First-Year Students - Apply

Choose and submit one application.

OPTION 1: BW ONLINE APPLICATION

• No application fee.
• Supplemental materials are built into the application.

APPLY >>

OPTION 2: COMMON APPLICATION

• No application fee.
• Supplemental materials are built into the application.

Complete the Common Application and remember to select Baldwin Wallace University under the "My Colleges" tab.

Once you submit your application to BW, you are given access to the online applicant portal. This portal allows you to submit other required admission materials (outlined below) and to monitor the status of your application.

• Official high school transcripts (an application can be completed using an unofficial transcript downloaded from the high school's portal)
• School report form (from a high school guidance counselor - may be waived in certain circumstances)
• Teacher recommendation (optional)
• Baldwin Wallace University requires all incoming students to demonstrate proficiency in English (reading and writing) and mathematics as a prerequisite or corequisite to enroll in credit-bearing courses. BW will determine proficiency in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, meeting benchmark scores on the ACT or SAT or BW-approved placement tests. A member of the BW Schedule Building Team will use your information to develop a tailored schedule for you.
• During the onboarding process, you will be asked whether you intend to submit ACT/SAT test scores for course placement.
• Students are automatically placed into appropriate math courses based on their major.
• Students who do not provide ACT/SAT test scores for course placement by their chosen Orientation date will be placed into the most appropriate courses, taking into consideration any Advanced Placement (AP) scores or college credits earned during high school, if applicable.

Please note, test scores are required for all homeschooled students and for international applicants who have taken an English-language curriculum.

• Students from non-accredited schools will also be required to follow the requirements for homeschooled students.

Every admission file is reviewed by admission counselors, who holistically review every facet of the student's file, including the application, transcripts, recommendation letters, and student report form. While reviewing all of the documents, admission counselors look for consistency with personal identifiable information such as name, address, date of birth, transcript dates, etc. If inconsistencies are identified, authorized university personnel may request additional information as needed to confirm the validity of a student's credentials.

Scholarships

Merit scholarships are based on a student's cumulative weighted high school GPA, and the merit level is established at the time an admission decision is made.

The admission process is meant to assess a student's preparation and fit for BW. Because high school grade point average is most predictive of grade performance and progress toward degree completion at BW, considerable weight is given to high school grade performance during the admission review process. The rigor and types of courses students take in high school, as well as their grade trends, are also considered. Students are encouraged to take demanding coursework that best prepares them for the academic environment at BW.

Standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) have been shown to have less predictive value relative to high school grade performance. As such, BW is fully test optional, regardless of a student's cumulative high school grade point average. BW still accepts test scores from students who wish to submit them. If students believe their test scores show additional evidence of preparation for BW, they can be submitted and will be considered during the holistic review of a student's application to BW. Test scores do not have any bearing on a student's eligibility for merit scholarships at BW.

With fewer homeschooled students enrolled, research detailing the connection between high school GPA and success at BW for homeschooled students is still in progress. Consequently, test scores are currently required for assessing the preparation of homeschooled students for BW. As with other students, test scores do not have any bearing on a homeschooled student's eligibility for merit scholarships at BW.

Baldwin Wallace is a homeschool-friendly institution. We welcome applications from students who have been homeschooled for all or part of their secondary education. All applicants are eligible for merit-based scholarships and financial aid consideration.

In addition to the application, homeschooled students must include the following documents:

• ACT and/or SAT test scores: Scores should be sent directly from the testing agency. Homeschooled students are not eligible to be test optional.
• High school transcript: Applicants must produce a transcript demonstrating courses taken, grades achieved and completion of high school, signed and dated by the parent educator. This may be formatted as a Word document or PDF. The transcript may also be submitted via Common Application if the student applied using that method.
• Bibliography of high school literature and course descriptions of each course taken as a homeschooled student. This may be formatted as a Word document or PDF. The bibliography may also be submitted via Common Application if the student applied using that method.
• Letter of recommendation: Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from a non-parent teacher or from an outside teacher or instructor of an extracurricular activity.
• School report form: Using the school report form in the online applicant portal, the parent educator may complete this form or submit a homeschool profile describing the homeschool structure, grade scale and resources used. The parent educator may also submit the Common Application's school report form if the student applied using that method.

Please note that students from non-accredited schools will also be required to follow the requirements for homeschooled students.

If you are a high school student currently taking college credit under CCP/dual enrollment at another regionally accredited college or university, and choose to enroll at Baldwin Wallace once you graduate from high school, BW will award college credit for many of your completed courses (C or better).

CCP students enroll at Baldwin Wallace University as first-year students who have earned college credit. College credits earned through CCP may qualify students to be first-year students with a sophomore or even junior class standing. Regardless of the level entering students qualify for, students with CCP credit will still be considered first-year students.