Admissions

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Approved: 4/7/2026

Revised:

Policy Number: 101
Reference: MN Statutes 124E.11
Admission Requirements and Enrollment
Note: The term “enrolled” throughout this policy refers to a student currently attending the United Academy of Excellence and Leadership (UAEL).
Nondiscrimination Statement
UAEL admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities made available to students at the school. UAEL will not limit admission to pupils on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or athletic ability and will comply with all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination.
Enrollment Statement
Enrollment is free to any eligible pupil who resides within the state of Minnesota. We give enrollment preference to Minnesota resident pupils over those who do not reside in Minnesota.  A pupil who does not reside in Minnesota must annually apply to enroll.  
UAEL shall annually establish the number of sections offered for each grade level and the maximum number of students to be allowed in each section. Student enrollments in each section and grade will not exceed the allowed numbers, except by UA Board action.
UAEL shall enroll an eligible pupil who submits an application unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of the grade level. In this case, the applications will be subject to a lottery process. Siblings of enrolled students and children of employees shall receive preference.
A person may not be admitted to as a kindergarten pupil, unless the pupil is at least five years of age on September 1 of the calendar year in which the school year for which the pupil seeks admission commences.
A person may not be admitted as a first-grade student unless the pupil is at least six years of age on September 1 of the calendar year in which the school year for which the pupil seeks admission commences or has completed kindergarten.  
At this time, UAEL does allow for early admissions.
The charter school or any agent of the school shall not distribute any services or goods, payments, or other incentives of value to students, parents, or guardians as an inducement, term, or condition of enrolling a student in the school.
An enrolled student who resides in Minnesota is considered enrolled in the school until the student formally withdraws, the school receives a request for the transfer of educational records from another school, or the school receives a written election by the parent or legal guardian of the student withdrawing the student or the student is expelled under the Pupil Fair Dismissal Act in sections 121A.40 to 121A.56.
Application Period
The regular application and registration period is from February 1 to April 30 at 4:00 p.m. It is the responsibility of the applicant to retain confirmation from UAEL of the receipt of application. If confirmation of receipts is not received, it is upon the applicant to follow up with UAEL to request the confirmation. The annual application deadline shall be posted on the UAEL website. An application shall be accepted for the school year immediately following the close of application period for the years as defined on the initial student application.
An initial application must be completed for each prospective student. Enrollment Preference Policy (according to MN Statute)
UAEL will give preference to siblings of a student currently enrolled at UAEL before accepting students by lot.
Prior to the lottery date, siblings of enrolled students may be placed on the enrollment list if the application is received prior to the application deadline. After that date, any further applicants are placed on the bottom of the sibling portion of the waiting list.Siblings include:
All children of a family unit related biologically, by marriage or adoption to one or both parents, and foster children.
Once sibling preferences have been filled, UA will give preference to any child of a staff member, defined as an individual with an at-will letter consisting of a total of at least 480 hours in a school calendar year,  during the open application period. Employees who become employed after the open enrollment period and wish to have their child enrolled, will have the child’s name added to the bottom of the employee preference portion of the waiting list.
Lottery
Prior to the lottery date, the admissions officer shall create a roster rolling forward all currently enrolled studentsto the next grade level. This will determine the number of potential seats available. Based on the number of applications received, it will be determined if a lottery needs to be held for preferences (siblings and children of staff members) prior to the general applications lottery.
On February 15 (or a date the board chooses), all initial applications, after being sorted by grade level and preferences (sibling and children of staff members), shall be placed in a lottery.
As names are drawn, they shall be matched on the list of available seats. Drawing will begin at the highest grade level and work downward.  Siblings of students placed in upper grades will get sibling preference for the lower grades.
One person from the office of admissions, the administration, and the school board shall conduct the drawing. All staff witnesses will sign a form certifying the lottery results and process.
When all seats are filled, the remaining names are drawn, one at a time, to create a waiting list. The office of admissions will notify families of their child's status following the lottery.

Waiting List
As applications continue to come in after the lottery date, names will be added to the bottom of the waiting list in the order they are received, based on date and time. If they are siblings of currently enrolled students, they will be added to the bottom of the sibling preference list. If they are children of employees, they will be added to the bottom of the employee preference portion of the waiting list.
As any admitted students drop from enrollment, all prospective students on the waiting list move up one position, and the student at the top of the list is notified of the opening.
Parent/guardian notification that a student from the waiting list has been offered enrollment shall be by phone, email and text.
Parents/guardians will have 48 hours to accept or decline enrollment. Failure to respond within 48 hours may constitute a decline of enrollment. The student’s name will be removed from the waiting list, and submission of a new Initial Student Application will be required. UAEL will notify the parents/guardians that the student’s name was removed from the wait list and a new Initial Student Application is required.
If a student responds to the offer of a position within the allotted timeline, but declines to enroll, they will be asked if they wish to stay on the waiting list for the remainder of the current school year. If they choose not to remain on the list, their Initial Student Application will be considered void and will not roll over into the following year’s lottery. Students who indicate a desire to remain on the waiting list for the remainder of the school year will be contacted for any further open positions during the current school year only after all other students on the waiting list for that grade level have been given an opportunity to accept an open position.