Admissions Requirements

17 college preparatory courses are required:

• English—4 units
• Mathematics—4 units: algebra I & II and geometry or trigonometry (or comparable), including math during the final year of high school
• Foreign language—2 units of the same language
• Sciences—3 units; all must be laboratory sciences: natural science, physical science, technology/engineering
• Social sciences—2 units, including 1 in U.S. history
• Electives—2 units in college preparatory courses

We encourage you to submit your first quarter grades as soon as possible.

If you are enrolled in a career/vocational technical high school, you must complete the required number of college preparatory classes, with some exceptions. We follow the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education's standards:

"Applicants enrolled in career/vocational technical high school programs must complete the required number of college preparatory courses, distributed in the same manner and with the same minimum grade point averages required of other high school graduates, with the following exceptions.

1. Two vocational and technical courses may be used to fulfill the two required electives.

2. Applicants who do not complete the two required foreign language courses must complete an additional academic elective course based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and also satisfy one of the following options:

• Complete at least one full academic year of study of foreign language or
• Complete a fourth full academic year of study of science, or technology/engineering, which need not be a laboratory course; or
• Complete one full academic year of study of computer science."

We award advanced placement or college credit for AP examination scores of 3 or higher. We require official scores of AP examinations in order to evaluate AP courses for credit.

In order to receive credit for AP courses, have your examination results sent to the Registrar's Office.

If you completed high school through the GED program, you must submit a copy of the GED certificate from the state, along with a copy of your GED test record. You may mail copies of these records with your application form yourself. An official high school transcript is still required.

We recommend that you have the official results of your SAT I (math and critical reasoning) or ACT sent to us by the Educational Testing Services. Our College Board code is 3786. Our ACT code is 001906.

We can accept scores from your school as long as they are recorded on an official transcript. It is important to have your scores sent as early as possible in your senior year to ensure a complete evaluation of your application.

Applicants who have been out of high school for more than three years, or who have earned at least 24 transferable college credits, are exempted from the SAT requirement. You may also claim an exemption (see below) from the SAT/ACT requirement if you have a learning disability.

There is a no-test option for students applying for fall 2021.

International students, specifically those whose first language is not English, are required to submit the official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), unless the student has attended a school for at least one year in which the language of instruction is English.

Learn more: International Undergraduate Application

If you don't meet these requirements, alternative admission to UMass Dartmouth is possible through Navitas at UMassD.

Applicants who have been out of high school for more than three years, or who have earned at least 24 transferable college credits, are exempted from the SAT requirement.

Applicants may claim an exemption from the SAT/ACT requirement if you have a qualifying disability that affects your learning and performance. Federal non-discrimination statutes place strict limits on the ability of schools and universities to seek information regarding an applicant’s disability prior to admission, and allow such inquiries only for the purpose of addressing past discrimination or a voluntary action to overcome the effects of conditions that resulted in limited participation {34 CFR 104.42 (d)}. Address your request for exemption from testing to Admissions. At that time, we will forward your documentation to the Office of Student Accessibility Services to determine if you are eligible for a waiver.

Please be advised that:

• providing this information is voluntary
• any information received will be completely confidential
• a refusal to furnish such information will not subject the applicant to any adverse treatment
• the information will be used only in accordance with federal and state law
• submission of documentation does not guarantee exemption from testing 

If you are accepted to UMass Dartmouth and wish to receive academic accommodations in your courses, you must contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services, our disability services on campus. The staff will work with you to meet your specific needs determined on a case-by-case basis.

Also see: test-optional admissions

The university has approved the use of the College Board College Level Examination Program (CLEP). UMass Dartmouth awards credits for CLEP Subject Examination scores at or above the 50th percentile. The equivalence of CLEP courses is determined by the academic department for that subject. This credit may be used to satisfy distribution requirements or as electives, but not normally for credit in the major program. Please note that credit is not awarded for the CLEP General Examination.

For military service school training, credit is evaluated according to the recommendations in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services, prepared by the American Council on Education.

If the application fee presents a financial hardship, you may:

• make a written fee waiver request, supported by a letter from a guidance counselor, social worker, financial aid officer, or member of the clergy
• use the College Board application fee waiver form, which must be signed by a high school counselor

• If you have earned college credits through a high school dual enrollment program, you will still apply to UMass Dartmouth as a first-year student and not a transfer student.
• If you are a current high school student who would like to learn more about UMassD's program: Dual Enrollment Program for high school students

Permanent residents of the United States who are not citizens of the United States use the standard application for admission. A copy of both sides of the immigration form I-551 (green card) must be filed with the application.

UMass Dartmouth is a welcoming academic community. We encourage undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students to apply for admission.

Requirements for undocumented & Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students

Frequently, superior secondary school students exhaust the courses offered in their high schools by the end of the junior year. They may seek admission to UMass Dartmouth without a secondary school diploma. Such candidates may be admitted on the basis of superior high school records and test scores. The application must also be supported with a written agreement that the high school approves the plan, and that a diploma will be granted upon satisfactory completion of one or two semesters of college work. Signatures of the school principal or headmaster, guidance counselor, and parents are required.

Students who have been accepted but find that they are unable to enroll in the semester originally intended may defer their admission for one or two semesters. The non-refundable $200 enrollment deposit must be paid, and a letter requesting deferment must be addressed to the Office of Admissions.

We keep applications on file for a year.

• If you submitted and application to UMass Dartmouth within the last year, but did not attend and wish to be considered for a new term, please complete our UMassD Application
• If it has been more than a year, please re-apply using one of our standard application options.

We encourage applications from students who have been denied admission but who have improved their academic records at other institutions. We keep applications on file for one year.

• If you submitted and application to UMass Dartmouth within the last year, but did not attend and wish to be considered for a new term, please complete our UMassD Application
• If it has been more than a year, please re-apply using one of our standard application options.

Students who previously attended UMass Dartmouth/Southeastern Massachusetts University (day division) as degree candidates, and who registered for one or more semesters, may request readmission:

• contact the Registrar's Office
• complete the readmission application