Q: What has changed in the requirements for admission to a public university?
A: The only change in the 2012 Admission Requirements for admission to an IHL institution is the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC). The Carnegie units within the CPC have increased from 15 1/2 units to 19 1/2 units. One additional unit each in mathematics, science, and social studies has been added; one unit in the arts has been added; and Mississippi Studies is now accepted as a pre-high school unit.
Q: What cohort of students will this change affect?
A: All students entering an IHL university beginning the Summer of 2012 will be admitted under the new CPC requirements.
Q: What is the anticipated transitional timeline?
A: All students beginning in kindergarten should be prepared for the new CPC changes. Students who will be applying to an IHL institution for admission beginning the Summer of 2012 should be advised to take the identified CPC courses in order to meet the 2012 Admission Requirements.
Q: When will the 2012 requirements go into effect?
A: The 2012 Admission Requirements will go into effect with students entering an IHL institution the Summer of 2012.
Q: Were the 2012 admission requirements ever identified as the 2010 requirements?
A: Yes, the IHL system originally identified the launch year of the new admission requirements as 2010; discussions with local school districts led the IHL Board to postpone implementation until 2012 to provide local school districts adequate time to prepare students for the transition.
Q: Who is responsible for dissemination of the new CPC to parents and students?
A: Mississippi's public universities, local school districts, the Mississippi Department of Education, and the Institutions of Higher Learning's Executive Office.
Q: What high school units will count toward admission?
A: The 19 1/2 Carnegie units identified in the IHL 2012 CPC will count toward admission.
Q: Will any Agri-science courses be accepted for a Carnegie unit CPC science requirement?
A: Yes, Science of Agricultural Animals, Science of Agricultural Plants, or Science of Agricultural Environments is sufficient in content and rigor to count as one Carnegie unit CPC Science requirement.
Q: Will a mathematics Carnegie unit lower than Algebra I be acceptable for the CPC mathematics requirements?
A: No, math Carnegie units in the 2012 CPC are identified as Algebra I and higher (see 2012 CPC).
Q: How many math and science classes are required?
A: The student will need four Carnegie units of mathematics and four Carnegie units of science (see 2012 CPC).
Q: What if the high school does not offer a fourth math or science?
A: Students may earn Carnegie units via the Mississippi Virtual High School or by participating in a dual enrollment program (see dual enrollment eligibility requirements).
Q: Will computer application courses taken in the 8th grade count for admission purposes?
A: Yes, Computer Discovery taken in the 8th grade is an IHL CPC identified pre-high school unit.
Q: Are students eligible for admission to public universities if they do not meet IHL's regular admission requirements?
A: Yes, students who do not meet the IHL admission requirements for regular admission may, as a result of a review, be admitted to the Summer or Fall semester. The review shall involve a consideration of high school performance, ACT scores (if available), placement testing, special interests and skills as well as other non-cognitive factors.
Q: What is the IHL Summer Developmental Program (SDP)?
A: The IHL Summer Developmental Education Program is an intensive nine-week summer program that concentrates on high school subject areas (English, Reading, and Mathematics) that are applicable to success in first-year college courses. This program is available for students admitted to an IHL institution with academic deficiencies.
Q: Are funds available for attending the Summer Developmental Program?
A: Yes, funds are available through the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid (MOSFA) for high school graduates enrolled in the Summer Developmental Program. The Mississippi Summer Developmental Program Grant (MSSPG) is available for eligible Mississippi high school graduates.
Q: Will Spanish II count as the 2nd requirement under Advanced Electives or does the elective have to be an advanced math or science?
A: Spanish II coupled with Spanish I will count as the 2nd requirement under Advanced Electives of the 2012 CPC to satisfy the admission requirements for Mississippi universities.
Q: Does a dually enrolled Math course (College Algebra or Calculus) count as an advanced math elective?
A: The local school district and the postsecondary institution must enter into a memorandum of agreement that will identify courses and the course articulation. All eligible courses for dual credit must receive unconditional approval from the superintendent and the chief academic officer of the postsecondary institution. The local school superintendent makes the decision on the transfer of college or university courses credited to the student's high school transcript.
Q: Does Earth Science count as "any other science course with comparable content and rigor"?
A: If the Mississippi Department of Education identifies Earth Science as having comparable content and rigor as Biology I, Chemistry I, or any other science course listed on the 2012 CPC, our universities will accept the course.
Q: What Vocational/Technical science courses will count as a Carnegie unit of science to meet the 2010 IHL requirements?
A: Currently, the only other science courses (not listed on the 2012 CPC) identified as having sufficient content and rigor to count as one Science Carnegie Unit for IHL admissions are Science of Agricultural Animals, Science of Agricultural Plants, and Science of Agricultural Environments.
Q: Can European History, Advanced Placement be used to replace World History as a graduation requirement for admission to a 4-year college or university?
A: No, European History, Advanced Placement cannot be used to replace World History as meeting IHL's Social Studies Carnegie Unit requirements for admission.
Q: Your website states Advanced Electives: 2 Carnegie units - Includes any two Carnegie Units of Foreign Language (I and II), Advanced World Geography and a Foreign Language (I) or any combination of English, mathematics, or lab-based science courses of comparable rigor and content to those required above. Does this mean a foreign language does NOT have to be taken if 2 units of additional math, science with lab or English are taken?
A: Yes, Foreign Language I and II is an option, but not the only option for meeting the advanced electives requirements of the 2012 CPC.
Q: How many dual enrollment credits can a high school student earn and remain eligible for freshmen scholarships and other student support services?
A: Students participating in Mississippi's dual enrollment program may earn an unlimited number of college/university credits for dual enrollment without penalty or forfeiture of freshmen incentives/opportunities, i.e. scholarships, special programs, activities, etc.
Q: When calculating a high school student's GPA, does the individual high school's grading point scale penalize a student for scholarship purposes?
A: Institutions do not penalize students whose grading point scale may be higher than the typical 4.0.
Q: For those students entering an IHL prior to the Summer of 2012, is a foreign language required or can Advanced World Geography be used along with a fourth year mathematics or science?
A: Yes, prior to 2012 a student may pair Advanced World Geography with a 4th year mathematics or science course and meet the advanced electives requirement for admission.
Q: Can a student have a fourth year of mathematics and science and miss the foreign language and Advanced World Geography all together?
A: No, the current CPC requirements under the advanced electives require that one of the units is foreign language or world geography.
Q: For those students entering an IHL in the summer of 2012 or after, it appears that the Foreign Language and/or Advanced World Geography course is optional contingent on meeting an additional year of mathematics, science or Language Arts course of comparable rigor.
A: Yes, you are correct in your interpretation; beginning the summer of 2012 foreign language and advanced world geography is one of the options identified for meeting the advanced electives requirement.
Q: If this a correct interpretation, does an additional course in these areas mean a fifth course since four are required already?
A: Yes, if the student chose not to take a foreign language or advanced world geography the student would need to earn a fifth Carnegie unit in English, mathematics, or lab-based science of comparable rigor and content to the mathematics and science courses identified as acceptable according to the 2012 CPC requirements.
Q: Could a student have an Advanced World Geography course and an additional year of mathematics, science or Language Arts and miss the foreign language course?
A: No, Foreign Language I and II is an option; Foreign Language I and Advanced World Geography is an option; any combination of English, mathematics, or lab-based science of comparable rigor and content to the mathematics and science courses identified as acceptable according to the 2012 CPC requirements is another option. An additional year of mathematics, science, or language arts coupled with Advanced World Geography is not an option under the 2012 CPC.
Q: We presently offer Foreign Language I, II and III. We do not offer Advanced World Geography on campus. Our Foreign Language teacher is leaving and we have yet to find a suitable replacement. We are considering hiring a social studies teacher and offering Advanced World Geography to replace the Foreign Language. However, in no way do we want to cause our students any IHL issues but we cannot produce a suitable Foreign Language teacher. If it comes to this, will we be okay offering the Advanced World Geography in lieu of the Foreign Language and allow the children to take an additional math, science and/or Language Arts course to meet the IHL requirement? Of course as stated in issue two above, if this is the case, will additional mean a fifth course since four are required in each of these areas (math, science, Language Arts) already?
A: No, Advanced World Geography can be paired with Foreign Language I as identified in the 2012 CPC. You can offer two units of foreign language (I & II) but cannot couple Advanced World Geography with a fifth Carnegie unit in English, mathematics or science course and meet the advanced electives requirement.
Yes, you will need a fifth Carnegie unit in English, mathematics, or lab-based science of comparable rigor and content to the mathematics and science courses identified as acceptable according to the new CPC requirements in order to meet the requirements under the 2012 CPC.
Q: If our students have not taken a computer class other than Computer Discovery will they have an issue enrolling in a university?
A: No, the IHL system along with the Mississippi Department of Education evaluated Computer Discovery and found that it was equivalent to the Computer Applications course required by our system. Computer Discovery taken in the 8th grade will count for the ½ Carnegie unit required for admissions.
Q: Who do I contact if I have additional questions?
Pearl S. Pennington, Director of Student Affairs
Office of Academic and Student Affairs
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning
Phone: 601-432-6501 or 6482