Admission to BGSU

Office of Admissions
200 University Hall
419-372-2478
email: choosebgsu@bgsu.edu
www.bgsu.edu

Office of Enrollment and Retention Services
BGSU Firelands
103 Foundation Hall
One University Dr
Huron, OH 44839
419-433-5560 or 800-322-4787
www.firelands.bgsu.edu

Admission to BGSU

For admission to Bowling Green State University a freshman applicant must:

1. Be a graduate of a senior high school approved or accredited by the department of education of the state in which it is located; or
2. Have earned high school equivalency through the General Educational Development (GED) testing program (issued by the state department of education); or
3. Present GED test results or ACT or SAT test results, if the student completed secondary education through an alternative program such as home schooling; or
4. Present an International Baccalaureate diploma or certificate.

Applications for admission are accepted and processed each semester of the academic year and the summer term until the capacity of the freshman class is reached on the Bowling Green campus and at BGSU Firelands in Huron, Ohio. Admission is competitive and is based on the high school curriculum, cumulative grade point average, standardized test scores, and class rank.

High school students are encouraged to apply for admission beginning July before their senior year. Because housing accommodations and classroom facilities are limited, students should submit their applications as soon as possible. All credentials should be on file by January 15 of the senior year to assure full scholarship consideration.

Although the largest number of new students enters in August, it is possible to enter in the spring semester or the summer term. It is recommended that all admission credentials must be received by the Office of Admissions 14 days before the spring semester or the summer session to allow sufficient time for processing, notification, academic advising, and registration for classes. For international applicants, the application deadline for spring semester is Nov. 1, for the summer term April 15, and for the fall semester the deadline is July 15. 

The admissions application is available online at www.bgsu.edu or through the Common Application. To be considered for admission, freshman applicants are required to submit the Application for Undergraduate Admission, a $45 nonrefundable application fee for the online application, and an official transcript with ACT or SAT test results. All transcripts, test results, and other academic credentials must be mailed, or sent electronically, from the school or agency to the Office of Admissions to be accepted as official. Academic credentials mailed by a student will be inadequate for evaluation for an admissions decision. All admission credentials submitted to the Office of Admissions become the property of Bowling Green State University and cannot be returned. Any misrepresentation of credentials will be cause for refusal or cancellation of admission or expulsion from the University if discovered subsequently.

Applicants who have earned high school equivalency through the General Education Development (GED) testing program should send an official copy of the GED results and an official high school transcript of all work completed to the Office of Admissions.

A student who has not taken coursework anywhere (high school or college) during the past five years prior to enrollment is eligible for admission to the University. An application should be submitted, along with their official high school transcript and any other post-secondary transcript from which colleges they attended. Under this five-year admission policy, a student receives admission and is required to take courses under the close supervision of his or her college academic advisor.

Applicants may fulfill the requirements for admission by presenting an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Certificate. Grades of four through seven in higher-level subjects may be considered for individual course credit. Students with questions about the IB should contact the Office of Admissions.

The ACT or the SAT is required of all freshmen except those who have been out of high school for three or more years. Either test will fulfill this requirement. International applicants are not required to submit ACT or SAT results, but they may be submitted to fulfill their language proficiency requirement.

All non-native speakers of English are required to take the TOEFL test, IELTS test, the Pearson Test of English (PTE), or if unavailable, the Michigan Test. This is required of international students issued immigrant visas, those transferring from another American college or university, those (with English as a foreign language) coming from U.S. territories (such as Puerto Rico), and those granted U.S. citizenship within recent years.

As a condition of admission to the University and reflecting the educational philosophy of the institution, all freshman- and sophomore-level students are required to live in University residence halls. This policy does not apply to students over the age of 20 or to students commuting daily from the home of a parent, legal guardian, or spouse (commuters must live within 50 miles of Bowling Green), or to students who have attained 60 academic semester hours or four semesters of campus residency on or before their first day of classes. See the Office of Residence Life for more details.

For residency requirements for Ohio residents and nonresidents, refer to residency regulations under Office of Registration and Records.