University of Virginia Library

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

For admission to the Freshman Class in the Department of Engineering
the candidate must be at least sixteen years old. He must present a certificate
of honorable withdrawal from the school last attended, or other valid
proof of general good character. He must further satisfy the Dean of the
University as to his adequate preparation for the work by passing the Entrance
Examinations specified below or by the presentation of equivalent
certificates of preparation signed by the president of a recognized institution
of collegiate rank, or by the principal of an accredited high school. An applicant
for admission from outside of Virginia may be required to supplement his application
by an interview with a representative of the University. The topics required
for entrance and their values in units are as follows, the unit being one
year's work on the subject in an accredited high school:

                     

English A.—Grammar and Grammatical Analysis	1
English B.—Composition and Rhetoric	1
English C.—Critical study of Specimens of Literature	1
Mathematics A1.—Algebra to Quadratics	1
Mathematics A2.—Quadratics, Progressions, Binomial Formula	1
Mathematics B.—Plane Geometry	1
Mathematics C.—Solid Geometry	½
Mathematics D.—Plane Trigonometry	½
History.—Ancient; Medieval; English; American (any one)	1
Electives	7
Total	15

High school students who expect to study Engineering are advised to
include among their electives at least one Foreign Language (Latin or French
or German), one Science (Chemistry or Physics with adequate laboratory
work) and an additional unit of History. Other electives which may be
profitably offered are History of English and American Literature, Greek,
Botany, Zoölogy, Physical Geography.

A candidate may be admitted as a Conditioned Student in spite of some
deficiencies in required entrance subjects, provided these are not such as
will impair the integrity of his work, but he must submit not less than 15
units. No such candidate will be conditioned except upon subjects actually
taught in this University, nor will any candidate be conditioned on more than
2 units; and all conditions must be absolved before the beginning of the
next session after initial registration. Courses taken for the removal of entrance
conditions may in no case be counted as part of the work credited
for any degree. No conditions will be allowed in English A or B or in
Mathematics A1, A2, or B.

As the table of Entrance Requirements shows, the full High School
course in Mathematics is required for entrance to the Department of Engineering,
but unfortunately the graduates of the High Schools are often deficient
in Solid Geometry and Plane Trigonometry and can be admitted only
upon conditions in those subjects. High School principals are advised to urge
their graduates, with this status, to attend a Summer Session at the University
before entering the Department of Engineering so that these deficiencies
may be overcome. If the prospective student finds it impossible to attend
a Summer School previous to his regular matriculation, a course has
been planned which will allow him to make up his deficiencies by taking work
in the Summer School following his first year in Engineering. This course
provides for Trigonometry, Solid Geometry and College Algebra in the three
terms of the regular session, with the other work as outlined for the regular
student, and in addition, in the two terms of the Summer School, Analytical
and Coördinate Geometry are taken. Such a program will prepare the student
for Sophomore standing and will save him from the failure usually encountered
by students who attempt to make up the deficient work in regular
session in addition to the full course of required subjects.

A candidate may be admitted as a Special Student, without formal
examination, provided he is more than twenty years old if a Virginian and
not less than twenty-three years old if a non-Virginian, and gives evidence
of serious purpose and of fitness to pursue with profit the courses for which
he is registered. No special student may be a candidate for any degree. No
conditioned student may register later as a special student.