Your High School Coursework
The classes you take and the grades you earn during high school play an important role in Furman admissions decisions. By the time you graduate from high school, Furman expects you to have taken at least:
- 4 years of English
- 3 mathematics course including Algebra I & II and Geometry
- 3 courses in social studies
- 3 courses in natural sciences (with labs)
- 2 years of the same foreign language
- as many accelerated, honors and Advanced Placement courses as possible
To be competitive for admission, students should take the highest level of in each of the five academic areas (English, math, social science, natural science, foreign language) that their school offers. Typically, this means AP, IB, honors, or advanced classes. For students whose schools do not offer AP or IB courses, but do have a joint/dual enrollment option with a local college, the dual enrollment courses will be counted as the highest level.
The average Furman applicant has taken 5 AP courses, or the highest level offered in 4 of the 5 academic areas.
For admission to Furman, taking challenging courses is important, but performance in those courses plays an equal role in admissions decisions. The middle 50% of the entering freshman last year had neighed GPAs between 3.4 and 3.8, and the average was 3.68.
Your SAT and ACT scores
After your course selection and grades, your test scores are the next important part of your application. Last year's freshmen class had a mid 50 percent range of 1200 - 1380 on the SAT (critical reading and math sections only) and 25 - 31 on the ACT. (This means that half of the students in the class of 2011 had scores within this range.) If your scores are slightly lower than this, you may still be a good match for Furman, particularly if you've gotten good grades and taken challenging classes.
Furman will combine your highest verbal and math scores, even if one is on the old version of the SAT and the other is from the new version. We will not "superscore" the ACT, but instead will honor your highest composite score. Students are required to submit a writing score, either from the new SAT or the ACT. The writing score will be used only for research purposes for students applying for the Fall of 2009.
The Admissions Committee believes that standardized testing has an important place in selective college admissions decision-making, but we believe that students should have choices. Furman applicants can meet our standardized test requirement by submitting scores choosing from one of the following options :
· SAT I,
· ACT (American College Testing) assessment test and optional writing test,
· two SAT II subject tests - one in English, one in Math,
· two AP (Advanced Placement) exams, one from English (Language and Composition or Literature and Composition) and one from Math (Calculus AB or Calculus BC),
· two IB (International Baccalaureate) exams, one in English Language (A1) and one in Mathematics, or
· the TOEFL exam (for international students ONLY)
Applicants should request all test scores from the appropriate testing agency prior to the application deadlines. Candidates for admission who submit SAT and/or ACT scores must also submit a standardized writing score.
The Admissions Committee will select the scores that offer the student the greatest advantage in the admissions review process (meaning the highest score) if a student were to submit multiple test results.
Your essay and activities
The final components of your admission application is your essay and your extracurricular involvements. The only essay required by Furman in the application process can be found on the Common Application and is an opportunity for you to write about anything you would like. For activities we ask that you complete the Common Application space for activity information and feel free to attach a separate resume or portfolio in your application if you desire.
Admissions Statistics
Here are some statistics from this year's freshman class:
- 59 percent were ranked in the top ten percent of their graduating class.
- More than 15 percent were valedictorians or salutatorians.
- Furman accepted 54% percent of students who applied for admission in 2008.
