Guidelines for Freshman Admission

Admission to Towson University is competitive, and not all applicants are offered admission.

Freshmen applications are reviewed using a holistic process that places a priority on a student's high school academic performance as determined by their earned grades. Holistic review also considers, among other factors, the rigor of a student's curriculum compared to their curricular options, their extracurricular involvement, their Common Application essay, and other information provided on the application. Admission decisions are made based on this holistic review, the size and strength of the overall applicant pool, and available space in the freshmen class.

TU is test-optional: applicants are not required to submit SAT/ACT scores as part of their application, but scores will be considered if they are submitted. 

Many applicants exceed minimum high school graduation requirements in terms of their coursework and level of academic rigor. Freshman applicants are expected to have completed the following coursework before completing high school:

  • Four (4) Carnegie units of English (including one unit each of Composition, English Literature and American Literature)
  • Three (3) units of social sciences
  • Three (3) units of science (two of which must include labs)
  • Four (4) units of mathematics (including Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry)
  • Two (2) units of a foreign language (some technology, computer science and sign language courses may be substituted)
  • Six (6) elective units

Any applicant whose high school transcript does not include this combination of curriculum requirements may be admitted with the understanding that select deficiencies may be required to be completed during the first term of their freshman year. Students who are admitted under this condition and who fail to complete the stipulated courses within the first term will have their degree candidacy withdrawn. In order to be a degree-seeking student at Towson University, students must earn their high school diploma or its equivalent prior to enrolling at TU.