WSU admits students at the undergraduate level as freshmen and transfer students. Depending on their academic goals, students may choose to be degree-bound or nondegree-bound.

Admission to a specific professional program can be achieved only after admission to the university. Students must meet the requirements of the professional program. Admission to some professional programs is very competitive.

The admission procedures, outlined below, are for degree-bound domestic students. Information for nondegree-bound students is under the Admissions Categories tab. Information for international students is found at the international admissions requirements webpage1. 

Admission Procedures — Undergraduate; Domestic

To apply for admission, students should submit a WSU application in paper or electronic format. The application and full instructions are available from the Office of Admissions website1.

High school students or college transfers with 1–23 hours of completed college credit2

  • Submit a completed and signed application;
  • Have an official high school transcript (minimum of six semesters) and college transcript(s), if applicable, sent to the WSU Office of Admissions from the issuing institution;
  • Have ACT, SAT or GED scores sent directly from the testing agency to the WSU Office of Admissions, if applicable; and
  • Submit a nonrefundable $40 application fee.

College transfers with 24 or more hours of completed college credit

  • Submit a completed and signed application;
  • Have official college transcript(s) sent to the WSU Office of Admissions from all the issuing institutions. Official high school transcripts are required only if seeking federal financial aid assistance; and
  • Submit a nonrefundable $40 application fee.

WSU’s transcript and test policy are online at the admissions transcript webpage1.

Paper submissions should be sent to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Wichita State University
1845 Fairmount
Wichita, Kansas 67260-0124

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High school guest students have additional paperwork to submit. See Guest Students - High School section for more information.

Residency Requirements

See Residency Defined.

Admission Categories

Students may be admitted as degree-bound or nondegree-bound students.

Degree-Bound

Degree-bound students who have declared an academic interest will be admitted to the college of their choice. They must meet the necessary requirements for admission to the university as well as the requirements of the colleges and departments of their choice. Students who are still deciding on an academic major will be admitted to Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for academic advising and career counseling.

Nondegree-Bound

Nondegree-bound undergraduate is a category of admission for students who wish to pursue their education with no immediate degree plans. Students in this category are not eligible for financial aid. Nondegree students can be admitted as either open admission or guest students.

Open Admission

An open admission student is one who:

  • Has graduated from high school, or has a GED; or
  • Has not graduated from high school or completed a GED, and is at least 21 years of age; or
  • Is on active military duty; or
  • Holds a bachelor’s or higher degree.

Students not meeting the requirements above may be considered for nondegree admission at the discretion of the Office of Admissions.

Students admitted as open admission students will be considered nondegree for their first 30 credit hours. Beyond the 30 credit hour limit, students must apply for degree-bound admission and meet the requirements for the intended program. To transition to degree-bound, students must submit an application for admission, the $40 application fee, and all transcripts when applying for degree-bound admission.

Guest Students — College

Students attending another college or university who wish to attend Wichita State temporarily, should submit a nondegree college guest application and application fee to the Office of Admissions.

Please note: while transcripts from previous colleges are not required for guest admission, transcripts may be required to verify completion of prerequisite courses.

Guest admission is limited to 30 credit hours. Beyond the 30 credit hour limit, students must apply for degree-bound admission and meet the requirements for the intended program. To transition to degree-bound, students must submit an application for admission, the $40 application fee, and all transcripts when applying for degree-bound admission.

Guest Students — High School

Students who attend Wichita State before graduation from high school are considered to be high school guest students.

  1. The deadline to enroll as a high school guest student is approximately one week prior to the first day of classes each semester.
  2. High school guests may not take more than 6 credit hours each semester without permission by the Office of Admissions.
  3. Admission to WSU does not constitute permission by academic departments to take courses. All prerequisites for a course must be met before the student enrolls.
  4. Admission as a guest student does not guarantee admission as a degree-bound student after high school graduation.
  5. High school guest students are admitted as nondegree seeking students and are not eligible for federal aid.

To be admitted as a high school guest for the first time, students must:

  1. Be a high school sophomore, junior or senior. Younger students are considered on an individual basis;
  2. Submit a High School Guest Application form, including a nonrefundable $25 application fee; and
  3. Submit an official high school transcript. The high school transcript must show at least a 2.750 overall GPA. Admission for students with a lower GPA can be requested from admissions by a high school official and parent/guardian. Cases in which students do not meet the 2.750 GPA requirement will be considered on an individual basis.

To renew admission as a high school guest:

  1. High school guest admission must be renewed each semester;
  2. Submit a new WSU High School Guest Application form;
  3. Submit an updated high school transcript;
  4. The high school transcript must show at least a 2.750 overall GPA; and
  5. WSU transcript must show a 2.000 overall GPA.

Academic advising is available to all high school guests by contacting the Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Center, 115 Grace Wilkie Hall. Call 316-978-3700 to schedule an appointment or visit the LAS Advising Center website1.

The WSU High School Guest Application form can be completed online1 by selecting the Undergraduate Nondegree option, high school guest application, or a paper version can be found on the high school guest program webpage1.

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Admission Requirements — Undergraduate; Domestic

Freshmen

Kansas residents and nonresidents1 attending accredited high schools must:

  • Achieve a 2.000 GPA or higher on any college credit taken in high school; and
  • Achieve one of the following:
    • A minimum ACT composite of 21 or a minimum combined SAT-I of 1060 (math and evidence-based reading and writing scores); or
    • Have a cumulative unweighted GPA of 2.250 or higher on a 4.000 scale.

Note: These standards apply to those under the age of 21 with less than 24 completed college credit hours.

Kansas residents and nonresidents1 attending nonaccredited high schools (including those with international high school work), or home-schooled students must:

  • Have at least a 21 on the ACT (SAT-I of 1060);
  • Have a cumulative unweighted GPA of 2.250 or higher on a 4.000 scale; and
  • Achieve a 2.000 GPA or higher on any college credit taken.

GED students must have a minimum score of 150 on each sub-test and an overall score of 680 to be admitted. If GED was taken before 2014, please call the Office of Admissions for score requirements.

Transfer Students

  • With 24 or more transfer hours, must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.000 (on a 4.000 scale) on all previous college work.
  • With 23 or fewer transfer hours, must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.000, and meet the freshman qualified admissions requirements.

Some academic colleges at Wichita State have an additional higher transfer GPA requirement for admission. For more information contact the WSU Office of Admissions.

Admission remains open to Kansas residents over the age of 21 who have graduated from high school or have completed a GED with the minimum required scores.

Transfer students are encouraged to bring copies of their academic transcript and meet with an academic advisor prior to enrolling. The advisor can provide information about degree requirements and the eligibility of the student’s prior coursework towards their degree of choice. Contact an academic advisor through the dean’s office. See academic advising.

Students transferring from a two-year college must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours of upper-division work in order to qualify for graduation. Courses taken at a two-year institution which are deemed equivalent to courses numbered 300 or above at WSU will not satisfy this requirement. See requirements for graduation.

To view admission requirements, visit the WSU admission requirements webpage2.

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See residency requirements.

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