To help ensure the academic success of college-bound students, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (C.C.H.E.) added a pre-collegiate curriculum requirement to its Admissions Standards Policy in October, 2003. Beginning with the graduating high school class of 2008, freshmen planning to attend Colorado public four-year colleges and universities should complete certain core course requirements for admission into baccalaureate programs.
Students seeking two-year degrees and those attending community colleges are not subject to these requirements.
Accurate, up-to-date information on this Higher Education Admission Requirements (H.E.A.R.) Program can be obtained from the C.C.H.E. website. The Guide to Courses helps in ascertaining acceptable core classes.
C.C.H.E. has implemented this policy as "numerous studies have shown that students completing a rigorous set of high school courses are better prepared to undertake college-level classes and subsequently are more successful academically." Students are less likely to need remediation in college and achieve a higher college g.p.a. Additionally, more students stay in college and earn a degree, and in less time!
Incoming first-time freshmen and those with less than 30 college credits should meet certain academic course requirements (listed below) for acceptance into four-year programs. A unit is equal to one full year of credit (Carnegie unit). Students need a passing grade in each course. Students may have the option of testing out of some of the requirements (See C.C.H.E. site).
Phase I begins with the high school graduating class of 2008. Phase II, commencing with the graduating class of 2010, requires an additional unit of mathematics and two units of one foreign language.
| Phase I (2008 & 2009) | |
| English (two units must include writing, grammar or comp) | 4 |
| Mathematics (Algebra I level and higher) | 3 |
| Natural/Physical Sciences (two units must be lab-based) | 3 |
| Social Sciences (at least one unit of U.S. or world history) | 3 |
| Academic Electives | 2 |
| Total: | 15 |
| Phase II (2010 & After) | |
| English (two units must include writing, grammar or comp) | 4 |
| Mathematics (Algebra I level and higher) | 4 |
| Natural/Physical Sciences (two units must be lab-based) | 3 |
| Social Sciences (at least one unit of U.S. or world history) | 3 |
| Foreign Language (must be same language) | 1 |
| Academic Electives | 2 |
| Total: | 18 |
A student may attend a community college and then transfer to a four-year institution. Mesa State College offers both two and four year programs, so a student initially may apply for an Associate's degree at Mesa. Students then need to take one college-level course in each academic core area - English, Mathematics, Natural/Physical Science, Social Science (and Foreign Language 2010 and after) - and receive a grade of at least C- in every course. (Students with more than 30 college credits and a g.p.a. of 2.3 or higher may apply for a Bachelor degree program at Mesa State without meeting H.E.A.R.)
We would be very happy to answer any questions you may have regarding Mesa State's implementation of the H.E.A.R. program.
Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you!
Mesa State College Admissions Office
1100 North Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501
970-248-1875
1-800-982-Mesa ext 1875
Fax: 970-248-1973
