Admission
Indiana Wesleyan University welcomes applications for admission from any academically qualified person who wishes to participate in the Indiana Wesleyan University community and mission. Admission is based on the careful review of all credentials presented by an applicant, and in no case is admission unlawfully denied due to race, ethnicity, citizenship, national origin, disability, religion, or sex.
Address all application information for IWU-Marion programs (CAS and SON) to Indiana Wesleyan University, Admissions Office, 4201 South Washington Street, Marion, Indiana 46953. Call toll-free 1-866-468-6498, or direct to the Admissions Office at 765-677-6507 (English). Email address: admissions@indwes.edu; Internet: www.indwes.edu.
Undergraduate students are admitted to the University in one of the following categories:
Regular – Based on high school grade-point average or college GPA. Students admitted in this category are eligible for academic scholarships.
Foundations – Students whose GPA is below the required levels. Students in this category may be required to take preparatory courses in reading, study skills, and writing.
All foundationally admitted students are required to enroll and complete a section of LFC 101 - Foundations for College Success in their first semester of coursework at IWU. This is a one credit course that guides, equips, and empowers students toward success.
Unclassified – Students who are taking no more than two courses and are not admitted to a program of study. Students in this category may register for up to 6 credit hours per semester. A maximum of 18 credit hours may be taken under this status. This status does not constitute admission to a university program.
Prospective students are encouraged to visit the campus. Visits should be scheduled through the Office of Admissions. Overnight, on-campus lodging for prospective students is available on select days during the academic year and may be reserved in advance through the Admissions Office. Call 1-866-468-6498 or direct to the Admissions Office at 765-677-6507 (English). Email address: admissions@indwes.edu. Internet: www.indwes.edu.
First-year Admission
Interested students are encouraged to apply for admission at the close of their junior year in high school or early part of their senior year. Applications are accepted throughout the senior year of high school. The application and high school transcript are necessary for an admission decision. In some cases, test scores (SAT or ACT), an essay and recommendation are required. A tuition deposit is required prior to registering for classes and is fully refundable until May 1.
An admission decision may be made before the end of the student's high school career if an official high school transcript has been provided. In this event a final high school transcript or a certification of graduation will be required before the student may begin classes at IWU.
Completed applications with a high school GPA or test score (if required) below minimum thresholds may be admitted into the Foundations program. Viable candidates for admission should have a minimum of each of the following: 8 credits in language arts (equivalent to 4 years); 6-8 credits in mathematics (equivalent to 3-4 years); 6 credits in science (equivalent to 3 years); 6 credits in social studies (equivalent to 3 years); 4 credits in foreign language (equivalent to 2 years); 2 credits in health, physical education, safety (equivalent to 1 year); and 4-6 credits from other courses offered (equivalent to 2-3 years). Applicants who do not meet the requirements for regular admission may request special consideration.
Individuals not receiving a high school diploma must take either the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) or the General Education Development Exam (GED) and achieve satisfactory scores to be considered for admission.
Transfer Student Admission
A transfer student is defined as a student who has attempted 12 or more college credit hours post-high school graduation. Transcripts of all college work must be submitted with other admission credentials at the time of application to the Indiana Wesleyan University Admissions Office. All transcripts must be sent directly from the Office of the Registrar at the college or university attended. Once transcripts (and other test scores and academic documents) have been received, IWU is not permitted to release copies of those documents back to the student or any other party. All undergraduate students must complete their last 30 credit hours at IWU before the IWU graduation.
Readmission
An undergraduate student who has previously been enrolled at IWU-Marion and has ended enrollment for any length of time, without an approved leave of absence, must reapply. Application for re-enrollment must be made through the Admissions Office. Any student who attended other institutions of higher learning must submit official transcripts of all work completed. All transcripts must be sent directly from the Office of the Registrar at the college or university attended. A final transcript from the last institution attended must be received no later than the first day of classes. Once transcripts (and other test scores and academic documents) have been received, IWU is not permitted to release copies of those documents back to the student or any other party.
Re-admitted students who are not enrolled for one academic year or longer must meet the requirements of the governing academic catalog for the re-enrollment date. All undergraduate students must complete their last 30 credit hours at IWU before the IWU graduation. All students offered readmission to the university will be offered an academic scholarship based on the current transfer/readmit scholarship model. Merit scholarship is awarded based on cumulative college GPA (including all colleges/universities attended, as well as IWU GPA).
Transition Student Admission
A transition student is defined as a student who begins an education through IWU-National & Global and transitions to IWU-Marion to continue a degree. Transition students must fulfill all admission requirements required of transfer applicants. IWU-National & Global will provide IWU-Marion Undergraduate Admissions with transcripts from any institution attended prior to enrollment with IWU-National & Global. If a student has attended an institution since departing IWU-National & Global, the student must request an official transcript be sent to IWU-Marion Admissions by any/all institutions attended since departing IWU National & Global. Students are not required to submit an IWU transcript for consideration of admission as this coursework is accessible to the IWU-Marion Transfer Team. Once transcripts (and other test scores and academic documents) have been received, IWU is not permitted to release copies of those documents back to the student or any other party.
All undergraduate students must complete their last 30 credit hours at IWU before the IWU graduation. All transition students offered admission to IWU-Marion will be offered a merit scholarship based on the current transfer scholarship model. Merit scholarship is awarded based on cumulative college GPA (including all colleges/universities attended, as well as IWU GPA).
International Student Admission
International/Non-English Speaking Students
Students who do not speak English as their first and primary language must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) prior to admission to Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU).
The IWU required admission scores are listed below, unless otherwise specified by the area of study:
- TOEFL score of 79 for undergraduate, 85 for master’s programs, and 95 for doctorate programs.
- IELTS score of 6.5 for undergraduate and master’s programs, score of 7 for doctorate programs
Please note that schools or programs within IWU may require a higher score and/or additional requirements. Please confirm with your area of study to determine specific requirements.
IWU offers a Waiver option in place of the required TOEFL or IELTS scores.
Waiver qualifications are:
- Attended four full years at a U.S. high school.
- Attended four full years in an international educational institution where English is the principal language of instruction; institution may be required to provide verification.
- Earned an SAT Reading Test subscore of at least 27.
- Earned ACT English and Reading scores of at least 20.
- Earned a bachelor's degree or higher from a college or university accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Additional Requirements for all International Students:
Incoming international students (first-year and transfer) with high school or college transcripts outside the US must have their transcripts evaluated by a credential evaluation service that is NACES approved (www.naces.org/members). As per the NAIA, International transfer student athletes are required to have international college/university transcripts evaluated by InCred (www.incredevals.org). Before the immigration form I-20 can be sent, students from all countries must send to the University a letter of financial commitment with certified bank statements, or other official documents, indicating sufficient funds for attendance.
In addition, prior to first day of class all students from all countries must send to IWU proof of health insurance coverage in the U.S.
Please note all students must provide payment for tuition and fees and room and board (if applicable) for the student’s first academically enrolled term as defined by the program’s payment policy.
Re-enrollment
Graduate Programs
A graduate student in CAS who has not been enrolled for more than two semesters must re-apply through the Admissions Office. All transcripts must be sent directly from the Office of the Registrar at the college or university attended.
Wildcat Academy (High School Students/Dual Enrollment)
Qualified high school students are offered the opportunity to enroll in onsite or online courses taught through IWU Marion under the Wildcat Academy program. A student must have maintained a 3.0 average GPA on a 4.0 scale in high school classes and be recommended by a teacher, school counselor or other high school personnel to qualify. A qualified student may begin taking one 100-level course in the fall semester of his/her junior year, and up to 6 credit hours of 100-level courses per semester throughout the duration of his/her high school career. A student may take a maximum of 16 credit hours through this program. To maintain satisfactory academic progress and continue in the Wildcat Academy program, students must earn a grade of C or higher for each course completed. Students must submit an application for each term they wish to enroll in a course in the Wildcat Academy. First time applicants must submit an official high school transcript, as well as an academic letter or recommendation. Costs include an application fee and a cost per credit hour and are due prior to enrollment.
This information is located at www.indwes.edu/undergraduate/wildcat-academy. Students must be registered by the first day of classes. Note: Student qualification, enrollment and financial arrangements made with high schools/homeschool co-ops teaching courses outside of the IWU-Marion campus are outlined in the associated Memorandum of Understanding.
Unclassified Student Admission
A student who is not pursuing a university degree and wants to take individual courses for personal development may be admitted as an unclassified student. A maximum of 6 credit hours per semester and a total of 18 credit hours may be completed with this status. This does not constitute admission to a University program and the University does not maintain degree audits for this classification. Unclassified students who subsequently wish to pursue a degree program must apply for regular admission status and at that time will receive a degree audit of the chosen major. Information on degree programs is available in the Registration and Academic Services office.
Guest students from other colleges should have the approval of their home institution. By special arrangement, high school students may register with unclassified status while meeting requirements for high school graduation. It is encouraged that high school students seeking to register as an unclassified student explore the dual enrollment opportunities at IWU-Marion prior to pursuing an unclassified opportunity.
Students admitted with an unclassified status who wish to audit courses comply with all unclassified and audit requirements. Auditing does not constitute admission to a university program and does not result in transcripted credit for coursework completed. Audit students who subsequently wish to pursue a degree program must apply for regular admission status. By special arrangement, high school students may register with audit status. It is encouraged that high school students seeking to register as an unclassified student explore the dual enrollment opportunities at IWU-Marion prior to pursuing an unclassified opportunity.
Professional Programs (Acceptance into Majors)
Certain majors, such as teacher education, nursing, social work, and music or art therapy, require acceptance into the program. Admission to the University does not necessarily imply admission into these professional programs. Departments may have specific requirements that must be met at different levels of the program. Including, in limited cases, ACT or SAT test scores. A student will be assigned a status of "pre-" added to the major until these specific requirements are met. For more information regarding acceptance into the chosen major, please see the appropriate School or Division section.