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Pathways: Your stepping stones

Certain U.S. universities offer freshman (1st year) admissions to students that may not satisfy typical direct admissions requirements. This form of admissions is known as “pathway admissions,” and is suitable either for international students lacking English proficiency or high school seniors with insufficient to no SAT scores.

Pathway Admissions

Pathway admissions require neither SAT scores nor the student having completed a U.S. university preparatory high school curriculum. Students need only submit an iBT TOEFL score in the range of 60 to 70 points, depending on the university.

Once granted admissions, students complete the standard first year university curriculum while simultaneously completing pathway program classes in university preparatory and intensive English language classes (Academic English). Depending on the progress of the student’s English language skills, students exit the pathway program within a semester or two. Despite taking pathway program classes during the 1st year, almost students typically graduate on time in four years. Moreover, after two years study, many students elect to then transfer to top 50 universities; with a nearly 100% success rate.

 

With the rise of international student enrollment in the United States, an increasing number of top 150 universities are offering generous pathway admissions opportunities.

Advantages

1. Generous Application Deadlines

Pathway admissions deadlines are generally several months (March thru June) later than those of direct admissions (October thru March). These later deadlines are convenient for students who either (a) are graduating seniors from Korean high school and want to immediately proceed with university studies the following September, or (b) did not receive satisfactory acceptances during direct admissions.

​2. Flexible Admissions Requirements

Even if students cannot satisfy the iBT TOEFL requirements for pathway admissions at the time of application (March thru June), universities give students until four weeks before the start of the Fall semester (August thru September) to submit qualifying TOEFL scores.

 

3. A Pathway to Top 50 Universities

Students who do not have an SAT score or the necessary college preparatory curriculum can leverage the pathway admissions program to eventually transfer to a U.S. News Ranking Top 50 university. Almost all of our pathway admissions clients end up transferring to and graduating from a top U.S. university.

Admissions Requirements

- SAT (ACT) / Recommendations / Essays : Not required

- Low TOEFL requirements

- Low GPA requirements (Korean GPA of 5th to 7th rank sufficient)

- January, May and September intakes

- Student expected to complete regular 1st year university courses together with pathway program classes.

- Student is a full-time registered university student

Universities Offering Pathway Programs

Baylor University, American University, University of Vermont, Saint Louis University, University of New Hampshire, Colorado State University, George Mason University, Oregon State University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of South Florida, University of Massachusetts (Lowell, Boston, Dartmouth), Hofstra University, Drew University, Marshall University, Illinois State University, University of Idaho, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richard Bland College of William & Mary, University of Utah, Auburn University, Florida International University, University of the Pacific, University of Kansas, Adelphi University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Louisiana State University, University of Dayton, and University of South Carolina.

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