Admission Requirements

Undergraduate General Admission (Associate’s and Bachelor’s)

General Requirements for Admission:

The applicant must provide evidence of a standard high school diploma or one of the equivalents as defined by the Department of Higher Education HEA Sec. 484(d) and detailed below:

1. A GED Certificate.
2. A certified or other official completion documentation demonstrating that the student has passed a state-authorized examination (such as the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) or a state-recognized equivalent of a high school diploma.
3. A conferred associate degree.
4. Successfully completed at least 60 semester or trimester credit hours or 72 quarter credit hours that does not result in the awarding of a degree, but that is acceptable for full credit toward an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, the applicant must provide the official transcripts from the transferring institution.
5. Conditional acceptance is available for students applying while still in high school. Students must receive their high school diploma or equivalent prior to being admitted to AGMU.  Students must provide evidence of a high school diploma or equivalent prior to receiving a diploma or degree from AGMU.

Supporting Documentation:

Applicants must provide evidence of previous credits, courses or studies documenting graduation from secondary school to an authorized University member.  Only original documents will be considered as evidence.  Original documents such as:

1. A General Education Diploma (GED) or other diploma or graduation document.
2. Certification prepared by a secondary institution or agency recognized by the US Department of Education.
3. Applicants who have completed previous college-level coursework must provide an official transcript from the transferring institution (this means a document issued by the institution which includes an official seal, generally with a stamp stating “official transcript”). 
4. Applicants who have not completed 60 semester or 72 quarter hours at a recognized institution of higher education must provide evidence of a high school diploma or its equivalent as defined above.

If the applicant cannot leave the original document for his admission record, the admission’s officer will make a copy and certify with their initials that it is a copy from the original.

Applicants must submit a valid identification with photo (i.e., driver’s license, State ID, passport).

Additional requirements may apply to specific academic programs.

If the applicant is enrolling in a bilingual program, before enrolling in any course, the applicant may be required to take a language proficiency assessment. Please refer to the AGMU Language Placement Protocol and the Transfer Credit Policy.

Further details of the admission requirements can be found in the Catalog.

Master’s Degree General Admission

General Requirements for Admission into Master’s Programs:

1. The applicant must submit an official transcript, providing evidence of an earned baccalaureate degree with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.25.*
2. Applicants with a CGPA of less than 2.25 may be admitted to the institution at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs or School Dean via a documented personal interview.
3. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to require an applicant to complete certain undergraduate level courses as a requirement for conditional admission to a program.

Applicants that do not meet one or more of the above-mentioned requirements can apply for admission. They will be interviewed by the School Dean or their designated representative. The Dean or their authorized representative will determine if the applicant can be admitted.

Every applicant can demonstrate compliance with the admissions requirements related to prior academic experience and/or achievement by presenting the original of any of the following documents:

• Evidence of previous credits, courses or studies documenting graduation an accredited entity of post-secondary education.
• Certification prepared by a post-secondary institution or agency recognized by the US Department of Education, or appropriate government agency, board, etc. confirming completion of degree or equivalent
• Grade report prepared by a post-secondary institution, agency recognized by the US Department of Education, or appropriate government agency, board confirming completion of undergraduate (for graduate programs) or graduate (for doctoral programs) or equivalent

Only original documents will be considered as evidence. If the applicant cannot leave the original document for their admission record, the officer will make a copy and certify with their initials that it is a copy from the original.

Applicants must submit a valid identification with photo (i.e., driver’s license, State ID, passport).

*Additional requirements may apply to specific academic programs.

If the applicant is enrolling in a bilingual program, before enrolling in any course, applicant may be required to take a language proficiency assessment. Please refer to the AGMU Language Placement Protocol and the Transfer Credit Policy.

Additional requirements may apply to specific academic programs. Further details of the admission requirements can be found in the Catalog.

Request Admission

Doctoral Degree General Admission

General Requirements for Admission into Doctoral Programs:

1. The applicant must submit an official transcript, providing evidence of an earned master’s degree with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.30.
2. Present an Essay
3. Present updated curriculum vitae or resume.

Applicants must submit a valid identification with photo (i.e., driver’s license, State ID, passport).

Additional requirements may apply to specific academic programs.

If the applicant is enrolling in a bilingual program, before enrolling in any course, applicant may be required to take a language proficiency assessment. Please refer to the AGMU Language Placement Protocol and the Transfer Credit Policy.

Additional requirements may apply to specific academic programs. Further details of the admission requirements can be found in the Catalog.

Request Admission

Awarding of Transfer Credit and Alternative Ways to Earn Credit

AGMU allows students to proceed expeditiously toward their degree and academic program objectives by providing guidelines for the transfer of postsecondary credit and alternative ways to earn university credit. Regardless of transfer credit status, students must earn a minimum of 25% of their degree credit hours as institutional credits to be awarded an AGMU degree.

Coursework From Regionally Accredited Institutions

All coursework from degree-granting institutions that are fully accredited at the collegiate level by their appropriate regional accrediting agency will be awarded in accordance with the following guidelines:

1. All official transcripts must be received within forty-five (45) days after the student’s first part of term at AGMU;
2. All College level or College preparatory courses which have both grades and credit hours will be considered for transfer if they meet the minimum grade requirement of a “C” or higher for undergraduate programs and a “B” or higher for graduate programs;
3. Credits at the upper-division college level (300 and 400 level courses) are not accepted for transfer into diploma and associate-degree programs and are only evaluated for transfer credit into baccalaureate programs;
4. Course credits evaluated for transfer from colleges with different credit systems (i.e., quarter hours, units, etc.) are converted to semester hours;
5. Core/Major courses including business, technical and specialty courses, may be accepted if those credits were earned no more than 5 years prior to enrollment date.
6. Regardless of the number of credits accepted in transfer, student must complete at least 25% of the college-level credits required to earn an AGMU degree;
7. If initial placement in courses cannot be determined after the evaluation of transfer work, students may be required to complete entry testing in one or more disciplines to determine course placements(s);
8. All credits that are transferred to AGMU will become part of the student’s permanent academic record and will appear on the AGMU official transcript as transfer credit;
9. Transfer credits will be applied by the designated University officials in the most appropriate manner to the student’s program of student in the area of general electives, general education, program courses, and other academic requirements.

Coursework From Sistema Universidad Ana G. Mendez

Credits earned as any Sistema Universidad Ana G. Mendez will be accepted without a time limit unless otherwise prohibited by program requirements. UAGM courses will transfer to AGMU as a “T” on the student’s academic record and will not impact the student’s grade point average (GPA) at AGMU.

Coursework from Non-Regionally Accredited Institutions

Prior to initial enrollment at AGMU, a student may request credit for coursework earned at an institution that is not regionally accredited. All coursework approved by the designated academic administrator will be evaluated using the same guidelines as those for regionally accredited institutions. The academic administrator will determine specific course equivalency for a general education or major course or degree program requirement. Additionally, the equivalency may be granted towards elective credit. Approval of all evaluated coursework will be included in the AGMU official student transcript. Denied requests may be appealed in writing to the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs or their designee.

Coursework From International Institutions

All official transcripts received from post-secondary institutions outside of the United States that are in English, or Spanish will be evaluated by our Registrar’s office using the same guidelines for regionally accredited institutions using AACRAO Edge.

All official transcripts from post-secondary institutions outside of the United States that are not in English, or Spanish must have a course-by-course commercial evaluation completed by an agency approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) at the student’s expense. AGMU will perform an evaluation based on the course-by-course evaluation report received directly from one of the approved agencies and in accordance with the same guidelines as those for regionally accredited institutions.

Students will not be awarded General Education English credit for courses taken outside of the United States. These students will be required to take a placement test to place into the appropriate level English course.

Credit By Examination- Outside Agencies

AGMU accepts some form of transfer credit through credit by examination from outside agencies. No grades or grade point values will be assigned for credit by examination. Official copies of these test scores must be submitted directly to AGMU Admissions from the appropriate issuing agency.

a. Advanced Placement Exams (AP)

A student who wishes to receive credit for Advanced Placement courses must have their Advanced Placement scores sent from the College Board directly to AGMU Admissions. A student who earns a score a 3, 4, or 5 on any Advanced Placement test is awarded AGMU credit for the equivalent course according to established university guidelines. Students who obtained a 3 or higher on any AP exams should speak with their campus registrar.

b. Defense Activity Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES/DSST)

The Defense Activity Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) program is a test conducted by the Educational Testing Services (ETS). The DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs) measure earned achievement in specific university courses. AGMU will award credit according to the established university guidelines. AGMU does not permit a student to use exam credit towards grade forgiveness. Students who have taken DANTES Subject Standardized Tests should speak with their campus registrar.

c. Excelsior University Examinations

Excelsior University Examinations (formally known as Regents University Exams or the Proficiency Examination Program) are developed by Excelsior University using national committees of faculty consultants and national studies to assess how well the tests measure the performance of students in actual University courses. Excelsior University Examinations are approved by the American Council on Education and Excelsior University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). AGMU will award credit according to the established university guidelines. AGMU does not permit a student to use exam credit towards grade forgiveness. Students who have taken Excelsior University examinations should speak with their campus registrar. Detailed information about Excelsior University Examinations can be found online at www.excelsior.edu.

d. International Baccalaureate (IB)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is a rigorous two-year, pre- university liberal arts program of study for the highly motivated, academically oriented secondary student. The 18 Diploma is awarded only to the student who meets curricular, service, and thesis requirements and score at the 

prescribed level on internationally standardized subject examinations. Through the IB program, a student may be awarded up to 30 university level credit hours. No grades will be assigned to credits awarded through the program. The student will not receive credit for 18 courses that duplicate credit awarded for courses attended at AGMU or credit that was awarded through other accelerated programs (i.e., AP, CLEP, credit by examination, etc.). AGMU will award credit according to the established university guidelines. AGMU does not permit a student to use exam credit towards grade forgiveness. Students who have IB scores should speak with their campus registrar.

e. Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)

The AICE program is an international advanced secondary curriculum and assessment program equivalent to the British system of “A-Levels”. AS-Level courses are comprised of curriculum lasting one academic year. A-Level courses encompass all AS-Level curriculum as well as additional topics. A-Level coursework is completed over two academic years. AGMU will award credit according to the established university guidelines. AGMU does not permit a student to use exam credit towards grade forgiveness. Students who have taken AICE courses should speak with their campus registrar.

f. College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The CLEP program is provided by College Board and offers students 30+ exams that cover introductory college level material. Students have the opportunity to be awarded credit according to the established university guidelines. AGMU does not permit a student to use exam credit towards grade forgiveness. Students who have taken or are interested in taking a CLEP exam should speak with their campus registrar.

Education Credit for Military Service

Students may earn university credit for military experience. Students should work directly with their campus Registrar to review military experience. The Registrar’s Office will award credit on a course-by-course basis in relation to the student's declared program of study following the ACE recommended guidelines, and with approval from the appropriate Academic Administrator.

Students using VA educational benefits are required to submit their Join Services Transcript (JST) or the Community University of the Air Force transcript. Upon receipt of the transcript, the Registrar’s Office will award credit on a course-by-course basis in relation to the student's declared program of study following the ACE recommended guidelines, and with approval from the appropriate Academic Administrator.

Credit For Licensure or Certification

AGMU may award university credit to students intended to meet requirements toward academic programs and degrees based on specific licensure or certification. Eligible students must complete the Articulation Credit Transfer Form and provide a copy of the appropriate license or certification. The designated academic administrator will review documentation and determine the award of credit for the Registrar to post on the student’s educational record.

Prior Learning Credit (PLC)

Prior Learning Credit (PLC) is a way student may be awarded appropriate credit for demonstration of knowledge gained from previous learning experiences outside the classroom. This learning may result from an industry certification, in-service training, or experience acquired during employment. Credit awarded through existing articulation agreements and MOU’s will be excluded from this process.

Prior Learning Credit Guidelines:

1. Students must be enrolled in AGMU courses in order to be considered for PLC;
2. Credits awarded through PLC will appear on the student’s official transcript as credit only; no grade point values will be assigned to PLC;
3. A student cannot earn PLC for a course in which credit has already been attempted; PLC cannot be used to forgive a grade previously earned in a credit course;
4. A student must complete 25% of each degree or certificate program's total credit hours at AGMU.

Prior Learning Credit Process:

1. Students who are interested in PLC must fill out a PLC Application Form and submit it to the School Dean.
2. The School Dean will contact the student to review the requirements of the portfolio.
3. Once the student submits the portfolio, the School Dean will review and determine what PLC credit will be offered.

Transcripts

Ana G. Mendez University provides official and unofficial copies of student transcripts within our established university guidelines. AGMU does not provide copies of other institution’s transcripts to the student or to other institutions.

International Students

1. Ana G. Mendez University is currently accepting international students for Main Campus-Online programs only. The ground campuses are not accepting international students. .
2. Interested international students can apply to online programs. Applicants must contact the Director of Admissions for more information.
3. All requirements for admission, readmission, and transfer will apply to international students.
4. The educational level of the international student must be validated through an official transcript.
5. Admission for international students will be subject to the immigration laws and regulations in effect.
6. Students will have a period of 56 calendar days to submit their documents from the beginning of the course to complete their file. If the student does not submit the required documentation, admission and enrollment will be canceled.

Transient Students

Students who wish to take credit courses for the purposes of continuing education or transfer of credits to another institution may register as a Special Student.  Special students are classified as non-degree seeking students. 

Students must show evidence of graduation from an accredited college or university or submit official documentation that denotes authorization to take courses, in order to become eligible to enroll at AGMU, students may be required to participate in an interview with a representative of the university and/or academic department.