Admission Requirements - Secondary Education and Equivalents

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To qualify for admission to Paul Mitchell The School Springfield, a prospective student must demonstrate that they are academically prepared to be successful.  A prospective student must be able to provide verifiable documentation to support that they have a high school diploma, recognized equivalency and/or those who are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in the State where the institution is located prior to being accepted.  To meet that requirement, prospective students must:

  1. have a high school diploma (this can be from a foreign school if it is equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma); or
  2. Have a recognized equivalent of a high school diploma, such as a general educational development (GED) certificate or other state sanctioned test or diploma-equivalency certificate like HiSet; or
  3. Have completed homeschooling at the secondary level as defined by state law; or
  4. Have completed secondary school education in a homeschool setting which qualifies for an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law, if state law does not require a homeschooled student to receive a credential for their education; or
  5. Have successfully completed at least a two-year college-level program that is acceptable for credit towards a bachelor’s degree or completion of an associate degree.

The school does not accept ability to benefit (ATB) students. 

Verification and Validation Procedures

If the school or the Department of Education has any reason to believe that the diploma is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary school education, the school will proceed with the two-step validity process. The validity process requires:

  1. The school would to check with the high school to confirm the validity of the student’s diploma by collecting documentation from the high school that confirms the validity of the high school diploma, including transcripts or other written descriptions of course requirements, or written and signed statements by principals or executive officers at the high school attesting to the rigor and quality of the coursework at the high school;
  2. If the high school is regulated or overseen by a state agency, Tribal agency, or Bureau of Indian Education, confirm with the relevant department or agency in the state in which the secondary school is located or obtain documentation from that agency that the secondary school is recognized or meets requirements established by that agency;
  3. If the Secretary has published a list of high schools that issued invalid high school diplomas, the school will confirm that the high school does not appear on that list.  

A high school diploma is not valid if it:

  1. Does not meet the applicable requirements established by the appropriate state agency, Tribal Agency, or Bureau of Indian Education in the state where the high school is located;
  2. Has been determined to be invalid by the Department of Education, the appropriate state agency in the state where the high school was located, or through a court proceeding; or
  3. Was obtained from an entity that requires little or no secondary instruction or coursework to obtain a high school diploma, including through a test that does not meet the requirements for a recognized equivalent of a high school diploma.

If the School is unable to determine validity of the high school diploma, the prospective student will not be accepted to the school.