Academic Eligibility Requirements

Riverland Community College follows the PSEO admission guidelines set forth by Minnesota State. Participation shall be available to sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled through a Minnesota high school, home school, or alternative learning center; who present evidence of the ability to perform college-level work. Such evidence includes the following:

  • High School Juniors: Must be in the upper one-third of class or test score at or above the 70th percentile on any nationally standardized, norm-reference test such as the ACT, PSAT, or SAT.
  • High School Seniors: Must be in the upper one-half of class or test score at or above the 50th percentile on any nationally standardized, norm-referenced test such as the ACT, PSAT, or SAT.
  • High School Sophomores & Career Technical Education: Sophomore Course List
    A student who is in 10th grade and has attained a passing score ("meets and exceeds" or score of 850) on the 8th grade MN Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) in reading and meets any of the other course prerequisites or course enrollment standards established by the college, including but not limited to assessment test scores, program admission or other requirements of the Career Technical Course they wish to enroll in. Sophomores are allowed to take one career technical education (CTE) course during the first semester of enrollment. If the student receives a grade of a C or better in the course, the student shall be allowed to take additional courses in the subsequent term.

    • If the public school student did not take the MCA in the 8th grade, the student must achieve an accuplacer reading score that meets the reading score required for the career technical course they are enrolling in
  • Freshman and Sophomore Students: Freshman and Sophomore students that meet the Sophomore admission criteria associated with the MCA reading assessment or another reading assessment, may be eligible to enroll in a college concurrent or PSEO course in World Language if the course is being offered to Juniors and Seniors at their high school. In addition, Freshman and Sophomore students may be admitted to PSEO and concurrent enrollement classes if it is approved both by the college and the high school based upon an assessment of academics and emotional readiness.
Other considerations for admission would include:
  1. Have a cumulative high school GPA of 2.50 or higher and meets any or all of the course prerequisites, Accuplacer cut scores, or other course enrollment standards established by the college. OR
  2. Students who do not meet the class rank or ACT, SAT, PSAT requirements have an option to submit a letter of recommendation from a high school counselor that specifically outlines their readiness for college level coursework and student must meet any or all of the course prerequisites, Accuplacer cut scores, or other course enrollment standards established by the college. Recommendations will be reviewed by a college counselor, Academic Dean, and the Director of Admissions and New Student Relations.  OR
  3. Juniors and Seniors can take one career and technical education course as a PSEO/Concurrent Enrollment student regardless of class rank or GPA if they meet academic readiness standards, are a public school student, have a test score that meets or exceeds the standards on the 8th grade MCA reading test and meets all of the course prerequisites, Accuplacer cut scores, or other course enrollment standards established by the college. Each subsequent semester if they were successful in the career and technical course, students can take additional career and technical courses or general education courses regardless of their class rank or GPA as long as they meet any all of the course prerequisites, Accuplacer cut scores, or other course enrollment standards established by the college.