United States of America

Entrance requirements - American high school diploma

Required documents for early and final admission
  Required documents
Early Admission

If you are currently attending high school, we require copies of the following (depending on the time of year):

  • Final Grade 10 and 11 transcript of grades
  • Grade 12 (or equivalent) transcript of courses and results to date
Final Admission

If you have completed your studies, we require:

  • Official copy of the final transcript with the Diploma awarded
  • Five Subject Requirements - to see specific subject requirements by program visit our program tool.

Other common curricula in the United States

  • Advanced Placement (AP)
    • AP courses will be considered for admission, but only if presented as final grades issued by the College Board. Any interim AP grades issued by a high school will be treated as American high school diploma subjects until the official College Board results are received. For a list of all accepted AP courses, see our International Course Equivalencies chart.
    • Our institution code to send official College Board results is 0963.
    • For more information about AP at the U of A, visit this page on how we recognize AP students.

American curriculum-specific notes

  • SAT/ACT Test Optional
    • SAT or ACT scores are not required.
    • SAT scores will be used to meet subject requirements if there is a subject deficiency or the score benefits the applicant’s average.
  • Accreditation
    • On-shore American High Schools must be recognized by their State Department of Education or have accreditation from one of four boards we recognize:
      1. Cognia
      2. Middle States Association
      3. Western Association of Schools and Colleges
      4. New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Students who attended unaccredited schools must continue to present standardized test scores (e.g., AP exams or SAT scores) in order to be evaluated for admissions consideration.
  • Students are eligible to apply based on subjects taken in their final three years (Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12). Please note: Grade 9 subjects will not be used to meet admission requirements.
  • Dual Credit applicants are students who are simultaneously completing High School and attending an accredited post-secondary school during their Senior year. These applicants will be considered for transfer credit upon finalized admission.
  • Transfer applicants are students who have attended one or more courses at an accredited post-secondary institution.
  • Both Dual Credit and Transfer applicants need to submit official transcripts for both high school and post-secondary coursework, as well as course descriptions for all post-secondary courses. Document submission deadlines are earlier for transfer applicants, so see the Transcripts and Documents page for more information.

Government Loans for U.S. Citizens

  • The U of A is a participating institution within the U.S. Direct Loans program. U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are registered full-time in a degree-granting program are eligible to apply (excluding students registered in Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing programs).
  • The U of A’s federal code for FAFSA is 00836200.
  • You can find more information about the U.S. loan process by visiting this webpage.

If you do not see your current study program listed, or for information on eligibility, please contact your regional recruitment coordinator.