Entry Paths

From High School

Students entering the college are required to present evidence of the following high school preparation:

4 years of English

Typically, this preparation will include courses in British, American, and world literature in which critical reading and writing skills are emphasized and courses in speech and composition, including at least one senior-level writing course.

3 years of social studies

Typically such preparation will include two semesters of world history, two semesters of American history, and a semester of American government. Electives can be chosen from areas such as economics, sociology, or psychology.

2 years of a single foreign language*

Three years or more of a single foreign language are strongly recommended for students who wish to continue their work in that language.

*Three years of a single foreign language will also exempt students from the foreign language graduation requirement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

3 years of mathematics

Such preparation shall include two semesters of beginning algebra, two semesters of geometry, and two semesters of intermediate algebra. A fourth year of study involving analytic geometry, trigonometry, linear algebra, and/or calculus is strongly recommended for students who will major in mathematical or scientific disciplines.

3 years of science

At least two years of such preparation shall be chosen from biology, chemistry, and physics.

Recommended but not required as a condition of admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is one semester of computer science. Such a course should stress problem-solving with computers and should not substitute for courses in mathematics. In schools where computer use is an integral part of most courses, separate instruction in computers is not necessary.

Transfer Students

Transfer Tip Sheets

Students who transfer from another college or university with at least 24 credits of satisfactory coursework may be exempt from most of these requirements. Students who do not meet the requirements listed here may be admitted with a limited number of deficiencies, provided that they can be removed by the end of the first academic year. Iowa State courses taken to remove deficiencies are subject to certain restrictions with regard to their applicability to students' college degree programs. Contact the college office for further information about these restrictions and about remedying deficiencies in general.

To graduate from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a transfer student must complete the general requirements of the college as well as those of the university. Students planning to transfer to Iowa State University for the purpose of enrolling in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are advised to contact the college office for information concerning degree program requirements. Prospective transfer students are urged to learn about the academic programs that are of interest to them well before arriving on campus so that transfer courses are appropriate to the planned major and transferable toward graduation from ISU. Additional information concerning transfer credit evaluation may be obtained through the Office of Admissions as well as the department in which a student is interested.

A transfer student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may choose to graduate under the catalog in effect at the time of his or her graduation or under one of the two immediately preceding catalogs, provided that it covers the period of his or her enrollment either at Iowa State or any other accredited school. Full requirements of the chosen catalog must be met except that adjustments will be made in instances where courses are no longer available or where programs have been changed. A transfer student is responsible for reviewing his/her transfer credit evaluation with the academic adviser during the first semester of enrollment.

Articulation/Transfer Agreements

1. Iowa Regent Universities General Education Articulation Agreement.

Iowa State University participates in an articulation agreement with the other two Iowa Regent universities concerning the acceptance of their general education programs into the Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Under the terms of this agreement, students who have satisfied general education requirements at the University of Northern Iowa or in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Iowa may transfer to Iowa State’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with their general education requirements met (with the possible exception of the foreign language and library requirements).

2. Associate in Arts (A.A.) Articulation Agreement with Iowa public community colleges.

Students who plan to enter the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University with an associate in arts degree from an Iowa public community college, and who have at least 60 prescribed semester 90 quarter) credits acceptable for transfer and at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, will be considered to have met the general education requirements of the college (with the possible exception of the foreign language and library requirements).

ISU Admissions for Transfer Students