Is it possible to enter a 4-year university as a non-traditional student (26 yrs) with a GED?

I’ve been searching for schools that could be a good fit for me, as I really don’t want to attend community college (they’re just not for me), but most 4-year universities I’ve seen that have specific programs for non-trads, such as Smith, Mt. Holyoke, etc., require you to have completed previous college coursework at another institution, as a matter of fact, most good universities I’ve seen won’t accept someone of my age or someone with a GED instead of a traditional HS diploma without having completed previous coursework at another institution- Do I have any other options here?

I’ll be getting my GED soon (on track for a perfect score), and I’ll be taking the new SAT as well (on track for a pretty good score too - 1500+), but I’m not sure if that matters as a non-traditional student.

I’ll be studying Art History in university if that makes a difference, does anyone know of any 4-year universities that would be a good fit for me (specifically as someone who has not completed any previous college-level coursework)?

Thank you so much!

How much high school did you finish, what was your GPA, and what kind of school was it (homeschool / traditional public school / online)?

There are plenty of schools that will accept applicants who don’t have a high school diploma. But you’d be asking them to evaluate you on the strength of your high school record.

Assuming you’ve got an open enrollment school (usually, but not always, a community college), you could probably pick up enough credits to have a recent academic record to base an application on in a term or two just by using the time you’ve been devoting to GED and SAT prep. I went to a big name school out of high school, but when I went back for a career change, I took the classes I could at community college because they were cheap and convenient.

I would identify the schools that interest you, and find out their admission criteria. A single year at a community college, or a local directional university shouldn’t be that bad - and if you’re going to earn your GED before December, you might be able to prove yourself with just a single semester. You might also be able to test out of some of the more basic classes through CLEP exams, as another means to prove yourself. You should speak directly with someone from the admissions office at the colleges that interest you, because they will know the true requirements. Find a way to get where you want.

@allyphoe thank you so much for your response! However no high-school record to speak of unfortunately, I can’t get into the details why as it’s a bit personal, but my only record available will be the GED.

Then yeah, think of picking up some community college hours as another hoop to jump through, like getting your GED or taking the SAT. You need a way to demonstrate that you have the ability to be successful in college level courses, not just in testing.