First-Year Kent Campus Student Requirements

Kent State University offers two ways to apply: the Kent State Application or the Common Application. The choice is yours! Complete and submit an application, then pay the non-refundable $50 application fee. Pay attention to application priority deadlines such as the ones listed below.

What We Look For 

Your official transcripts provide us with a lot of information to help us make admissions decisions, such as your cumulative grade point average (GPA), the type of classes you took, the difficulty of those classes, trends in your grades, etc.

The full college preparatory curriculum as recommended by the Ohio State Board of Education consists of the following:

• 4 units of English (emphasis on composition)
• 4 units of mathematics (Algebra I, II, Geometry, with minimum Algebra II complete)
• 3 units of science
• 3 units of social studies
• 2 units of foreign language
• 1 unit of the arts or an additional unit of a foreign language

How To Send Us Your Transcript 

Applicants must contact their school and request an official transcript(s) of their entire curriculum. If you have attended multiple secondary schools, transcripts are required from each school you have attended (or the results from your GED, HiSET or TASC) to be considered for admission.

For your transcript to be considered official, it must be sent directly from your school. Your school counselor or another school official may submit your transcript using a secure electronic provider, email (transcripts@kent.edu) or mail. 

If mailed, please use the address below:

    Admissions Office
    Kent State University
    P.O. Box 5190
    Kent, OH 44242-0001

Kent State University is test-optional, meaning students applying for first-year or transfer admission are not required to submit standardized test scores (ACT and/or SAT).

On both the Common App and Kent State Application, you will be asked if you want your test scores to be considered with your application. If you select Yes, we will review your application when test scores and other requirements are received. If you select No, your application will be reviewed once all other application requirements are fulfilled. If you choose to use test scores and your application completes without them, we may choose to review your application under our test-optional policy.

Please note: Once an applicant indicates whether or not test scores will be submitted, this decision cannot be changed by the applicant online. If you wish to change your test score preference, please contact our office as soon as possible to indicate if you would or would not like your test scores to be considered for admission.

Should you submit SAT or ACT scores, please be mindful of Kent State’s test score codes:

SAT Code: 1367
ACT Code: 3284

After review for admission to the Kent Campus, additional academic program requirements are needed for the following academic areas to be admitted.

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING 

To be considered for the aerospace engineering major, first-year applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and demonstrate competency in math to be placed into Calculus I or beyond. 

Students who do not meet admission requirements for aerospace engineering may be accepted into aeronautical systems engineering technology and request to change their program to the aerospace engineering major after their first year.  

ARCHITECTURE

To be considered for the architecture major, first-year applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).

If a student does not meet admission requirements to architecture, students will be reviewed holistically and if admissible to KSU, the student will be placed into the pre-major of architecture general. 

CYBERSECURITY ENGINEERING 

To be considered for the cybersecurity engineering major, first-year applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and demonstrate competency in math to be placed into Calculus I or beyond. 

Students who do not meet admission requirements for cybersecurity engineering may be accepted into computer engineering technology and request to change their program to the cybersecurity engineering major after their first year. 

DANCE PERFORMANCE/DANCE STUDIES

Students must audition before being admitted to the dance program. Detailed audition information and dates can be found here. Inquiries can be directed to the School of Theatre and Dance director at:

• Phone: 330-672-2069
• Email: dance@kent.edu

Education

To qualify for a teacher education program, freshman applicants must have at least a 2.75 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).

FASHION DESIGN

To qualify for the fashion design major, first-year applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). 

If a student does not meet admission requirements to fashion design, students will be reviewed holistically and if admissible to KSU, the student will be placed into the pre-fashion major.

FASHION MERCHANDISING 

To qualify for the fashion merchandising major, first-year applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). 

If a student does not meet admission requirements to fashion merchandising, students will be reviewed holistically and if admissible to KSU, the student will be placed into the pre-fashion major.

Honors College

Applicants for any major may participate in the Honors College program. Selective criteria will be reviewed after admission to the university. Students who meet the criteria for admission to the Honors College will be invited to submit an application including an essay. For more information about our Honors Program, please visit the Honors College website. 

INTERIOR DESIGN

To be considered for the interior design major, first-year applicants must have at least a 2.75 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). 

If a student does not meet admission requirements to interior design, students will be reviewed holistically and if admissible to KSU, the student will be placed into the pre-major of architecture general.  

MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING 

To be considered for the mechatronics engineering major, first-year applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and demonstrate competency in math to be placed into Calculus I or beyond. 

Students who do not meet admission requirements for mechatronics engineering may be accepted into mechatronics engineering technology and request to change their program to the mechatronics engineering major after their first year. 

MUSIC

Students must audition before being admitted to the School of Music. Detailed audition information and dates can be found here. Inquiries can be directed to:

• Coordinator of Admissions and Scholarships
  School of Music, E-101 Music and Speech
  Kent State University, P.O. Box 5190
  Kent, OH 44242-0001
• Phone: 330-672-2172 

MUSICAL THEATRE

Students must audition before being admitted to the B.F.A degree program in musical theatre. Detailed audition information and dates can be found here. Inquiries can be directed to the School of Theatre and Dance at: 

• Phone: 330-672-2082
• Email: theatre@kent.edu

NURSING

To be considered for the nursing major, first-year applicants must have completed high school math, biology and chemistry. 

In addition, students must have achieved one of the following: 

• Minimum 2.7 overall high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); and a minimum 22 ACT composite or a minimum 1100 SAT.

• Minimum 3.0 overall high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).

Students who are not accepted into the nursing major may be accepted into the public health program. 

Speech Pathology & Audiology

To qualify for the speech pathology and audiology major, first-year applicants must have at least a 3.00 cumulative high school grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).

All seven of Kent State’s Regional Campuses are accessible to students who hold a high school diploma or GED. In addition, some areas of study have additional academic program requirements. Check with your Regional Campus Admissions Office to determine application requirements, as they may differ among campuses.

Kent State welcomes applications from home-schooled students. Students who are home-schooled must submit a transcript and proof of graduation as well as written verification from the appropriate school district that the student has been excused from compulsory attendance for home education. 

A student’s transcript should reflect all secondary coursework completed. Students should complete a program of study that covers the material in the full college preparatory program recommended by the Ohio State Board of Education. Non-Ohio students should submit appropriate supporting documents as required by their home state. Please contact the Admissions Office for further details at 1-800-988-KENT or admissions@kent.edu.

The Admissions Office at the Kent Campus may defer the admission of students who do not meet admissions criteria but who show areas of promise for successful college study. Deferred applicants may begin their college coursework at one of seven Regional Campuses of Kent State University. The Admissions Office at the Kent Campus will forward the student's application materials to a Regional Campus at the student's request.

• Letter of Recommendation
• Reenrollment
• Reinstatement Information