT or SAT Subject Tests. Purchase College evaluates thousands of qualified applicants each year for admission; access to your full testing profile enables the admissions counselors to fully and fairly assess each applicant. 

The Office of Admissions maintains a holistic review process with a focus on the quality of your academic program, your cumulative academic average, your test scores and your supplemental application. We regard standardized testing as a measurement of aptitude and it will continue to be part of our admissions process. We recommend testing for the SAT or ACT in the spring of junior year and fall of the senior year.

Transfer Admission Criteria

The decision on your application will be based on the quality of your academic program and your cumulative GPA from all colleges attended. Generally, successful transfer applicants have earned at least a 2.5 GPA.  A cumulative GPA between a 2.0 and 2.5 will be considered based on evaluation of prior course selection and performance.

We recommend that all candidates successfully complete 24 college credits prior to applying and pursue a challenging curriculum at their prior institution(s). Transfer students who have completed fewer than 24 college credits will be evaluated on their high school coursework and test scores in addition to their college coursework (see the Freshman Admission Criteria above). All admission decisions are conditional, contingent upon the successful completion of all college coursework.

For admissions requirements for students applying to programs in the visual and performing arts, see the Application Instructions section of this website.

Requests for Additional Information:

When deemed necessary, the Office of Admissions may request additional information, such as, but not limited to, senior SAT or ACT exam scores; first quarter or midyear senior grades; etc., Such requests are made directly to the candidate. It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit all requested information to the Office of Admissions promptly upon request.

Psychology Applicants:

The Psychology program is found within the Natural Sciences Division at the College.  Although we offer courses in social and developmental psychology, the primary focus is on experimental psychology.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENTRY TO THE PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM:

• Complete and receive a C+ or higher in the following coursework:  Introductory Psychology, Behavioral Statistics (or its equivalent at another college), and an elective psychology course. [Note: transfer students may have met this requirement at their prior college.]
  
• Achieve an overall average of 2.5 

Admissions Decisions

General Admission decisions are made and sent out on a rolling basis (no application deadline). Fall Admission decisions are mailed starting in January, and this process will continue until we reach our enrollment goals. The College reserves the right to close admission at any time.

The majority of our freshman applicants will receive their decisions before the first week in April, depending on when they applied, when their audition and or portfolio review took place, and of course whether the application is complete. Accepted students have until May 1 or 30 days from their acceptance, whichever is later, to accept their appointment to Purchase College as per the terms of the acceptance letter. A deposit of $150 is required to reserve your place in our freshman class. After acceptance, you can pay your deposit online at your mypurchase account.

Scholarships

The Office of Admissions automatically considers applicants for scholarships to programs in the Liberal Arts and Sciences based on academic merit. Academic Merit is a combination of both high school grade point average and SAT/ACT scores for freshmen or college grade point average for transfer applicants. 

Applicants to Conservatory programs will receive scholarship notification directly from the program to which they are applying.  Conservatory faculty and Deans determine a student’s eligibility for scholarships based upon the level of artistic ability demonstrated at the audition, interview and/or portfolio review.  In accordance with NCAA Division III guidelines, athletic scholarships are not available.

All scholarships are based upon the availability of funds. Other variables may include residency, programs of interest, and time of admission.

Students must complete the FAFSA form and pay their enrollment deposit by May 1st to be awarded their scholarship. Deposits due by May 1st (Applicable to New students only).

Special Application Situations

• Early Action
• GED
• Home-schooled Applicants
• Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Candidates
• Deferred Admission
• Second Bachelor's Degree
• Readmission
  
  

Early Action

If Purchase College is your first choice college then you are invited to apply as an Early Action candidate. Early Action is a non-binding early application/notification program for fall Liberal Arts and Science freshmen. There is no early action option for transfer students, or for Visual Arts or Performing Arts students.

As an early action applicant, you may submit applications to other schools. If you are accepted through Early Action, you do not have to withdraw your applications at other institutions until May 1.

The Early Action application completion deadline is November 15. Read our complete set of application instructions. To be considered Early Action please make sure you check Early Action on the application.

The Admission Committee will admit, deny, or postpone early action applications by January 1st. Postponed applications will be reviewed again with the regular freshman applications in the spring. In such cases, the early action agreement is cancelled.

GED

Purchase College welcomes applications from students who completed a GED. An official GED diploma with a minimum score of 2800 is required for consideration. We will not evaluate an applicant’s file with a photocopy of the GED. To obtain an official GED diploma contact the NYS Department of Education at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ged/. We also encourage all GED applicants to take the SAT or ACT and submit their official scores to the Office of Admissions.

Home-Schooled Applicants

Purchase College encourages applications from students with a wide variety of backgrounds, including homeschooled students. We attempt to be as fair and equitable as possible in evaluating these applicants to ensure they are given every consideration in the application process.

It is important to note that we maintain the same academic standards for all applicants (see Applying to Purchase) However, we acknowledge that the transcripts of homeschooled students may be different than those of traditional high school students. We also realize that home-schooled students may find that our application forms do not fit their individualized high school programs. Although individual students may not be able to submit everything that we ask for, homeschooled students should submit as much information as possible describing their curriculum, which may include course descriptions, texts read, and skill levels completed. This information can be very helpful as we examine a student’s ability in the five academic areas of math, science, social science, English, and foreign language.

In order to help us best assess the fit for Purchase College the application must include the following:

• A transcript outlining the subjects studies and results of your high school program through the end of grade eleven.
  
  
• SAT or ACT test scores (sent directly from the testing agency).
  
  
• The Common Application home school supplement (if applied through the Common Application), or a detailed outline of the home-school curriculum, including subject areas studied, texts used, and time spent on each discipline.
  
  
• At least one letter of recommendation from a tutor, evaluator, or teacher who is not a family member. We prefer two academic references, but we realize that this may be difficult. A second letter of reference may come from an employer, supervisor, or any non-family member who can address important personal qualities such as responsibility, creativity, discipline, and initiative.
  
  
• Upon admission, these students must submit a letter from the Superintendent of their local school district confirming that they have “completed the substantial equivalent of a four-year high school course of study.”

Interviews:

In order to strengthen the application, we suggest an interview. This interview can be scheduled at any time before the application deadline by calling the admission office to make arrangements.