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Freshman Admission

When you apply, you will receive a confirmation from the Common Application that your application has been submitted. In late September, URI will begin to send letters to our applicants acknowledging that we have received your application and telling you how to check the status of your application online. We will not begin making admission decisions until November.

Applications are not reviewed until all materials are received by the Office of Admission. These materials include:

A completed Common Application and URI Supplement, which are both available and preferred online.
Application fee of $65 (can be paid online)
Official high school transcript (sent by the school)
List of senior courses (admission is contingent upon successful completion of all your current coursework)
Official SAT or ACT Scores ( MUST be sent electronically by the testing service: the URI ID code is 3919 for SAT and 3818 for ACT)
Essay (pharmacy applicants must include an additional paragraph explaining your choice of major)
At least one letter of recommendation (please limit to two); pharmacy applicants are required to provide two letters of recommendation (see details below)

Application deadlines for fall 2010

Early Action / Merit Scholarship: December 1, 2009 (received by)
Nursing and Pharmacy majors are encouraged to apply by December 1st
Freshman Application: February 1, 2010
Enrollment and Housing Deposit: May 1, 2010 (postmarked)
Spring admission (January) 2010: December 15, 2009

Please Note:

Be sure to include your name and date of birth (mm/dd/yy) on the top of each individual page of your supporting materials and submit your application BEFORE submitting any supporting materials.
Paper applications receive the same consideration as applications submitted online.
We are unable to offer individual interviews.

General Admission Criteria

Admission to the University of Rhode Island is competitive, and applications are reviewed as soon as complete credentials are submitted. Each admission candidate is given individual consideration. However, a minimum of 18 units of college (secondary school) preparatory work are expected:

4 in English
3 in algebra and plane geometry
2 in a physical or natural science
2 in history or social science
2 in the same foreign language
5 Additional units to total 18

All students are encouraged to select their additional units from the arts, humanities, and foreign languages, mathematics, social sciences, or laboratory sciences. The strongest applicants take the most rigorous secondary school curricula available to them.

The following are additional requirements related to specific colleges and majors:

Engineering, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Physics applicants must complete 4 units of mathematics (including precalculus or trigonometry)
Engineering applicants must also complete chemistry and physics
Nursing and Pharmacy applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the Early Action deadline
Nursing applicants who have demonstrated strength in math and science will be given preference
Applicants to the Bachelor of Music degree program must audition and should contact the Department of Music at (401) 874-2431 for audition dates and requirements

Freshmen with Advanced Standing (less than 24 transferable credits)

Students applying for admission as “freshmen with advanced standing” must meet the minimum freshman admission requirements. Advanced standing applicants are considered for admission on the basis of the grades they have earned and the types of courses they have taken in both high school and college. Applicants must be “in good standing” (academically and otherwise) at their previous institutions. Due to space limitations in certain majors, admission to some programs is highly selective.

The evaluation process

Course Selection
Academic Performance
Standardized Test Scores
Unique Talents

Admitted Student Profile for 2009 Incoming Freshmen
GPA	SAT	ACT	Class Rank
3.31	1659*	24	Top 1/3

* SAT Critical Reading 542; SAT Math 564; SAT Writing 553.

Standardized tests

Primary emphasis in the freshman application review process is placed on your high school record, the rigor of the courses you selected, and your grades. Your performance on standardized tests (ACT or SAT) is also considered. The ACT or SAT test is required for freshman candidates. Students whose first language is not English are encouraged to submit official TOEFL examination results to supplement the SAT verbal score. A TOEFL score of IbT 79, Computer 213, Paper 550 or higher is required for all international applicants (please refer to International Requirements for more details).

Please note: We recommend that you send us all of your SAT scores because we will take your highest score for each section from different test dates.

Admission to the College of Pharmacy

Due to the large number of applications we receive for a limited number of spaces, admission to URI’s College of Pharmacy is highly selective. The Admission Office carefully evaluates each candidate’s strength in the following areas:

High School Transcript including the rigor of the high school curriculum and academic performance
Standardized Test Scores (we review only SAT or ACT results)
Personal Essay (including an additional paragraph required of all Pharmacy applicants – details are available on the URI Supplement of the Common Application)
Letters of Recommendation (we require a minimum of two letters: one from a science or math teacher and one from a guidance counselor or a teacher from another subject area)
Extracurricular Activities (including employment experiences) and interests outside of the classroom
The College of Pharmacy web site provides detailed information regarding standards required for continuation in the program, as well as graduation requirements
Please note: The average SAT score (combined Critical Reading, Math, and Writing) of students offered admission for the fall of 2009 was a 1940, the average ACT score was a 29 (composite score), and the average high school grade point average (computed at the completion of the junior year) was a 4.0 on a weighted scale of a 4.0.

We strongly encourage Pharmacy applicants to submit all of their application materials by the Early Action deadline. The Admission Committee makes every effort to notify pharmacy applicants of their admission status by January 31.

Home Schooled Applicants

For those students who have been home schooled, the requirements are the same as students who have followed a traditional schooling profile. There are several ways the home schooled student can present the required material.

Those students who have had an established working relationship with a home schooling agency which supplies curriculum outlines and reviews and grades work completed can submit a transcript from that agency for review. The University will require SAT Subject exams if specific course content is unclear.
Students who have not worked with a home schooling agency can submit the results of SAT Subject exams in the following subjects to demonstrate competencies:
- Writing
- American History or World History
- Math Level C
- Biology, Chemistry or Physics (select 2)
- Any Foreign Language
Home schooled students are required, as are all applicants to the University, to submit official SAT or ACT scores as well.
Other options for demonstrating course competency include submission of college courses covering the subject areas listed on attachment A, results of Advanced Placement exams in those same subjects, or CLEP exam results.

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Merit Scholarship

Merit scholarship for freshmen

Check to See When URI is visiting your School or Community

URI's Admission Representatives' Fall Travel Schedule

View Our Tour Schedule

Along with our student-led tours (approximately 90 minutes), you will see listings for Information Sessions (45 minutes), which are hosted by a member of the Admission staff. Information Sessions are followed immediately by a full tour of campus. We are unable to offer individual interviews.

Deferring from fall 2009 to spring 2010?

Click here for more information.
The Deadline for Deferrals is December 15, 2009

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