Admitted and Enrolling Student Expectations

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COVID-19 Impact

As of May 15, Fordham will not require members of the University community or visitors to be vaccinated against COVID.

Fordham University is sensitive to the impact COVID-19 has had on your high school experience. We hope this page will provide some certainty in these uncertain times.

You and your family should be proud of your achievements, and we are delighted to welcome you into our community. As indicated in your letter of admission to Fordham, your acceptance to Fordham, however, is contingent upon meeting certain academic and personal expectations that will ensure you have a successful and rewarding career here at the University.

In the wake of COVID-19, we are adjusting some of our expectations in light of changes that are likely out of your control. Please review the items below, but also view them in the context of the flexibility which we will indicate via bolded text. As additional policies are put into place, you will find them on this page (you may want to bookmark it for the future).

Your Enrollment Commitment

When you accept your place in Fordham's entering class, we reserve a space for you and in turn release other qualified candidates from our waitlist. If at any point after confirming your intent to enroll you decide to attend another college or university, please let us know immediately by sending an email to [email protected]. This notification will enable us to consider a student from our waitlist. Please remember that holding a space at two or more institutions is unethical and may be cause for both institutions to revoke admission.

Submitting Official Standardized Test Score Reports

Students who submitted self-reported standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) for admission consideration will need to submit official score reports after enrolling. Students may order official score reports from the testing agency or ask their school counselor to send a copy of the score report that they certify as official.

Satisfactory Completion of Coursework/Course Changes

You are expected to maintain the same level of academic achievement and curricular rigor you displayed on your application for admission. If a (non-COVID-19 related) course change takes place after you've been offered admission to Fordham, you must present a written statement explaining the course change and your school counselor should provide confirmation via email or a Common Application report. You should not make changes to your curriculum absent counselor consultation and serious reflection.

We will evaluate your final transcripts and/or exam results at the end of the school year. ​The Dean of Undergraduate Admission will address (non-COVID-19 related) dramatic changes in course level or achievement directly with you if such changes are evident on the high school transcript.

Results for modified AP and IB exams will be considered for transfer credit in an identical manner to previous years.

We hope that you have been able to continue on your planned academic path. However, we understand that you may have had curriculum and/or grading changes beyond your control as a result of necessary changes to your instruction due to COVID-19. These changes may include:

  • Graded courses changed to Pass/Fail
  • Changes in academic rigor due to lack of offerings (e.g. an AP class changed to a regular track class)
  • Inability to continue with dual enrollment courses
  • Final grade calculations based on academic assessments in lieu of final exams.

The above changes will not impact our offer of admission, as long as you still meet your requirements for high school graduation.

Academic Integrity

We expect all Fordham students to adhere to the highest level of academic integrity. Allegations of plagiarism, cheating, and similar academic infractions or dishonesty may result in the revocation of admission.

Proof of Graduation

We require all incoming first-year students to present a final official high school transcript with the date of graduation. Ideally, students should provide the Office of Undergraduate Admission with their transcripts by July 15. If your secondary school was impacted by COVID-19 changes, we can accept your final high school transcript up until the start of class. A transcript with graduation date is required. The actual transcript must be received no later than the end of the first semester.

Placement Examinations

Fordham students can expect to take various placement examinations to ensure that they're enrolling in the most appropriate courses. Placement testing may include examinations in math, languages, and writing.

International students whose native language is not English - including those who submitted proficiency exam scores as part of their application - will be required to complete an online English language proficiency evaluation prior to the start of the semester to ensure appropriate first-year course placement.

Additional Expectations for Students Completing International Curricula

As a mandatory supplement to the Proof of Graduation requirements listed above, pending external examination results (IB, A Level, etc.) must also be submitted immediately when available. Any delay may result in issues with your first-year course registration. Please note: we will be providing additional flexibility for students impacted by COVID-19 testing changes, as listed below:

  • You are required to complete all external exams (IB, A Level, etc.) presented in your application and transcripts. Failure to satisfactorily complete all exams that you were pursuing at the time of admission jeopardizes your admission status. The admission committee recognizes that final results may be significantly different from previously submitted predicted results due to exam cancellations and changes to evaluation criteria.
  • Results for students scheduled to complete externally evaluated exams that have been canceled (IB, A Level, etc.) but who will still receive a calculated mark based on other assessments will be accepted for meeting enrollment requirements and credit transfer.
  • If national leaving/matriculation examinations are canceled and no marks are issued, final secondary education transcripts will be accepted as proof of secondary education completion and eligibility for university-level study.
  • If your examination results are postponed or transcripts are delayed, these documents can be received up to the start of class.

Note for international students who deposit by the deposit deadline:
If your plans to attend Fordham in the Fall semester are disrupted by delayed visa issuance or other impacts from COVID-19, you can defer your admission to Fordham for one or two terms. See the guidelines for deferring admission to Fordham.

Student Code of Conduct and Fordham Community Standards

Fordham's goal is to create and foster a community of students whose academic and personal attributes align with the mission of our university. Our holistic admission review process allows us to select students who will make positive contributions to Fordham's campus communities. Therefore, we reserve the right to rescind an offer of admission if we find that a student has violated our community standards. We expect all students to comply with all of Fordham's applicable rules, policies, and procedures, including, but not limited to, those published in the Fordham Student Code of Conduct.

However, students who apply for admission to Fordham University should be confident that being disciplined for participation in peaceful demonstrations against gun violence will have no adverse effect on their admission decisions. Read the University's statement on gun violence protests.

Social Media Responsibility

We expect all members of the Fordham community to be good citizens online. Above all, this means ensuring that you treat other members of the Fordham community and society in general with respect in your online activities.

Deferral and Gap Year Requests

Students are welcome to defer their enrollment or take a “gap year” for up to one year for service, work, travel, or other planned activities. Learn more about the deferral and gap year request process.