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St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University

Undergraduate Admissions

New PSEO Students

What is PSEO?

The Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program was developed by the Minnesota Legislature with the intent to promote rigorous academic pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high school pupils by encouraging and enabling secondary pupils to enroll full time or part time in nonsectarian courses or programs in eligible postsecondary institutions.

College of EducationWho should apply?

Students who are most successful in the PSEO program have often demonstrated academic achievement, advanced academic skills and the maturity to succeed in a college environment. Being self-disciplined and socially mature often assists in the transition from high school to a university setting.

Application Process

Students interested in participating in PSEO must submit the Application for PSEO Admission, an official school transcript and a Notice of Registration form prior to published deadlines.

Eligibility

Students will be admitted to the program if they meet the following admission criteria:

  • Juniors:
    High school juniors must rank in the top 1/3 of their high school class.
  • Seniors:
    High school seniors must rank in the top ½ of their high school class.

For those students who do not meet the rank guidelines, they may be admitted using a composite score of 25 or above on the ACT, 1140 on the SAT, or 163 on the PSAT.

Home schooled students, ALC students and students from schools which do not rank graduates will be individually evaluated by the PSEO Team. Please submit the required forms, along with a current transcript and standardized test scores (as available).

New PSEO students must also sign the PSEO Enrollment Contract prior to their first semester on campus. This form describes the policies for PSEO enrollment and provides students a sense of their responsibilities while participating in the program. This form will be distributed during orientation.

Deadlines

All application materials must be received by the following deadlines to be considered.

Fall Semester            June 1st
Spring Semester       November 1st

Orientation

All newly admitted PSEO students must attend a mandatory orientation session before they are eligible to register for classes. Students are notified by the PSEO Team of upcoming orientation dates and must pre-register. Students unable to attend scheduled sessions may be eligible for an individual orientation session.

Placement Testing

SCSU now requires placement testing for students enrolling in SCSU programs using the Accuplacer assessment. Students may be exempt from testing if they have already completed the Accuplacer assessment at another college/university, or if their ACT subscores place them into college level work. Please see the Placement Testing Website for details. Included on the site are our testing requirements and the upcoming testing schedule. Students who are in need of placement testing should work to complete testing prior to course registration in November for spring semester courses.

Registration

New and returning PSEO students register for classes after regularly enrolled degree seeking students and new incoming students. Students will be informed of upcoming registration dates. Spring semester registration dates will be determined soon.

To enroll in online courses, students should contact the PSEO Team for further details regarding limited online course enrollment.

*PSEO students enrolling in developmental courses (listed below 100 level) will be responsible for the entire cost of such courses – tuition, fees, textbooks and other related costs. The PSEO program does not cover registration in these courses.

Housing

PSEO students may live on campus on a space-available basis. Please contact the Office of Residential Life for a housing application. Please note that housing costs are not covered by the PSEO program and are the sole responsibility of the student. PSEO students living in campus housing are held to the same policies and procedures as degree-seeking students. Additional housing information can be found online at: www.stcloudstate.edu/reslife

Dining on Campus

PSEO students may purchase on-campus meal plans, use Campus Cash, or cash/check/debit cards to purchase meals and refreshments on campus. These costs are not covered by the PSEO program.

Transportation

PSEO students may purchase parking permits from the SCSU Public Safety Office for SCSU lots on a space available basis. Students may also purchase City of St. Cloud street permits. Please note other transportation options include off-campus parking, parking in campus pay lots, or utilizing the Metro Bus Program in St. Cloud, free for SCSU students with a campus ID card.

Public Safety                        (320) 308- 3453        www.stcloudstate.edu/publicsafety
City of St. Cloud                   (320) 650-3374         http://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/
Metro Bus Program             (320) 251-RIDE (7433) http://www.ridemetrobus.com/college/scsu/

Finances

The PSEO program covers the cost of eligible tuition, fees and course textbooks. If living on campus, students are required to cover their own room and board fees. Furthermore, they are responsible for incidental supplies (pens, paper, calculators, etc.) PSEO students are not eligible for financial aid. Transportation is the student’s responsibility; however, there are funds available to reimburse some of your transportation costs for low income students. Please note there are strict federal guidelines detailing who qualifies for this assistance.

Who is my advisor?

Your high school advisor will remain your primary academic advisor for the duration of your involvement in the PSEO program. The PSEO Team is available to assist with course selection and referral to departmental advising, however, you should maintain contact with your high school at least once per semester to ensure your high school graduation requirements are being satisfied and that you are continuing to make academic progress. PSEO students may schedule advising appointments with the PSEO Team at any time throughout the year.

How is college different from high school?

PSEO students must take a greater personal responsibility for their academic success than their high school counterparts. In general, college coursework is more difficult. The responsibility for learning is primarily placed on the student, and you should plan on spending two hours of study for every hour of class.

As SCSU students, you are held to the same academic and disciplinary standards as the rest of our student body. Therefore, you are entitled to the same privileges as our SCSU students, with a few exceptions.

Expectations of a PSEO student

  • PSEO students must maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative SCSU GPA for continued program participation
  • Ensure all required paperwork is submitted on time
  • Remain in contact with high school officials regarding advising, course selection and graduation requirements  
  • Attend all regularly scheduled classes
  • Monitor  SCSU HuskyNet email account, as it is the official means of communication between the PSEO program and students
  • Enroll in eligible courses (no developmental courses, no upper division courses without special permission, no independent study courses, etc.)
  • Enroll in no more than 17 credits per semester

Attending Part-Time vs. Full-Time

Students may elect to enroll in the SCSU PSEO program on a part-time or full-time basis. Please work closely with your family and your counselor to determine your participation plans. Students may elect to take one PSEO course per semester, or as many as 17 credits (typically 5 – 6 courses). Students may not exceed full time status with the combination of high school and University (PSEO) courses. Full time limits are established by the individual high schools.