Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Admission Requirements

Franklin University wants everyone to earn the degree they desire. So we make earning your associate degree as accessible as possible with an open-admissions policy that’s centered around you, the adult student.

Here you will find details about our associate degree admission requirements.

General Associate's Degree

Admission Requirements

A student who meets at least one of the following criteria is eligible for admission as a degree-seeking student: 

  • Has provided official documentation of graduation from an accredited high school or its equivalent (see Documentation Required below), or 
  • Has an associate, bachelor or master’s degree from an institutionally (formerly regionally) accredited institution of higher education, an institution recognized as a candidate for accreditation, or an institution recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation

Documentation Required

  1. Documentation of high school graduation or equivalence - required for applicants who are transferring fewer than 60 semester hours that apply towards a Franklin degree. 
  2. If the student has transferable hours of 60 credit hours or more from an institutionally (formerly regionally) accredited institution of higher education, then they will not have to provide a high school diploma or equivalence. Acceptable forms of documentation of high school graduation or high school equivalence for undergraduate admission must include one of the following: 
  • Official high school transcript listing the date of graduation 
  • Official GED certificate 
  • Official documentation of having passed a State High School Equivalency examination 
  • Official documentation of a home school completion certificate/transcript 
  • Official transcripts from all educational institutions (college, universities, professional schools, etc.) previously enrolled in, regardless if credit was earned. 

A student classified as degree seeking will not be permitted to register for courses until all transcripts are received and placement tests completed (see specific requirements under “Placement Testing”).

Admission Process

Admission procedures should be started early to maximize scheduling options and financial planning. Learn more about the undergraduate admission process.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

Prospective students must demonstrate English Language Proficiency. The requirement is met through any of the following: 

  • The applicant is a citizen of a country where English is the official language. 
  • he applicant has received a bachelor’s degree (or higher) from an institution located in an English-speaking country in which the courses were taught in English. 
  • The applicant has earned appropriate scores on language proficiency exams taken within the last two years, as listed below.

Undergraduate face-to-face: Students must earn a minimum overall TOEFL score of 500 (paper-based), 60 (Internet-based), 5.5 IELTS, ACCUPLACER ESL 259, or Cambridge 160 with at least the following scores on each of the exam subsections. Prior to registration, students will be given a language placement exam to determine whether ESL studies are required.

  TOEFL IELTS ACCUPLACER Cambridge English Scale
Reading 15/30 5.5 85 160
Writing 15/30 5.5 4 160
Listening 15/30 5.5 85 160
Speaking 15/30 5.5 n/a 160
Sentence Meaning n/a n/a 85 n/a


Global or Online International students must take Reading Comprehension and Writing placement exams. 

Students must earn a minimum overall TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based) /79 (Internet-based), 6.5 IELTS, ACCUPLACER ESL® 105, or Cambridge 180 with at least the following scores on each of the exam subsections.

  TOEFL IELTS ACCUPLACER Cambridge English Scale
Reading 20/30 6.5 00 180
Writing 20/30 6.5 5 180


ACCUPLACER Assessments for Admission

  • Prospective students may demonstrate English language proficiency through the ACCUPLACER ESL® examinations administered by Franklin University. The ACCUPLACER ESL® suite of examinations are internet-based, computer-adaptive assessments designed to properly assess students’ English language competencies. 
  • Testing fees and any related administrative or proctor fee will be assessed for the administration of the 
  • ACCUPLACER examinations. Students are also responsible for all fees incurred for retake examinations. 
  • Students who do not meet the minimum score requirements may retake the examination(s) once within a two-week period. Subsequent examination retakes will be considered after a three month waiting period. Passing scores will remain valid with Franklin University for a period of two years. 
  • All ACCUPLACER examinations must be administered by an approved proctor that meets specific criteria, as defined by our proctor expectations. An alternative to finding a proctor in your area is Virtual, an online proctoring service, approved by ACCUPLACER. For additional information, contact the Office of International Students and Programs.