What Bloomsburg expects
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania annually admits about 1,300 freshmen and transfer students, as well as more than students to its graduate programs. The university receives nearly 11,000 applications for admission each year.
Andrew Stout, a junior English major with a minor in Art History recently presented "A Surprise Inside: Examining a Medieval Virgin and Child" to the 11th annual Student Symposium in the History of Art. His research studied the adornment of the work, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as limb positioning and overall construction in order to support the assertion of the piece's service as a tabernacle. A graduate of Berwick High School, he chose BU because it was close to home and he felt comfortable on campus, as well as its wide array of English classes. He plans to work toward a doctoral degree in composition and rhetoric and eventually teach at the college level.
Admissions staff evaluates every application on its own merit as they are received. This means you should get an answer within four to six weeks of applying rather than waiting for a single admission date where all candidates are ranked against each other.
While there are no fixed criteria for acceptance, a typical incoming student has
- SAT or ACT scores above the national average -- about 535 verbal and 535 math on SATs; shoot for 23 on ACTs.
- Is probably in the upper quarter of their high school class
- Probably carried a solid B average in high school
- Most likely took a typical high school college prep program of study
- May very well have AP courses that will earn college credit or at least took high school courses that were challenging and demanding
- Is active in high school and community activities, especially in leadership roles
Bloomsburg does not require an essay or references with an application, and will accept both the "old" and "new" SAT testing scores.
Students enrolled in other colleges or universities may apply for admission as a transfer student. Each applicant's transcript is personally evaluated to determine precisely what courses will transfer. To assist those who opt to begin their college programs at community colleges, Bloomsburg has forged cooperative arrangements to ensure the maximum number of credits automatically transfer.
BU begins evaluation of applications in September and continues until the class is filled. For popular majors, this can be as early as December 15.
All applicants learn of Bloomsburg's decision by regular mail. To protect your privacy, BU will not respond to e-mail or phone inquiries about whether you've been accepted or not, but if you haven't heard within six weeks, it's okay to let us know and we'll double check.
BU welcomes students of all ages, from all walks of life, and from a wide geographic area and strives for the greatest possible diversity in its student body. The Bloomsburg community is close, friendly and vibrant - factors that admissions review officers keep in mind when evaluating applicants.
About 10 percent of BU students are "non-traditional" -- that is, adults returning to school for reasons ranging from improving employment potential to personal enrichment. These highly-motivated students generally excel in classes and raise the bar for everyone.
Other non-traditional students include exceptional students currently enrolled in through a number of nearby high schools in BU's Advance College Experience (ACE) program. They'll receive college credit for courses they take that apply at BU or transfer to many other institutions. They are the only admitted students exempt from BU's requirement that incoming students have a high school diploma or equivalency.