Admissions

Admission Requirements

A successful application for admission to Gordon gives evidence of strong academic promise and strong Christian commitment.

Students are prepared for the curriculum at Gordon when they have successfully completed courses in the following areas at the college preparatory level: English (four years), mathematics (two years, three years preferred), science (two years, three years preferred, including at least one year of a laboratory science), social studies (two years) and five courses of acceptable electives, including two years of the same foreign language (four years strongly recommended).

Other factors that contribute to a successful application include athletic, music or drama experience, cross-cultural perspective, and proven leadership ability in service to church, community or school.

Application Plans

Students may select an application plan that will best meet their needs. Options may be discussed during the admission interview before making this selection. Please note: All credentials submitted to the Admissions Office become the property of Gordon College.

Early Decision. Application deadline is November 1 with notification concerning admission by December 1. This plan is intended for students who have selected Gordon as their first choice for fall semester matriculation. Upon notification of acceptance, early decision applicants agree to withdraw any applications to other colleges. They are asked to submit a nonrefundable deposit of $250 by May 1, which is credited to the first-semester bill.

Early Action. Application deadlines of November 15 and December 1. This is a nonbinding option which enables Gordon to notify applicants regarding an admission decision by January 1. Accepted students will need to submit a nonrefundable deposit of $250 by May 1 to ensure space in the class.

Regular Decision. Application deadline is February 1. This is a nonbinding option which enables Gordon to notify applicants regarding an admission decision by March 1. Applications received after March 1 will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Accepted students will need to submit a nonrefundable deposit of $250 by May 1 to ensure space in the class.

Students interested in enrolling after their junior year should contact the director of admissions for specific requirements.

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.

Freshman Applicants

Credentials. Application; $50 nonrefundable application fee; high school transcript; SAT or ACT with writing scores; Christian faith and academic references. An admissions interview is required. SAT II tests are not required but may be used for placement if scores are sent. Gordon requires the SAT or ACT with writing exam.

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

• Students may submit to the Registrar’s Office scores for either the Advanced Placement 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, German or Spanish will place a student in FRE 102 , GER 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.
• Students who have had more than two years of language instruction in high school must take a placement test at Gordon before enrolling in any course in French, German, Italian, Latin or Spanish. The placement tests in these five languages are diagnostic tools administered during fall Orientation as well as in early January, and no academic credit is awarded. However, if students have placed out of a particular language course, they will not receive credit for taking the same language course at Gordon. Students may not take Gordon’s placement test more than once in the same language.
• The on-campus placement test must also be taken by all students wishing to continue their study of language at the intermediate level (201) or above. Please note this includes those students who already have an SATII, BYU or Advanced Placement score on file.
• Students who have earned high school credit for level three of a language other than French, German, Latin or Spanish, or those proficient in another language, must independently arrange to take either the SAT Achievement Test (www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/SAT/about/SATII/whichlang.html) off campus or a language correspondence test through Brigham Young University (flats.byu.edu) and submit their scores to the Registrar’s Office. Contact the department chair for more information.
• Students whose native language is not English may use a TOEFL score, or a transcript from a secondary school where instruction was conducted in the native language, to validate Gordon’s 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 and International Baccalaureate

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

• Applicants with AP validation 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 equivalent to Gordon courses as determined by the departments up to a maximum of 32 credits.
• Higher Level International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme exams with scores of 5 or better will be considered for college credit upon receipt of the official certificate; specific course credit allocation will be determined by the academic department involved.

Transfer Applicants

Credentials. Application; $50 nonrefundable application fee; official college transcripts; SAT or ACT scores and high school transcript if less than one collegiate academic year has been completed (less than 24 completed semester credits); Christian faith and academic references. An admission interview is required. A college catalog may be required for transfer credit evaluation if not available online. See Foreign Language Placement above.

Transfer students’ transcripts are evaluated by the Registrar’s Office and faculty. Transfer credit will normally be granted for courses officially transcripted from a regionally accredited institution provided such work is appropriate to degree requirements at Gordon and was completed with a grade of C minus or above. Work from nonregionally accredited 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.

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.

A minimum of 20 Gordon credits is required in the core and each major, and at least three of five core thematic courses must be taken at Gordon.

Readmission

All students seeking readmission must apply through the Admissions Office.

Non-Degree-Seeking Applicants (Nondegree students receiving academic credit)

Credentials. Application; $50 nonrefundable application fee; high school transcript or other evidence of completion of high school graduation requirements; and an admission interview. Note: Special students are ineligible for financial aid.

Audit Applicants (Nondegree students not receiving academic credit)

Credentials. Application; $50 nonrefundable application fee; high school transcript or other evidence of completion of high school graduation requirements. Auditors pay one-half tuition and register for courses after receiving approval from the registrar and the instructor.

Alumni Auditors. Graduates of Gordon or Barrington Colleges may apply to audit one course per term tuition free. A $10 registration fee will be charged for each course. In addition, the student will be responsible for any course fees.

International Applicants

Credentials. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), ACT with writing or SAT scores; 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 an AACRAO’s Foreign Credential Analysis, 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.

Art Majors

In order for prospective students to apply for the art major at Gordon, they must first submit a portfolio and be approved by a faculty review board. Contact the Art Department for portfolio requirements, deadlines and guidelines at www.gordon.edu/art.

Education Majors

Provisional declaration of education majors may be made at any time. However, students should note that special admission requirements must be met to be fully accepted into a teacher education program, which includes permission for upper-level courses and practicum. Requirements include a minimum GPA of 2.70; grades of C or better in all education courses; and a passing score on the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL): Communication and Literacy Test. Contact chair, Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, or Department of Middle School/Secondary Education, for further information at www.gordon.edu/departments/education.

Music Majors

All students who wish to major or minor in music must audition to be accepted into the department after submitting a formal application to the College. Specific audition days are established each year by the music faculty to hear auditions of prospective majors and minors. In addition to the performance audition, students must complete a music application; submit a letter of recommendation from a recent music instructor; and take a music theory entrance examination. Students unable to audition in person may submit a recorded performance. Students should contact the undergraduate program coordinator in the Department of Music to begin the music application and audition process at www.gordon.edu/music.

Social Work Majors

Provisional declaration to the major may be made at the time of application or enrollment. However, specific admission requirements must be met before a student may transition from provisional status to formal acceptance as a social work major. Requirements include completion of the social work major application form and a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.25. For information contact the Social Work Department at www.gordon.edu/academics/socialwork.

Application Deadlines

It is always to the applicant’s advantage to submit the application and all credentials as early as possible.