Who is a first-year student?
Students should apply as a first-year applicant if they’ve earned or will earn their high school diploma. This includes students who have earned college credit through AP, IB, AICE, CLEP, and dual enrollment including an associate’s degree earned through dual enrollment.
High School Transcript (Required)
Students should submit a high school transcript displaying courses completed and in progress as soon as possible following submission of their application for admission.
Prior to enrollment at Florida Southern, students are required to submit an official high school transcript which reflects the date of conferral of their high school diploma or equivalent.
Applicants are expected to have earned credit in at least 18 units of college preparatory courses — typically including:
- Four units of English
- Three units of mathematics (two years of algebra and one year of geometry)
- Two units of laboratory science (one from the natural sciences and one from the physical sciences)
- The remaining units balanced among the social sciences, foreign languages, and additional work in the sciences, mathematics or literature.
Candidates are encouraged to complete additional units beyond the core academic curriculum, including work in the fine arts and other electives. Trends in performance are considered as part of the evaluation process.
Students earning the high school equivalency diploma (GED) may apply for freshman admission. All high school transcripts must still be submitted, along with a statement indicating the reasons for seeking the alternative diploma.
SAT and/or ACT Scores (Recommended)
Results of standardized examinations, along with an applicant’s academic record, help provide a reasonable prediction of a candidate’s ability to perform successfully in a Florida Southern classroom. The College expresses no preference for one examination over the other and encourages students to take both.
Florida Southern College’s Institution Codes
SAT - #5218
ACT - #0732
Florida Southern College is continuing to offer a Test Optional Policy which can be used for students applying to enter in the Spring 2022 or Fall 2022 semesters. Students who choose not to submit test scores should expect that their performance in core academic courses will be weighted heavily in the application evaluation process.
Applicants applying test-optional are strongly encouraged to submit an academic recommendation in addition to their personal statement. Additional information, including but not limited to items such as submission of a recommendation letter or participation in an interview, may be requested by the admissions committee.
Students applying as test-considered may report unofficial test scores for admission consideration. To do so, simply screen shot the test score report, save it is an image or PDF, and email to fscadm@flsouthern.edu. Please be sure the screen shot includes the student’s first and last name, test date, and test score(s). Students offered admission with a self-reported, unofficial score report will be required to send official scores prior to their matriculation.
Personal Statement (Required)
Students are asked to submit a personal statement of at least 250 words in length from a list of statement prompts. Test-Optional applicants have a specific prompt to which they are encouraged to respond.
Academic Recommendation (ReQUIRed)
Each candidate for freshman admission is asked to submit one academic recommendation. This recommendation should be from an appropriate academic professional — teacher or school counselor. Recommendation forms are available from the admissions office and can also be downloaded from the College website. You may also submit a letter of recommendation instead of the form.
Extracurricular Activities/Service/Honors (Recommended)
Students are asked to briefly describe extracurricular activities, leadership involvement (including any work experience), and service during high school. Special honors or awards received for academics or activities and organizations should also be included.
Homeschool Applicants
Florida Southern admits homeschooled students based on the strength of their application, essay and high school curriculum and GPA, just like all other first-year applicants. Though not a requirement for admission consideration or in the awarding of institutional merit scholarships, we encourage applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores when possible.
In addition to a completed application and official high school transcripts, homeschooled applicants should also submit one or more of the following:
- Official SAT/ACT score results
- Official college transcript demonstrating a minimum of 12 transferrable college credit hours earned (or in-progress)
While academic record is the primary determinant, we also take into consideration a student’s extracurricular activities and personal record, and thus encourage applicants to submit an outline of their work, volunteer service and/or extracurricular activities. Additional information, including but not limited to items such as submission of a recommendation letter or participation in an interview, may be requested by the admissions committee.