Admission

• Application Fee
• Application Deadline
• Personal Standards
• Academic Fresh Start
• Admission Tests

Any person who desires to apply for undergraduate admission to the University may do so by accessing the Office of Admissions website or by going directly to the Apply Texas website.  Please direct questions regarding the application process to the Office of Admissions by phone (936) 294-1828 or e-mail admissions@shsu.edu.

Sam Houston State University accepts applications for undergraduate admission from students of accredited secondary schools and students transferring from accredited colleges without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability, or age.

Application Fee

A nonrefundable application fee should be paid by credit card, money order, check, or cash. Checks or money orders must be payable to Sam Houston State University. PLEASE DO NOT MAIL CASH (only deliver in person).

Before a student will be admitted to Sam Houston State University, all items listed below must be on file in the Admissions Office:

• Application for undergraduate admission.
• Official high school transcript with GPA, if applicable (required for transfer students with fewer than 12 transferable credit hours¹).
• Satisfactory scores on the ACT Assessment or SAT Test.
• Official transcripts are needed from all institutions previously attended.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines for undergraduate admission to Sam Houston State University are as follows:

• Fall Semester – August 1;
• Spring Semester – December 1;
• Summer Session I – May 15;
• Summer Session II – June 15.

Personal Standards

Sam Houston State University requires the same personal standards and applies the same criteria in considering applications for admission as it uses in the retention of students who are enrolled. To be consistent with this policy, the University reserves the right to refuse acceptance to prospective or former students who have criminal records, including conviction of a felony, offenses involving moral turpitude or other serious offenses. The personal standards of conduct expected of students who enroll at Sam Houston State University are provided in the Student Guidelines.

Academic Fresh Start

Undergraduate applicants may elect the University’s Academic Fresh Start Program to have all academic coursework completed at Sam Houston State University or elsewhere ten or more years prior to the semester of enrollment removed from consideration by the University for any academic purpose including, but not limited to, cumulative grade point average, academic classification, academic standing, course prerequisites, degree requirements, eligibility for graduation, and honors standing.

Undergraduate applicants who are Texas Residents electing to invoke this policy may not choose which credit hours are to be counted or to be ignored. All academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant 10 or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll will be ignored if the applicant makes use of this policy. Approval from Admissions, Financial Aid and Registrars Office will be required. For more information, contact the Office of Admissions, (936) 294-1828.

Admissions Tests

The University accepts students for admission with satisfactory scores on the ACT Assessment or Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). These tests are administered periodically at more than 1,000 testing centers throughout the United States and internationally. Information and applications for either test may be secured from the high school counselor or principal.