SEARCH:

Admission

Undergraduate Admission

www.esf.edu/admissions/

The College is widely known for the high quality of its undergraduate instruction and unique teaching facilities, and admits well-qualified students at the freshman, sophomore and junior levels. Several factors are considered before students are accepted for admission at any level. These factors include their academic preparation, personal motivation, and reasons for wanting to study at ESF.

Campus Visits

For High School students: www.esf.edu/admissions/freshman/visit.htm
For Transfer students: www.esf.edu/admissions/transfer/visit.htm
For The Ranger School: www.esf.edu/admissions/rsvisit.htm

The College welcomes visitors to its campuses. High school students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to schedule participation in a college information session, which includes a campus tour. Prospective transfer students who wish to visit the Syracuse campus to meet with a member of the admissions staff and take a campus tour are asked to make an appointment through Undergraduate Admissions. Transfer applicants will find the interview more useful if they bring college transcripts with them. Admissions staff are available for appointments Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Campus tours, conducted by ESF student ambassadors, are also provided. Students interested in visiting The Ranger School should make arrangements directly with that campus by calling 315-848-2566. Please consult the Office of Undergraduate Admissions or our Web site for the calendar of open houses and special visitation events.

Applying for Admission

www.esf.edu/admissions/apply.htm

Students seeking admission to undergraduate degree programs must file their application under one of the following processes. High school students may apply for:

Early action freshman admission
Regular freshman admission
Guaranteed transfer admission

Students who have already attended another college may apply under the regular transfer admission process.

Each entrance category requires the applicant to have a specific academic background, and to have maintained satisfactory academic progress at his or her previous educational institution.

Students are encouraged to apply online at the ESF Web site. Paper application forms for admission to ESF are available through all New York high schools, the SUNY Application Services Center, and other SUNY admissions offices. An application package may also be obtained directly from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Application Filing Dates

High School Students:

Enrollment Option	Filing Deadlines
Fall enrollment, early action (freshmen only)	November 15
Fall enrollment, regular admission	January 15*

Transfer Students:

Enrollment Option	Filing Deadlines
Fall enrollment	April 1*
Spring enrollment	November 1*

*NOTE: Applications received after these dates will be considered on a space-available basis.

All applicants for freshman or transfer entry are required to submit official documentation of high school graduation (or equivalent) and any college-level coursework (or equivalent) completed, even if it does not pertain to their intended program of study at ESF. Failure to submit this documentation by the stated deadlines may result in the withdrawal of the application or denial of admission.

Prospective students are strongly urged to submit their applications earlier than the recommended date to reduce the possibility they will be placed on an admissions waiting list.

Medical Examination

Each new student on the Syracuse campus is required to submit a medical history and physical examination report on a form that will be sent to the student after the initial acceptance notice.

Information for High School Students

www.esf.edu/admissions/freshman/

Early Action Freshman Admission

Outstanding high school seniors who have selected SUNY-ESF as a top choice may apply for early action, a non-binding early application/early notification program for fall entry freshmen. Early action allows students to apply to as many institutions as they wish and, if admitted, make their final college choice no later than May 1. Early action candidates must have a completed application on file by November 15. This must include the SUNY Application (which should be received at the SUNY Application Processing Center by November 1), official high school transcripts, official results of either the SAT I or ACT and the ESF Supplemental Application with essay question response.

All early action candidates will be notified of the Admission Committee's decision by January 1. Please refer to the next section, “Regular Freshman Admission,” for additional information on the application process.

Regular Freshman Admission

Students who choose to attend ESF following high school grad-uation may apply for regular freshman admission. This freshman enrollment option is available for students who meet the admission standards for baccalaureate programs and for a limited number of students applying to associate degree programs at The Ranger School. Most applicants to The Ranger School will apply under the guaranteed transfer admission process. Please refer to the next section, which explains this process.

Successful freshman applicants should present strong academic credentials from high school. A minimum of three units each of college preparatory mathematics and science are required for all majors. An official high school transcript must be submitted as part of the student's application credentials. Applicants are required to forward the results of either the SAT I or ACT examination. The Ad-missions Committee will review SAT I results, but the essay portion is not required for admission. SAT II tests are not required, but in some cases they may highlight the special talents of an applicant. Freshman applicants are also required to write an essay. The essay question is included on the ESF Supplemental Application, published in the ESF Application booklet or available on the ESF Web site.

Guaranteed Transfer Admission

The College recognizes that some students have made arrange-ments to spend a portion of their first two years of college at other institutions, and will transfer to ESF in either their sophomore or junior year. To facilitate this process and reduce difficulties associated with transferring, ESF has established a guaranteed transfer admission (GTA) option.

Under this option, admitted students are guaranteed admission to ESF for either their sophomore or junior year. These students benefit from long-term academic advising to ensure they meet all academic requirements for transferring to the College. Guaranteed transfer applicants must submit the same credentials as outlined under "Regular Freshman Admission." Successful applicants for this option must present a strong academic background including at least three years each of college preparatory mathematics and science. To satisfy the guarantee of admission, students must satisfactorily complete, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.300 (A=4.000), any of the lower-division requirements, which are part of their program of study. Only coursework with grades of C or higher will transfer to meet ESF degree requirements.

Information for College Students

www.esf.edu/admissions/transfer/

Regular Transfer Admission

Approximately half of the students who enroll at the College each year transfer to ESF after completing at least one semester at another college following high school graduation. ESF recognizes the unique interests and needs of transfer students.

Transfer students' admissibility is based primarily on the quality and distribution of previous college-level coursework. Consideration involves how much of their previous coursework applies to the requirements of their intended program of study at ESF, overall academic perfor-mance at their previous colleges, and specific interest in ESF programs. For most programs, a significant emphasis is placed on students' back-grounds in mathematics and science. Students who have completed less than 30 semester hours at their previous college may be required to submit copies of their high school transcript and SAT I or ACT test scores as part of the admissions process.

Students who apply as transfers to ESF are expected to have success-fully completed some portion of the established required sequence of courses appropriate to their intended major at the College. Students attending one of our pre-ESF cooperative transfer colleges (see below) will find information on course equivalencies for all of our programs of study on our Web page. Printed copies of this information may be obtained from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. To be con-sidered for admission to ESF, a transfer student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000 (A=4.000) at the last insti-tution where the student was enrolled full time. Only coursework with grades of C or higher will transfer to meet ESF degree requirements.

Cooperative Transfer Option

The College has developed pre-environmental science and forestry transfer options with other colleges both in and out of New York state. These programs offer students a wide selection of colleges from which they can obtain the necessary courses, and appropriate advice on how to prepare for transfer to ESF. Information on ESF cooperative transfer colleges may be found on our Web page.

Students who attend these colleges and follow the academic pro-gram prescribed by ESF will share a common academic background with other students who transfer to the College.

The cooperative colleges are:

New York State Colleges

Adirondack Community College, Glens Falls
Alfred State College, Alfred
Broome County Community College, Binghamton
Cayuga County Community College, Auburn
Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson
Corning Community College, Corning
Dutchess County Community College, Poughkeepsie
Erie County Community College, Buffalo
Finger Lakes Community College, Canandaigua
Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Johnstown
Genesee Community College, Batavia
Herkimer County Community College, Herkimer
Hudson Valley Community College, Troy
Jamestown Community College, Jamestown
Jefferson County Community College, Watertown
Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn
Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica
Monroe County Community College, Rochester
Morrisville State College, Morrisville
Nassau County Community College, Garden City
Niagara County Community College, Sanborn
North Country Community College, Saranac Lake
Onondaga County Community College, Syracuse
Orange County Community College, Middletown
Rockland County Community College, Suffern
Schenectady Community College, Schenectady
Suffolk County Community College, Selden
Sullivan County Community College, Loch Sheldrake
SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
SUNY College of Technology at Canton
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Syracuse University
Tompkins-Cortland Community College, Dryden
Ulster County Community College, Stone Ridge
Westchester County Community College, Valhalla

Out-of-State Colleges

Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA
Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA
Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA
Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport, CT
Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA

Transfer Credit

Credit hours appropriate to the ESF curriculum can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred. Courses to be transferred to meet graduation requirements for any curriculum must be acceptable in content, and credit will be awarded only for those completed with a grade of C or higher (a C- is not acceptable).

All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final transcripts are received. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that official, final transcripts are sent to and received by the College.

Only coursework completed at institutions that are fully accredited by one of six regional accrediting agencies will be considered for possible transfer credit toward ESF degree requirements. These agencies are the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (1),New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, North-west Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

The College will consider for advanced standing credit the results of examinations from standardized testing agencies such as the College Entrance Examination Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) or the College Level Examination Programs (CLEP) as well as the Higher Level Exams of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

The following guidelines are intended to assist students and advisers:

Scores of 3, 4, or 5 on AP exams may be accepted for credit for all exams except those defined below as fundamentals of math and science.
Scores of 4 or 5 on AP exams are required for credit in areas defined as fundamentals of math and science. The AP exams indicative of knowledge areas in fundamentals of math and science are given in the following table (continued on page 24).

AP Examination	Credits	Courses
Biology	8	EFB 226/ EFB 285
Chemistry	8	FCH150/151/152/153
Calculus AB	4	APM 105 or MAT 295
Calculus BC	8	APM 105/106 or MAT 295/296
Physics B	8	PHY 101/102
Physics C: Mechanics	4	PHY 211/221
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism	4	PHY 212/222

Scores of 3 or higher on the AP examinations in language/composition (credit awarded for CLL 190) and literature/composition (credit awarded for CLL 290) are acceptable for writing course credit.

Ranger School Admission

wwww.esf.edu/rangerschool/

The Ranger School, located in Wanakena in the central Adirondack Mountains, offers A.A.S. degrees in forest technology and in land surveying technology, but does not enroll freshmen. Students complete their freshman year requirements at ESF’s Syracuse campus or at another college of their choice. They complete the sophomore year of their A.A.S. program in residence at The Ranger School campus. Candidates may apply for acceptance into the forest technology or land surveying technology program under the guaranteed transfer admission option or as a regular transfer admission student.

High school students who wish to enroll in this program should apply during their senior year to receive a guaranteed entry date one year later. A limited number of freshman applicants will be offered admission to the Syracuse campus for the first year program of the A.A.S. and eventual completion of the bachelor degree, usually in a program of study in the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management. Transfer students apply for sophomore year entry during the academic year prior to their intended fall semester entry at The Ranger School (spring admission is not available). For further information on the The Ranger School, visit the Web site or refer to the Ranger School section of this catalog.

Educational Opportunity Program

www.esf.edu/admissions/special.htm

The State University of New York’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) provides academic support and financial aid to students who show promise for mastering college-level work, but who may other-wise not be accepted. Offered only to full-time students who are New York state residents, EOP accepts both freshmen and transfer students who qualify, academically and financially, for the program. Students cannot apply for both EOP and early action programs.

The basic goal of the EOP program at ESF is to provide qualified students with a college education and the opportunity for personal growth and professional development in career fields related to the College’s mission. Counseling, financial assistance and tutoring are provided on an individual basis.

High school seniors who wish to apply for freshman enrollment and EOP status at the College must file a SUNY application and indicate they want to be considered for EOP. In addition, they must submit a copy of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), indicating ESF as a receiving institution.

In order for transfer students to participate in the program at the College, they must have been enrolled in or qualified for an EOP, Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Search for Education Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) or similar program at their prior college. Therefore, students who are applying to ESF as high school seniors through the guaranteed transfer admission option should also apply for EOP, HEOP or SEEK at their lower-division college, and must enroll in or be qualified for such a program in order to continue in EOP at ESF.

All EOP applicants must file applications for undergraduate admission and financial aid as described in those two sections of this catalog. For further information, contact the director of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, 315-470-6670.

Deferred Admission

www.esf.edu/admissions/special.htm

Students accepted to ESF who wish to defer their enrollment for one or two semesters beyond their original entry date must make this request in writing directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Students will receive written notification if their request has been approved.

International Students

www.esf.edu/international/

The College enrolls international students as undergraduates if they satisfy the admission requirements outlined throughout this section of the catalog.

In addition to the requirements that all prospective students must meet, international students must provide evidence of the following:

Proficiency in the English language through acceptable performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), STEP Eiken, or by completing at least one year of college at an institution where the courses were taught in English.
International freshman applicants are required to demonstrate the completion of a college preparatory secondary school program by submitting academic credentials translated into English. This evaluation must be completed by an approved international credentials evaluation agency. A list of approved agencies is available through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
International transfer applicants are required to submit a detailed course-by-course evaluation of all international academic credentials in English. This evaluation must be completed by an approved inter-national credentials evaluation agency. A list of approved agencies is available through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Ability to meet all of the financial obligations that will be incurred while attending the College must also be demonstrated. If accepted for enrollment, health and accident insurance supplied by the State University of New York must be obtained before the student will be allowed to register at the College. Further details about this policy are available from Syracuse University's Slutzker Center for Inter-national Services, 310 Walnut Place, 315-443-2457, or from the ESF Office of Student Life, 315-470-6660.

Graduate Admission

www.esf.edu/graduate/

Admission to graduate studies is conditional upon review and acceptance of the applicant’s credentials by appropriate faculty mem-bers and upon the recommendation of the appropriate department chair to the dean of Instruction and Graduate Studies. Employees of the College who carry faculty status in accordance with SUNY-ESF faculty bylaws and are at or above the rank of assistant professor or equivalent, may not be in a matriculated status at the College.

Required for admission are, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution, and generally an academic record showing at least a B average for junior and senior years of the baccalaureate program or for the master’s program.

Also required are Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and for some degree programs, subject (advanced) test scores; supporting letters of recommendation; and a statement of educational and professional goals.

The Graduate Record Examination may be waived by a department chair or graduate coordinator on an individual basis. This waiver can ony be granted by the graduate coordinator and/or chair.

A nonrefundable $60 application fee is charged.

Applying for Admission

Faculty seek graduate students who are well-prepared for rigorous study, responsive and receptive to constructive feedback, and a good fit with their programs. The most effective way for applicants to demonstrate these qualities is to communicate with faculty prior to applying and to understand the programs ESF has to offer. Therefore, individuals who are interested in applying for graduate study should contact ESF faculty to discuss degree programs and learn about specific opportunities for study and research at ESF. Faculty Web pages provide contact information and additional insights about ESF degree programs. We also encourage applicants to visit campus and meet with faculty and current graduate students.

On-line applications are preferred and are accessible at www.esf.edu/graduate/admission.htm.

Application forms may be printed from the Internet or requested in paper form from the Office of Instruction and Graduate Studies, 227 Bray Hall, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210.

Application Deadlines:

Semester	Deadline
Fall	February 1
Spring	November 1

Applications completed by these dates will normally receive decisions by early April for fall matriculation and by early December for spring matriculation. Applications completed after these deadlines will be processed in a timely manner.

Graduate Record Exam Subject Tests

Subject tests are required by the following programs:

Graduate Program	Subject Test
Environmental and forest chemistry	Chemistry - required
Biochemistry area of study within environmental and forest chemistry	Chemistry or Biology - required
Environmental and forest biology	Biology - recommended

Transfer Credit

Credit hours appropriate to the graduate degree in which a minimum grade of B was earned from an accredited institution can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred.

Up to six credits of graduate coursework not used to complete another degree may be accepted toward completion of a master’s or doctoral degree as approved by the steering committee.

Up to 30 credits of graduate level coursework earned as part of a conferred master’s degree may be transferred (by petition) to a doctoral degree with approval of the steering committee.

Students may transfer no more than nine credits of credit-bearing non-degree ESF coursework to graduate degree programs.

Part-time Study

Part-time study at the graduate level provides an excellent opportunity for working professionals to extend their educational credentials or broaden their general knowledge by enrolling for courses on a part-time basis. The M.P.S. or M.F. professional degrees are available for students who are initially matriculated on a part-time basis. Part-time students apply, matriculate and register through the same processes that other SUNY-ESF graduate students complete. During any semester, students who enroll in part-time programs may register for the equivalent of full-time study, which is at least 12 credit hours. Part-time students are held to the policy for continuous registration, but not to the policy for time to degree (delimitation).

Deferred Admission

Students accepted to graduate programs at ESF who wish to defer their enrollment beyond their original entry date must make this request in writing directly to the Office of Instruction and Graduate Studies.

International Students

The College enrolls international students on the graduate level if they satisfy the admission requirements outlined throughout this section of the Catalog.

In addition to the requirements that all prospective students must meet, international students must provide evidence of the following:

Proficiency in the English language through acceptable performance on one of the following (minimum score in parentheses):

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language [Paper-based] (550)
TOEFL: [Computer-based] (213)
TOEFL: [Internet-based] (> 80 with no individual component score < 17)
IELTS: International English Language Testing System (Total: 6, with no less than 5 in Writing)
STEP EIKEN: Society for Testing English Proficiency (Grade 1).

In submitting test scores to the College (institutional number R2530), request they be sent to the Office of Instruction and Graduate Studies. English proficiency may also be demonstrated by completing at least two years of post-secondary instruction at an institution where the language of instruction was English.

Ability to meet all of the financial obligations that will be incurred while attending the College.

International students must also file the State University of New York Foreign Student Admission forms. No fee is required for processing these forms.

If accepted for enrollment, health and accident insurance supplied by the State University of New York must be obtained before the student will be allowed to register at the College. Further details about this policy are available from ESF's Office of Business Affairs, 102 Bray Hall, 315-470-6630.

International students who are currently enrolled at American colleges or universities may apply for admission to ESF. In addition to the entrance requirements for other international students, they must obtain permission to transfer to ESF from the U.S. Bureau for Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) district office having jurisdiction over the college in which they are currently enrolled.

International students will be considered for assistantships and fellowships, but are not eligible for need-based student financial assistance.

BACK
Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa., 19104; 215-662-5606.