I attend Thomas Nelson, the closest VCCS institution to W&M actually. Here’s what you want to know:
They’re open enrollment, basically. Unless you’re a felon, I can’t imagine anyone being denied. I’d say its open enrollment.
Depending on whats outlined in the agreement, high school transcripts may or may not matter when applying GAA to a school. I believe they do NOT matter if you’re applying GAA to W&M from a VCCS institution. W&M will still ask for one anyways because that is their protocol for all applicants, but they’re not supposed to use it when deciding whether or not to let you in under the GAA. If you meet the requirements of the GAA, you’re getting in no matter what the transcript says.
Here are two answers to your next question:
-VCCS does not require testing scores when they let you into one of their community colleges, but can use testing scores within a 4 or 5 year period to waive you out of developmental classes. If you don’t use testing scores or have some other method of proving your competence in english or math, you’ll have to take the VCCS placement test. I only took the math one and it sucked because they only gave you a four-function calculator and then threw every problem at you until you hit calculus or started failing. It’s much easier to submit a test score or some other thing to prove you’re competent in math and dont need to be placed by a placement test.
-W&M requires testing scores if you haven’t taken enough community college or other college courses. I don’t know how many, probably like 30 credit hours?
I think my third paragraph may answer your last question. I’ll go into further depth though:
If you meet the requirements of the GAA and apply, W&M has to accept you no matter what.
If you DO NOT meet the requirements of the GAA and apply, W&M will treat you like a normal, competitive applicant where they’ll open your high school transcript, etc…
Funny enough, I applied to W&M competitively this semester and gave them everything they wanted such as my poor 2.79 GPA high school transcript. I have a 3.5 GPA in college after six semesters, 58 credit hours with a lot of extra curriculars and what not … I’ve really turned myself around. I’ll let you know if i still didn’t get in