| | Special Student Policy - High School EquivalencyStatement of PolicyIndividuals who have not earned a high school diploma, or its equivalent, are eligible for admission to Excelsior College. However, under New York State law, the College cannot confer an earned degree on such a student unless and until the student has met articulated preliminary education requirements. For Students Who Are of Compulsory School AgeUnder New York State law, in most instances, a child must attend school full time from age 6 to the end of the school year when the child turns 17. The student must hold a high school diploma or have completed the substantial equivalent of a high school diploma, as certified by the superintendent of schools or a comparable chief school administrator. If a student of compulsory school age has not yet completed a four-year high school program and seeks to enroll in full-time college study rather than attending high school, the student must, prior to enrollment, submit a verified statement to the College from the school superintendent or chief school administrator for the school district in which the student resides indicating that the student will be meeting the compulsory education requirement through full-time college attendance. For Students Who Are Beyond Compulsory School AgeThe student must hold a high school diploma, or its equivalent, as certified by the Superintendent of Schools or a comparable chief school administrator; or hold a high school equivalency diploma; or have completed 24 semester hours of credit distributed as follows toward their Excelsior College degree program: 6 semester hours English language arts including writing, speaking, and reading (literature), 3 semester hours mathematics, 3 semester hours natural science, 3 semester hours social science, 3 semester hours humanities, and 6 semester hours in any other courses within the degree program; have previously earned and been granted a degree from an approved degree-granting institution of higher education or from a postsecondary institution authorized by the Board of Regents to confer degrees; from a degree-granting institution located in a jurisdiction outside the United States that is approved, authorized, or recognized by the jurisdiction’s ministry of education or other governmental agency responsible for higher education; or have passed five designated Regents examinations (English, mathematics, United States history and government, science, and global history and geography). ProcedureStudents must meet preliminary education requirements in order to qualify for a degree from Excelsior College. Students who are 17 or younger must hold a high school diploma or equivalent within their state of residence. Students 17 or younger who do not hold a high school diploma or its equivalent must, prior to enrollment, submit a verified statement to the College from the school superintendent or chief school administrator for the school district in which the student resides indicating that the student will be meeting the compulsory education requirement through full-time college attendance. Such verified statement must also be accompanied by an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) consistent with Section 100.10(d) of the Regulations of the NYS Commissioner of Education. | |