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College Direct Admission

The petitioning period to request an application for direct admission to the College of Arts and Sciences is now closed.  Eligible students admitted as of December 18, 2009 who have not yet completed their online Selective Scholarship Application (SSA) have until midnight (EDT) January 15, 2010 to submit their materials.  Letters of recommendation will be accepted through midnight (EDT) on January 29, 2010.

Every fall, the College of Arts & Sciences recognizes the achievements of a small number of outstanding incoming freshmen by extending to these future scholars invitations of Direct Admission.  Students honored with this distinction are among the most talented and accomplished undergraduates pursuing studies in the arts, humanities, languages, mathematics, sciences, and social sciences.  Acknowledging both their past academic and extracurricular achievements as well as their scholarly promise, the College of Arts & Sciences offers these highly motivated, intellectually curious, and dedicated individuals the opportunity to bypass standard entrance requirements and begin their studies as College of Arts & Sciences students at the very start of their freshman year.  Early entrance to the College permits these promising students to declare their major at anytime, change or add majors and minors freely, and provides them immediate access to academic advisors within their chosen field(s) of study.  Selected by committee for their record of achievement, enthusiasm for learning as well as scholarly potential, these individuals exhibit qualities that suggest they will benefit from a focused start to their studies.

Who is extended an invitation of Direct Admission to the College?

Less than 3% of incoming freshmen each year receive invitations of Direct Admission to the College of Art & Sciences; these scholars are selected from the very best students admitted to the Bloomington campus.  The 245 directly admitted students in the incoming class of 2009 represented more than 35 different fields of study in the College.  The average standardized test scores for those invited was 31 on the ACT (Composite) or 1385 on the SAT (Critical Reading and Math), and 91% had achieved a high school cumulative GPA of 3.900 or higher while pursuing a broad and rigorous course of study in high school.  View additional statistics on the 2009 incoming class of College scholars.  

How are students selected for College Direct Admission? 

The College of Arts & Sciences utilizes the Selective Scholarship Application (SSA) to identify exceptional students for Direct Admission to the College.  Selection is highly competitive, limited to a small number of accomplished individuals, and is by invitation only.  Recipients are chosen by the College’s Direct Admission Selection Committee on the basis of academic achievement, quality of essays, formative experiences, commitment to areas of study within the College of Arts & Sciences, and other evidence of scholarly promise.  Since the College is limited in the number of invitations it is able to extend for Direct Admission, the information provided on the Selective Scholarship Application will serve to broaden the selection committee’s knowledge of students beyond test scores and GPA and is an opportunity for students to help the committee members better understand their talents, interests, and accomplishments – both academic and extracurricular. Notifications for offers of Direct Admission are issued on a rolling basis between December 1 and March 1. Full consideration will be given to all applications until the maximum number of offers has been reached. Thereafter, applications will be reviewed in the order in which they have been received, as space permits.

All students admitted to the Bloomington campus by December 18, 2009 who indicate an intended major in the College of Arts & Sciences and who meet initial eligibility criteria are invited to complete IU’s multi-purpose application packet known as the Selective Scholarship Application.  Notification of a student’s SSA eligibility is issued via email and in the IU admission packet.   The SSA (including the required letters of recommendation) MUST be completed and returned by the date specified on the application for consideration for College Direct Admission.

NOTE:  Students admitted to IUB by December 18, 2009 who do not receive an invitation to complete the online SSA but who wish to be considered for College Direct Admission, may petition for the opportunity to apply by sending an email to coasinfo at indiana.edu.  The deadline for receipt of petition requests is Monday, January 4, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. (EDT).   

Does the College award financial scholarships to students selected for Direct Admission?

College Direct Admission is not a financial scholarship program.  Its purpose is to create – each fall – an incoming class of College scholars dedicated to studies in the arts, humanities, languages, mathematics, sciences, and social sciences.  The College of Arts & Sciences recognizes the accomplishments, talents and future potential of select individuals by offering them early entrance to the College.  Direct Admission has proven to be an effective means for enabling talented incoming students to begin their liberal arts education in the College with a specific degree objective.

One merit-based scholarship for which recipients of College Direct Admission are eligible is the 1st Year Indiana Scholars Award.  This award, however, is restricted to those individuals who are residents of Indiana at the time of application.  The 1st Year Indiana Scholars Award is valued at $4,000 ($1,000 per year) over a period of four years (eight semesters).  The number of scholarships available in any given year is limited and awarding is competitive.  No additional application is required, as recipients of the 1st Year Indiana Scholars Award are selected when invitations of Direct Admission are issued.  Notification of this award will be included with letters of invitation for College Direct Admission.

While the College of Arts & Sciences has limited funding for scholarships, there are other opportunities available to incoming freshmen at IU.  For more information, visit the Office of Scholarships website.  In addition, students are encouraged to learn more about financial aid options by visiting the Office of Student Financial Assistance website.