Coe students talking on their walk to class
  1. Coe
  2. Admission
  3. First-Year Students
  4. What's a Kohawk?

What's a Kohawk?

What we look for...

The "typical" Coe student isn't typical at all! Motivated, educationally inclined, actively involved, social and diverse in interests are all descriptors of the Coe student body. Coe's robust academic community and active student organizations are a wonderful fit for students that have been involved and well prepared in high school.

Leaders, innovators and more…

Last year's entering class had an average high school GPA of 3.7 and an average ACT composite of 25. We look for students who have been leaders in school groups or teams and community organizations.

Recommended High School Courses

The most successful Kohawks are students who challenged themselves in high school. Coe College does not have a required list of courses necessary for admission. However, to be prepared, we recommend the following number of core courses. This list should be considered the minimum needed for preparation. For maximum success, students should also challenge themselves with upper or honors level courses and a rich selection of electives.

  • English/Language Arts – Four years
  • Science – Three years
  • Mathematics – Three years
  • Social Studies – Three years
  • Foreign Language – Two years

Credit Acceptance

Coe is happy to reward students for taking challenging high school courses and preparing themselves in the best possible way. Advanced standing options such as AP/IB and college credit are all options that allow students to gain credit towards graduation, place into upper level courses or possibly both!

  • AP: Credit for up to eight comparable Coe courses, as well as advanced standing, will be granted to students who receive scores of 4 or 5 on approved Advanced Placement Tests offered by the College Board. No college grade is assigned when credit is granted on the basis of Advanced Placement Tests.
  • IB: Coe College grants placement and credit for the higher level examinations of the IB in which the student scores a five, six or seven. Up to eight IB course credits will be accepted by the College per student.
  • College Coursework: A grade of "C" or greater must have been achieved and the course must closely resemble a Coe College regular catalog course to receive credit. Four semester hours are equivalent to one course credit at Coe. Transferable courses will count for credit, but no GPA is transferred.