Admissions
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
A student who wishes to apply for admission to Rhodes may do so anytime after the end of his/her junior year in high school. The Rhodes Application (both Parts I and II) may be completed online and can be accessed at apply.rhodes.edu. Rhodes also accepts the Common Application (paper and on-line) in lieu of its own form and gives equal consideration to both. No application fee is required for students who use Rhodes’ online application or the Common App Online.
A paper version of the Rhodes Part I application may be obtained by writing or calling the Admissions Office. Part II of the application will be mailed to the applicant upon receipt of Part I. A non-refundable application fee of $45 must be submitted with either Part I or Part II of the Rhodes paper application.
In addition to the application for admission, first-year students must submit an official high school transcript, standardized test scores (SAT or ACT) from the testing agency, a counselor and a teacher recommendation, and a senior year progress report. Transfer students must submit an application for admission, an official high school transcript containing his/her standardized test scores, an official college transcript, a college professor recommendation, and a personal letter explaining the reason (s) for wanting to transfer to Rhodes. In addition to submitting the same application supporting documents as all other students, home-schooled students must submit the results of two SAT-II Subject Tests from areas other than English or mathematics.
The deadline for submitting the application for admission and all supporting documents for the fall semester is January 15. Students who apply for fall admission by January 15 will be notified of the admission decision by April 1. The application deadline for spring semester admission is November 1 with decision notification by December 1. For Early Decision deadlines, see “Early Decision Plan” below. Please note that all accepted students are automatically considered for competitive fellowships and scholarships.
Transcripts and other documents required for admission become part of the permanent file of an enrolled student and cannot be returned or legally copied for the student or parent.
The College is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and endorses the principles contained in the Association’s Statement of Principles of Good Practice.
ADMISSION SELECTION PROCESS
Academic Record. A student’s academic record is of primary importance in the admission selection process. Applicants must complete in high school sixteen or more academic units, including at least four years of English, two years of the same foreign language (classical or modern), two years of laboratory science and two years of history or social science. Furthermore, applicants are expected to have completed the mathematics course sequence Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II or their equivalent. A fourth year of high school mathematics, including trigonometry and advanced algebra is especially important for students who plan to study mathematics, natural science, computer science, economics or business administration. Students with slightly different high school curricula may be considered only if their records in other respects clearly indicate readiness for Rhodes’ program of study. Applicants are expected to have a high school diploma or G.E.D.
Special note is taken in the decision making process of honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, accelerated or enriched courses. Students who have taken college-level courses and wish to receive credit at Rhodes for those courses should refer to “Transfer Credit for Enrolled Students” in the Requirements for a Degree section of this catalogue.
Standardized Test Scores. All applicants for admission to the entering class are required to take either the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) of the College Board or the American College Test (ACT). It is advisable for the student to take the test in the junior year as a means of adjusting to this type of examination or for Early Decision or Early Admission purposes. Any student applying for Regular Decision should take the test no later than December of the senior year so that their scores will be available to the admissions staff by January 15. If the secondary school record does not include the student’s scores from the SAT or ACT, the student must have the scores sent to the Admissions Office from the testing agency.
Test application forms may be obtained from high schools, or by writing directly to the testing services, as follows: (1) The College Board, 45 Columbus Avenue, SAT Department, New York, New York 10023-6992 (2) ACT Registration Department, P.O. Box 414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243. Students may register for these standardized tests online at collegeboard.com (SAT) or act.org (ACT).
Supporting Documents. Additional supporting documents will be considered when deciding on a student’s admissibility to the College. These documents include a listing of extracurricular involvements, leadership positions or summer experiences, short-answer questions, an application essay, a counselor’s report and a teacher’s recommendation.
Student Interest. A visit to the Rhodes campus (in addition to other demonstrations of interest) can be a deciding factor in making an admission decision between two similar candidates. Interest may also be demonstrated by talking with an admission officer at your high school or at a college fair, personally corresponding with the admission office, or sending standardized test scores to the College. A student’s ability to pay may be a deciding factor when considering applicants who rank within the lowest range of admissible students.
The Faculty Standards and Standing Committee and/or the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid have the discretion to deny any student admission to Rhodes College.
Students who wish to appeal their admission decision may do so by writing to the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid requesting reconsideration.
CAMPUS VISIT AND INTERVIEW
A campus visit is the best way to experience life at Rhodes. Students are encouraged to visit between Monday and Friday so that, in addition to an interview or information session, they may attend a class and meet faculty. High school seniors and transfer students may also arrange, through the Admissions Office, to spend one night in a residence hall. Overnight accommodations are available Sunday evening through Thursday evening.
While on campus, students may participate in an information session or have a personal interview with an admissions officer. Appointments may be scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Central Time), Monday through Friday, and during the academic year on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Interviews are limited to Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays in the months of January, February, and early March due to the admission staff’s heavy involvement in reading applications.
The Admissions Office is open year round. Students may arrange a campus visit online at rhodes.edu/campusvisit. Questions concerning a campus visit may be addressed to our Campus Visit Coordinators at 1-800-844-5969 or, locally, 843-3700.
EARLY DECISION PLAN
Students who are certain they want to attend Rhodes may wish to take advantage of the Early Decision Plan. Under this plan, the student must submit a completed application for admission, high school transcript (including grades for the first marking period of the senior year), letters of recommendation, standardized test scores and the Early Decision Agreement form by November 1 for Early Decision I or by January 1 for Early Decision II. The student may apply to other colleges, but not under any other Early Decision Plan. If accepted, the applicant agrees to withdraw all applications submitted to other institutions, file no additional applications, and enroll at Rhodes.
Early decision candidates who wish to be considered for need-based financial aid must complete and submit the College Scholarship Service’s PROFILE to the Financial Aid Office by November 1 for Early Decision I or by January 1 for Early Decision II in order to determine estimated eligibility for financial assistance. The financial aid package offered under Early Decision must be verified by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.
Under the Early Decision Plan, the College agrees to render a decision on admission by December 1 for Early Decision I or by February 1 for Early Decision II. Accepted students who are applying for need-based financial aid and have submitted the PROFILE will be contacted by the Financial Aid Office concerning their request by December 10 for Early Decision I or by February 10 for Early Decision II. If accepted under the Early Decision Plan (and provided with financial assistance to fulfill the student’s demonstrated need), the applicant is expected to submit the required deposit (as explained under Enrollment Deposit) by December 15 for Early Decision I or by February 15 for Early Decision II. Offers of admission and financial aid to students who do not enroll at the college will be rescinded.
If a decision on the student’s application cannot be reached, the student will be notified that the application will be deferred and guaranteed unbiased consideration under Regular Decision.
EARLY ADMISSION PLAN
High school students who wish to enroll at Rhodes as a degree-seeking student prior to completion of their secondary schooling may apply under the Early Admission Plan. This option is provided for those students who have demonstrated exceptional ability and motivation in secondary school and are ready to experience the challenges of a college education earlier than normal.
To be eligible for consideration, a student must submit a completed application for admission, a high school transcript including grades for five semesters of course work, a teacher’s and a counselor’s recommendation form, SAT or ACT test scores, and have a personal meeting with an admissions officer. Successful candidates will have satisfied Rhodes’ normal admissions requirements, including the academic units requirements outlined under “Admission Selection Process” above. Normally it will be necessary for an Early Admission student to enroll at a local college or university in the summer prior to their enrollment at Rhodes in order to fulfill the College’s English units requirement.
Early Admission students must normally have the support of their secondary school counselor and of their parents in order to be considered for admission under the plan.
DEFERRED ENROLLMENT
Students who have been accepted for admission and wish to delay their enrollment at Rhodes for a semester or a year may request Deferred Enrollment by writing the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. The letter requesting Deferred Enrollment must indicate the length of time requested for deferral, the reason for requesting the deferral, and the proposed actions of the student during the time of the deferral. The Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid will respond to the deferral request in writing. If deferred enrollment is granted, the student must submit a nonrefundable $400.00 enrollment deposit to the Office of Admissions. Students who have been accepted from the wait list are normally not offered deferred enrollment.
Accepted students requesting deferral who have been awarded one of the College’s competitive fellowships or scholarships may retain the award as long as its value is one-half Rhodes tuition or less. Fellowships or scholarships granted to accepted, deferred students that are valued at over one-half Rhodes tuition will not be retained by the students. In these cases, the students will be reconsidered for competitive fellowships/scholarships during the semester prior to their enrollment at the College.
Deferred students may not enroll in additional high school course work or in more than two college courses for credit in any one semester/term during their time of deferral. Doing so nullifies their admission and fellowship offers and requires new admission and fellowship decisions to be rendered.
ADMISSION OF TRANSFER STUDENTS
Rhodes welcomes applications from students who wish to transfer from other accredited colleges or universities. Students who have enrolled in more than two courses in any one semester or term at another college or university are considered transfer students. Students who have not graduated from high school, but have taken college course work, are not considered transfer students.
An applicant for admission as a transfer student should write or call the Office of Admissions for an application or may go to apply.rhodes.edu to access Rhodes’ online application. The student should have official transcripts from his or her secondary school and all postsecondary institutions attended sent directly to the Office of Admissions. If the secondary school transcript does not include the student’s scores on the SAT or ACT, the student must have these sent to the Admissions Office from the testing agency. Transfer applicants applying for January entrance must also submit a Mid-Semester Grade Report (available from the admissions office) containing grade estimates from their professors. Admission and fellowship decisions are made in the context of both the secondary and post-secondary academic record. Prior college work is evaluated in light of Rhodes’ established degree requirements. Transfer students whose prior work is not compatible with a Rhodes degree program may find it necessary to extend their college career in order to complete all requirements for a degree.
Rhodes’ admissions policy is to only consider applications for transfer from students who are in good standing at the last institution attended. Students under academic or disciplinary suspension are not encouraged to apply to Rhodes until eligible for readmission to the suspending institution.
Transfer from an unaccredited college requires a more thorough analysis of academic credentials. If accepted, the student will be placed on probationary status for one academic year and is expected to maintain a record satisfactory to the Faculty Standards and Standing Committee. Transfer students coming from colleges not accredited by a regional accrediting agency may find the acceptance of transfer credit to be very limited.
For more information regarding the transfer of credit, see “Transfer Credit for Enrolled Students” in the Requirements for a Degree section of this catalogue.
ADMISSION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Rhodes encourages international students living both abroad and in the United States to apply for admission. International students are those individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents (resident alien status) of the United States.
In addition to those documents required of all first-year or transfer students, international applicants must have the official results of the Test Of English As a Foreign Language (TOEFL) forwarded to the Office of Admissions from the appropriate testing agency. The TOEFL exam is not required for native English-speaking students. All applications must be accompanied by a passport-size photograph of the applicant. International students who have studied at other colleges or universities must have official transcripts from those institutions sent to Rhodes. All transcripts must include a certified English translation.
All international applicants, whether applying for financial assistance or not, must submit the College Board’s International Student Certification of Finances. A limited amount of financial assistance is available to international students with financial need. International student applicants are eligible for the competitive fellowships offered by the College. However, due to the requirement of being interviewed on campus and the distances involved, students living abroad are normally not considered for the Bellingrath Fellowships or the CODA Fine Arts Fellowships.
ADMISSION OF SPECIAL STUDENTS (NON-DEGREE CANDIDATES)
Applicants who give evidence of sufficient academic ability may be admitted as special students to a course of study not leading directly to a degree, but allowing them to pursue that work for which they are best prepared and/or which they particularly need. Special students may enroll in no more than two classes, or for no more than eight credits per semester. Special students who wish to audit classes are limited to taking one course per semester.
Special students are not eligible to live in the residence halls or to participate in intercollegiate athletics, fraternity or sorority membership, or other extracurricular activities. In addition, special students are not eligible for any Rhodes or federal financial aid funds. Directed Inquiries are not ordinarily available to special students. Should the special student subsequently become a degree candidate, credits earned while a special student are applicable towards the degree sought.
The deadline for submission of a special student application, along with a $45.00 nonrefundable application fee and most recent transcript, is two weeks prior to the beginning of a new semester/term. Applicants who have not been enrolled in any institution of higher education are required to have an official copy of their high school record sent to the Office of Admissions.
Special student admission material is submitted only once. Students who have attended Rhodes as a special student and wish to continue their studies as a special student should report directly to the Registrar’s Office and register for classes during the first three days of a new semester/term.
Special students who have enrolled in two or more courses at another institution must reapply for special student status through the Office of Admissions. A student seeking readmission as a special student will normally be held to the same academic standards as full-time, degree-seeking students at Rhodes.
Special students are held to the same standards of academic progress regarding academic probation and suspension as degree students.
READMISSION OF STUDENTS
Students who have voluntarily withdrawn from the College and have taken two courses or less in any one term at another institution, and students who have been academically suspended from Rhodes and wish to return, must apply for readmission through the Faculty Standards and Standing Committee.
Returning students must complete an Application for Readmission (obtained from the Registrar’s Office) which requests current information about the student, including an account of activities and educational experiences during the absence from Rhodes. In many cases interviews with the Dean of the College and the Dean of Students will be necessary to complete the readmission process. Students seeking to be readmitted must initiate their requests at least two months prior to the beginning of a new semester.
Students who have voluntarily withdrawn from Rhodes and have taken more than two courses in any one term or semester at another institution are considered transfer students. These students must apply for readmission to Rhodes through the Office of Admissions submitting the college’s application or the Common Application and the required supporting documents.
RHODES HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Rhodes allows high school students who have demonstrated exceptional ability and motivation to begin their college work while completing their secondary school course of study. Such a student may enroll in up to two courses per semester at Rhodes.
To be eligible for the Rhodes High School Scholars Program, a student must complete an admission application; have scored at least 1140 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or 25 on the American College Test (ACT); rank in the upper one-fifth of his or her class; have a positive high school recommendation; and have a personal interview with an admission officer.
Course fees per credit hour are the same as Special Student tuition (see “Special Fees and Deposits” in the Expenses section). Financial aid is normally not available for students participating in the program. Participation in the High School Scholars Program will require coordination of the student’s college and high school course schedules. Rhodes’ Admissions Office will gladly assist the students, teachers, and counselors with these arrangements.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Rhodes will normally grant advanced placement and course credit to entering students who score either 4 or 5 on a College Board Advanced Placement Examination. Students who score 3 on an Advanced Placement Examination may enroll in advanced course work if the relevant department recommends it. A maximum of thirty-two (32) credits may be earned through Advanced Placement examinations. A maximum combined total of thirty-two (32) credits may be earned through Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations.
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit may not be used to satisfy Rhodes’ Foundation requirements except for scores in English and certain scores of 5 on AP exams and 6 or 7 on IB exams. All students must take the Rhodes placement test in the appropriate language to determine proficiency and placement, including students who took an AP language exam in that language. For more information about Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit, go to www.rhodes.edu/1347.asp.
THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DEGREE PROGRAM
Rhodes recognizes the International Baccalaureate academic program and welcomes for review the submission of IB examination scores. Course credit is normally granted for each Higher Level Examination area passed with a score of 5, 6 or 7. A score of 4 may qualify a student for advanced course work, subject to review by the appropriate academic department. A maximum combined total of thirty-two (32) credits may be earned through Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations.
A student who has successfully completed advanced secondary school education, including the British Advanced Level Examinations, the French Baccalaureate, the German Abitur, or the equivalent, may receive some advanced standing or transfer credit at Rhodes for that work. Such credit is not granted, however, until the student has been admitted and has enrolled at Rhodes, at which time his or her credentials will be reviewed by the Registrar and the academic departments in which the credit(s) will be applied.
ENROLLMENT DEPOSIT
In order to reserve a place in the class, all accepted students must submit a non-refundable $400.00 enrollment deposit to the College. Deposits must be postmarked no later than our deadline of May 1 (December 15 for Early Decision I and February 15 for Early Decision II.) The deposit is not an extra charge but is credited to the student’s account and deducted from other expenses. The balance of the first tuition, fees, room and board payment is due in early-August. The College cannot guarantee that a residence hall room will be available unless this balance is paid at that time.
ORIENTATION AND REGISTRATION
All new students are expected to attend the Open Rhodes Orientation program during the summer prior to enrollment and to be present for Orientation Week, which immediately precedes the opening of the College. Orientation is designed to acquaint new students with the traditions, ideals, academic expectations and regulations of Rhodes and to give them an opportunity to plan their courses of study in consultation with members of the faculty. During orientation, the new students will also meet with the representatives of various student organizations, take placement tests, receive instruction in the use of the library, participate in social events and attend discussions with administrative officers of the College. Additional information about the Open Rhodes summer orientation program is available online at www.rhodes.edu/admissions/7865.asp.
A complete medical examination and provision of immunization records are required of all full-time new students. This medical examination should take place within six months prior to enrollment. The results of the examination along with immunization records, recorded on a form provided by the College, must be on file in the College Student Health Center before registration. Failure to provide the form may result in not being permitted to register and not being provided medical services until the form has been received. In the case of insufficient or missing medical data, the student may be granted provisional registration.
Proof of health insurance is required of all students. A copy of your insurance card will be requested with the completed Health Form. Failure to provide proof of insurance may result in not being permitted to register and will result in not being provided medical services.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Admissions Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (Central Time). Saturday office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon during the academic year. Additional information and application forms will be supplied upon request. Contact:
Office of Admissions
Rhodes College
2000 North Parkway
Memphis, Tennessee 38112-1690
Telephone: 901-843-3700 or toll-free 1-800-844-5969
Fax: 901-843-3631
E-mail: adminfo@rhodes.edu
On-line: rhodes.edu/admissions
