CRANBERRY TWP — Thousands of high school seniors apply to Slippery Rock University each year. Some get accepted to the college, some get denied and others are stuck in a middle ground: the wait list.

Students put on that wait list and unsure of what to do now have an alternate path to pursuing a degree at SRU.

This fall, SRU is operating its first Gateway Program at the Regional Learning Alliance on Cranberry Woods Drive.

The students in the program, 11 this semester, take 13 credits of SRU courses taught by SRU faculty.

If they earn a GPA of at least 2.0 (which would be a “C” in each of their classes) they will be enrolled automatically at SRU in the spring, said English professor Chris Kreiser, who is directing the program.

Many of the students accepted into the program had good test scores, but did not have a good enough school grade point average for admittance to SRU, Kreiser said.

To make sure they are prepared for undergraduate enrollment, they take a one-credit class called learning strategies that teaches good study habits. They also get small class sizes and more one-on-one attention from their instructors.

“These are students who struggled a little bit in high school,” he said.

“If we're going to admit them to SRU we want to make sure they are well prepared and have every chance to succeed. That's why it was important for me to get four of the best faculty at Slippery Rock to teach in this program.”

The instructors are all full-time SRU professors: Rich Marchand, Heather Frederick, Andrew Winters and Susan Parsons.

The courses are critical writing, American national government, introduction to philosophy and math as a liberal art. Krieser acts as adviser to the students until they declare a major and get a faculty adviser from their department.

The students in the program do not receive financial aid, as they are considered nondegree seeking students, a tag also used for students who take miscellaneous classes at the college without working toward a specific degree.

The Regional Learning Alliance was chosen since it is a central, convenient location for many of the students. It is located in Cranberry Township, part way between Slippery Rock and Pittsburgh, Kreiser said.

A couple of the students in the program said they were planning to attend community college instead of SRU, but were happy to get an opportunity to be on campus as soon as the spring.

Austin Agosti of Munhall, Allegheny County, said he has been enjoying the classes as an introduction to college.

“I feel this is an amazing opportunity for students who needed a second chance at their academics,” he said.

Brittany Altman of Jackson Township said she has benefitted from the small class sizes.

“The classes are all hard at some point but the professors do a great job at making sure we don't 'slip.' They're all so nice and have helped me a lot in the weird transition from high school to college,” she said.

Matthew Bordick of Pine Township, Mercer County, said he was planning to enroll at Butler County Community College with the hope of transferring to SRU next year.

The Gateway program is a way for students like him to “get their foot in the door,” he said.

Krieser said the program has already started recruiting students for next fall. If it is successful, he hopes to expand it in future years to have more students and more faculty involved.