Four-year colleges recommend that students complete a rigorous academic course of study in high school. College bound students are advised to select the most advanced academic courses that he/she can handle. Research indicates that the more English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language classes a student takes, the higher the ACT or SAT scores will be. Students who want to have several options for their choice of college are recommended to take 4 years of English, math, science, and social studies and 2 to 4 years of foreign language.
Each college sets its own requirements for admission. This is only a guide. It does not guarantee admission to all 4-year colleges. All state and private colleges have differing guidelines. In a few cases, a student may be admitted without one required course for admission and the student will be required to attend a summer program or take remedial courses to make up for the deficiencies. Other colleges may suggest that a student attend a community college before transferring to their institution. (The University of Missouri systems [Mizzou, UMSL, MO S&T, and UMKC] require 4 years of math at the level of Algebra I or above.)