Part-Time Student Admission

Arcadia University offers a variety of options for students who would like to study part-time during the day. For example, you can apply part-time to an Arcadia degree, take courses for professional development without receiving credit, or take courses that will help you enter a master’s program.

Academically talented high school students and visiting students from other colleges and universities also can enroll as part-time students. Below you will find all the information you need to decide which option you would like to pursue and how to apply.

Before you begin your application to Arcadia University, you should decide which student status/type best fits your situation and goals:

Degree Status

(Also called matriculated status) is appropriate if you:

• Have an academic record that indicates a likelihood of success
• Intend to complete a bachelor's degree at Arcadia

Special Status

(Also called non-matriculated status) is appropriate if you:

• Want to take courses for personal advancement or satisfaction
• Are not qualified for immediate acceptance for degree status on the basis of your prior academic record

Please note that as a special-status student you:

• Can only take two courses during a given semester, 6 to 8 credits, and are able to take courses after consultation with the Assistant Director Undergraduate Studies
• May be considered a degree candidate after completing 16 credits, achieving a 2.0 grade point average or better, and submitting all official transcripts from prior institutions and an application
• Are not eligible to receive financial aid

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate or Second Degree

• You have a bachelor’s degree and would like to update your prior knowledge, prepare for a career change, or complete prerequisites for entry into an advanced degree program

Visiting Student Status

• You are from another college or university and want to enroll in courses at Arcadia University and have the credits transferred to your home institution

High School Student 

• Academically talented, high school students may take one college-level course per semester while you are in high school

Audit/Non-Credit Courses 

• You can audit or take non-credit courses on a non-participatory basis if you do not want to receive course credit

Application & Instructions

Complete, gather and submit the following materials to apply to Arcadia University as a part-time student:

Application

You can submit it online or mail it.

Transcripts

The transcripts you need to submit depend on your student status (see below). 

Freshman Applicants

Have the latest high school you attended send your official transcript directly to Arcadia’s Office of Enrollment Management. Alternatively, submit your General Education Diploma (GED) Test results. (Locate a GED testing center near you.)

Transfer Students

Have all colleges/universities you have attended send your official transcripts to the Office of Enrollment Management, even if you do not want to transfer credit from the institution(s). 

If you who have successfully completed the equivalent of 30 or more credits of college-level work, you are not required to submit high school transcripts. 

High School Students

If you want to take college courses while you are still in high school, submit a copy of your high school transcript showing courses in progress and a letter from your high school counselor, vice principal or principal giving permission to take the course.

Post-Baccalaureate/Second Degree Candidates

Submit an official transcript from your degree-granting institution showing proof of completion of a bachelor's degree. 

Auditors and Visiting Students

If you are enrolled at another institution, you do not need to submit transcripts unless you are enrolling in courses that require proof of satisfactory completion of prerequisite coursework.

All Applicants: Test Scores

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program scores are not required. However, we may request these scores if we feel that they would be useful for advising purposes.

Art & Design Applicants: Portfolio

If you are applying to Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs, the Bachelor of Arts program in Scientific Illustration, or Studio Art or Art Therapy programs, you must submit a portfolio of work.

Acting Applicants: Audition

If you are applying to the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program, you must audition for the program.

Send all other materials to:

Arcadia University
Office of Enrollment Management
450 S. Easton Road
Glenside, PA 19038, USA

There is no deadline to apply. However, we encourage you to submit your completed application as early as possible. To be considered for financial aid (provided that you receive matriculated, degree status), submit your application by March 1 for fall admission.

In order to receive financial aid as a part-time student, you must be admitted to a degree program as a degree status, matriculated student. If you are accepted under non-matriculated, special status, you are not eligible to receive financial aid.

You can transfer credit for work completed at regionally accredited institutions if the course content is comparable to what Arcadia University offers or is appropriate for your intended degree program. We will not grant credit for courses in which you earned grades below "C-". You can transfer a maximum of 90 credits from a four-year institution or 75 credits from a two-year institution.

We may accept credits earned by exams and courses completed with accredited organizations/institutions as well as military training and coursework.

To find out what credits you may be able to apply, contact the Office of Enrollment Management for a credit evauation: 1-877-ARCADIA (1-877-272-2342) or e-mail transfer@arcadia.edu.

Please note that you may not apply more than 64 credits for a daytime program or 60 credits for an evening program. Additionally, students are required to complete at least half the credits for their major and concentration at Arcadia University, although more may be required for certain majors or concentrations.