Undergraduate - Admissions Information

Academic Calendar and Application Deadlines

Application Procedures

The following credentials are required for completing admission and financial aid applications to Gordon. Gordon reserves the right to require additional application materials, should they be necessary, in order to make a sound admission decision. It is the students’ responsibility to submit records of all academic courses in which they have enrolled.

New Applicants

Required credentials include high school transcript and any college transcripts with over 24 credits; personal or professional reference. Signed Statement of Affirmation and Respect.

Language Placement. The core requirement in language study at Gordon College is two semesters of study of the same language at the elementary or beginning level. The requirement may also be fulfilled in the following ways:

• Students may submit to the Registrar’s Office official scores for the Advanced Placement Exam, CLEP Exam, or the SATII Achievement Test in order to validate either one or two semesters of Gordon’s language requirement as follows (Gordon’s code for the SATII Achievement Test is 3417): A minimum score of 400 in French or Spanish will place a student in FRE 102 or SPN 102, respectively. A minimum score of 500 on any SATII language test will fulfill Gordon’s one-year language requirement. A minimum score of 4 on any Advanced Placement language exam will fulfill Gordon’s one-year language requirement. A minimum of score of 50 on the CLEP language exams will fulfill Gordon’s one-year language requirement. Official scores must be sent directly from the College Board to the Registrar’s Office.
   
• Students who have taken two years or less of high-school language may begin at the elementary (101) level in the same language. Students who have had more than two years of high-school language instruction must take an online placement test if they wish to validate the core requirement for that language or to continue their language study in the same language. The placement test is a diagnostic tool administered with no academic credit awarded. Tests are available for French, Italian, Spanish, German, Korean and Mandarin. Students may not take the placement test more than once in the same language.
   
• In the event that students do not have prior foreign language training, Gordon offers Latin I and II fully online to meet the language requirement.
   
• Students whose native language is not English may use a TOEFL or IELTS score or a transcript from a secondary school where instruction was conducted in the native language, to validate Gordon’s language requirement. Official TOEFL or IELTS scores must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office directly from the testing agency. Official secondary school transcripts are required in order to be considered for validating the foreign language requirement. Students may not receive credit for a Gordon language course which they have validated by testing or for which they have received transfer credit.

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and College Level Examination Program

The College grants college credit to applicants who have completed Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate Programme exams and CLEP exams as follows:

• Applicants with AP exams with grades of 4 or better who have been enrolled in the Advanced Placement Program in high school, and who have had official test results sent to the College, will be awarded credit up to a maximum of 32 credits.
• Higher Level International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme exams with scores of 5 or better will be awarded credit upon receipt of the official certificate as determined by the appropriate academic department.
• Applicants with CLEP exams with qualifying scores, and who have had official test results sent to the College, will be awarded credit and/or validation as determined by the appropriate academic department.

Transfer of credits 

Transfer students’ transcripts are evaluated by the Registrar’s Office and faculty. Transfer credit will normally be granted for courses officially transcripted by an accredited institution or the American Council on Education (ACE) provided such work is appropriate to a degree. Courses of a vocational nature or completed with a grade of D+ or below are not transferable.  Work from unaccredited institutions will be considered with additional documentation, which, on evaluation by Gordon faculty, demonstrates equivalency of information and learning outcomes. Giving credit for a course does not guarantee the course will fulfill a major requirement. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required but does not guarantee acceptance. Application of transfer credit must be finalized by the end of the first term at Gordon College. Transfer candidates may receive an unofficial transfer assessment by Transferology at https://www.transferology.com/school/gordon. 

Generally, 60 credits from a community or two-year college, or 60-90 credits from a combination of two and four-year institutions may be applied towards the Gordon College degree.

Gordon participates in the Massachusetts Transfer Guarantee program, which ensures acceptance and junior status to students who have completed an Associate Degree from a Massachusetts community college with a minimum GPA of 2.5.

All transfer applicants who have earned an associate’s degree in a liberal arts major with a minimum GPA of 2.5 will receive the core waivers below. Whenever possible, appropriate transfer courses will be applied to these requirements, but when not possible, the core requirement will be waived. Some programs or scholarships may still require students to complete courses that may have been waived as a core requirement.

• COR 107 - The Great Conversation: Foundations in Thinking, Reading and Writing   
• La Vida/Discovery requirement
• HIS 121 - Historical Perspectives on Culture, Belief and Civilization   
• NSM 202 - The Scientific Enterprise  
• Core language requirement 
• Core philosophy requirement
• Natural Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Fine Arts
• Literature
• Shalom

Pass/fail courses are not transferable without official validation that the minimum passing grade is C. A student’s Gordon cumulative grade point average is computed only on credits attempted in courses listed in the Gordon catalog.

Readmission. All students seeking readmission must apply through the Admissions Office.

Non-degree-seeking Applicants (Nondegree students receiving academic credit)

Credentials. High school transcript or other evidence of completion of high school graduation requirements; and an admission interview. 

International Applicants

Credentials. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); Foreign Student Financial Aid Application and Declaration Form of the College Scholarship Service (CSS); International Student Finance Form (www.gordon.edu/isff); and all other regular admission credentials. If transcript is not on U.S. grading scale or if transfer credit is requested, international credentials should be submitted with a WES (World Education Services) or a similar credential evaluation service report from an organization accredited by NACE. The applicant bears the cost of analysis. For further information, see the instructions for international applicants on the Gordon College Admissions website, www.gordon.edu/admissions/international

Homeschooled Applicants

Homeschooled students should submit a high school transcript or the following in lieu of the transcript: a description of the curriculum used; grades or progress reports; a list of required texts or readings and a report on experiential learning through field trips; special projects or extracurricular activities. Note: Student’s academic record must include grades or performance assessment. All other regular admission credentials must be submitted.