Note: The following information applies only to students seeking admission to Eastern’s “traditional” undergraduate programs. Those interested in Eastern’s adult and/or non-traditional undergraduate programs should obtain specific information on admission requirements and financial aid availability from the appropriate departments. Visit www.eastern.edu for admission and program information. 

Eastern University welcomes applications for admission from students who have academic promise, high moral standards, and are motivated to complete their education at the collegiate level. The University admits those applicants whom it believes to be best suited for its academic program and most likely to benefit from it.

Eastern University is committed to the principles of equal opportunity as defined under federal and state law, and does not discriminate unlawfully on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, color, creed, disability, national/ethnic origin, age, disabled veteran/Vietnam-era, Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), or veteran status in its admission policy, program, or activities, educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other University-administered programs, or employment practices and programs.

Campus Visits

Tours of the Eastern University campus and visits to classes can be arranged weekdays throughout the year. Interviews with an admissions counselor can be arranged at any time. Prior arrangements must be made for tours or interviews by calling 800.452.0996 or 610.341.5800, or by emailing Visit.Eastern@eastern.edu, or by visiting https://www.eastern.edu/undergraduate-visits. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays by appointment.

Basis for Admission

Eastern University expects students to have followed a college preparatory curriculum in their secondary education, including courses in humanities, mathematics, laboratory sciences, and social studies, while maintaining a cumulative high school GPA of 2.0 or higher. 

Eastern University uses a test -optional admissions policy. Applicants are not required to submit SAT and/or ACT scores; however, the University reserves the right to request test scores from any applicant with a GPA of less than 2.0.

The following items may be evaluated in the application process:

1. the student’s performance in their high school coursework as measured by their grade point average
2. letters of reference indicating a strong likelihood of succeeding at Eastern (optional)
3. a personal essay (optional)

Students who do not meet Eastern University’s admission standards but are highly motivated are invited to apply and may be asked to participate in an interview and placement testing before an admissions decision is made.

Cushing Center for Counseling and Academic Support

Services offered through the Center for Counseling and Academic Support (CCAS) can help students who show potential to succeed in college provided they have adequate support through counseling or tutoring. In addition to services during fall and spring semesters, CCAS offers the EQUIP pre-college summer program, designed to introduce students to college life and strengthen key academic and study skills. Some entering students may be required to attend EQUIP and/or use services throughout the year. Interested applicants should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for further information. 

Act 101 Program (PA Higher Education Equal Opportunity Program)

The Act 101 Program, offered at Eastern through the Cushing Center for Counseling and Academic Support (CCAS), offers special academic, personal, and financial support to help motivated Pennsylvania residents with certain academic and financial needs enter and succeed in college. Only students pursuing their first bachelor’s degree in Eastern’s traditional undergraduate programs are eligible. Interested applicants can contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions or CCAS for more information.

Transfer Applicants

Eastern University welcomes applications from well-qualified graduates of two-year colleges as well as from students who have earned college credit at other post-secondary institutions.

Transferring Credit 

Applicants who earned the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science from institutionally accredited and endorsed by CHEA colleges will receive credit for all courses completed in their degree programs. Other transfer students from post-secondary institutions are granted transfer credit for college-level courses with final grades of C (with equivalent of 2.0 quality points on a 4-point scale) or higher. Courses with no Eastern University equivalent may be granted elective credit within the corresponding academic department. Technical, professional and pre-professional courses completed at accredited post-secondary institutions are considered individually and may qualify for up to 30 semester hours of transfer credit. Degrees and credits submitted for PDE certification purposes must be taken at a college or university program that has institutional accreditation recognized by the US Department of Education (and listed in the Higher Education Directory).

Eastern University will accept a maximum of 60 credit hours from any combination of Advanced Placement (AP),  International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Excelsior College Examinations, DSST and validated college-level learning. (Students whose scores on Advanced Placement tests are 3, 4 or 5 will be granted academic credit for equivalent college courses and  will award up to 30 credits for the International Baccalaureate Diploma exams with scores of 5, 6, or 7 as long as the credit does not duplicate equivalent college courses or AP exams in the same subjects.)

Eastern accepts credit for non-collegiate sponsored instruction and training programs as recommended by the American Council on Education. Distance learning may be accepted in transfer if the credit originates at an institutionally accredited and endorsed by CHEA college or university and is posted on an official transcript from that institution.

Credit for departmental exams and experiential learning posted on transcripts from institutionally accredited and endorsed by CHEA colleges and universities will be accepted in transfer. 

Grades and quality points from transfer institutions are not included in the Eastern University grade point average for entering transfer students, although past performance is considered in judgment of academic progress.

Eastern University (EU) may award undergraduate credit for coursework completed at post-secondary institutions that are not institutionally accredited and endorsed by CHEA but are accredited by one of the following organizations:

A student who successfully completed at least 24 semester credits at an institutionally accredited and endorsed by CHEA institution may petition for consideration of prior credit earned from a post-secondary institution that is not institutionally accredited and endorsed by CHEA or accredited by one of the organizations listed above.  Course syllabi and other supporting documentation must be provided with the petition. If the courses under consideration are judged to meet the University’s criteria for quality and college-level learning, partial credit will be awarded.

Eastern University requires the last 32 credits to be Eastern University credits. Therefore, transfer credits are limited to 88 undergraduate credits.

International Applicants

Eastern University welcomes applications for admission from well-qualified, non-U.S. resident citizens of other countries.   The Test of English as a Second Language (ESL) with a minimum TOEFL Internet score of 79 or IELTS score of 6.5 is required for any student whose native language is not English.

An affidavit of financial support is required as part of the admissions process for international applicants. This document and the accompanying financial statements provide information that the applicant has sufficient financial resources to meet the expense of enrolling in the University. An advance payment of $150 is required before the I-20 will be mailed to the accepted applicant in his/her home country.

Eastern University is approved by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) to issue Form I-20A-B for Nonimmigrant (F-l) Student Status.