Admission
Admission Policies
The admission policies of individual programs within the Indiana University School of Medicine Health Professions Programs comply with the following standards:
Prerequisite Course Work Applicants must complete prerequisite courses at an accredited high school (or GED equivalent), college, or university. Individual programs determine the specific courses and the minimum grade that must be achieved in any course (see specific program information); therefore, program-specific requirements may differ. Pass/fail grades are not acceptable in prerequisite courses unless pre-approved by the specific program. Students are eligible to apply for admission to an associate or baccalaureate program when their academic progress shows reasonable probability that entry-level requirements can be completed before the beginning date of the next class entering the professional program. Applicants should read the admission policies and program descriptions in the school and program sections of this bulletin for specific entry-level requirements.
Grade Requirements Without exception, applicants to a degree program must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on a 4.00 scale for all course work completed at Indiana University and/or any other college or university. Some programs have established a minimum grade point average higher than 2.00 on a 4.00 scale. Some programs also use a component of the overall grade point average (for example, math/science grade point average). See specific program information. Only completed course work and the resultant grade point average are evaluated. Radiography Program applicants may have the high school record evaluated. In these instances only academic course work taken during high school will be used in calculating the admission grade point average. Students applying for a degree program may not be admitted to, hold a position in, or begin a program if they would be on probation as a student in any of the Health Professions Programs. Students are placed on probation within the School when the cumulative and/or most recently completed semester grade point average falls below 2.00 on a 4.00 scale. The applicant must also maintain the minimum grade point average as established by the program. The applicant’s grade point average will be the major consideration (51 percent or greater) for admission. (See specific program information.)
Repeated Courses Applicants whose cumulative grade point average is at least 2.00 on a 4.00 scale and who have repeated courses may petition to have their admission grade point average recalculated. The recalculation will use the most recent grade of the repeated course. This repeat option includes the use of the Indiana University FX option and is applied with the following restrictions: It can be used for a total of no more than 15 credits; the grade will be deleted not more than twice for a given course; each attempt will count toward the15-credit-hour limit; and a W cannot be used to replace a grade and will not count toward the 15 credit hours. If more than 15 credit hours are repeated, the applicant will determine which of the repeated courses are to be deleted. The petition must be attached to the application. The effective date is the beginning of the 1996 fall semester. Any course being used to replace an earlier course grade must be taken in the fall of 1996 or later.
Academic Bankruptcy Applicants whose cumulative grade point average is at least 2.00 on a 4.00 scale may petition the program for up to one year (fall, spring, and summer) of academic bankruptcy based on compelling nonacademic reasons. The bankrupted semesters must be consecutive. Academic bankruptcy is for admission purposes only and in no way affects the university’s official grade point average. Course work completed in a semester that has been bankrupted for admission purposes cannot be used for the fulfillment of program prerequisites or counted as credit hours toward the degree. The petition must be attached to the application.
Fresh Start Applicants whose cumulative grade point average is at least 2.00 on a 4.00 scale may petition the program for Fresh Start (forgiveness) based on compelling nonacademic reasons. This forgiveness will eliminate, for the purpose of calculating program specific admission grade point average(s), all courses and grades earned by the applicant during the requested period. The forgiveness period begins with the applicant’s first academic enrollment period (at any college or university) and ends after the academic term designated by the applicant. Course work completed in a semester that has been bankrupted for admission purposes cannot be used for the fulfillment of program prerequisites or counted as credit hours toward the degree. The petition must be attached to the application and must include the beginning and ending dates of the forgiveness period.
To invoke this policy, the student must meet the following three conditions:
- Including all course work taken during the requested academic forgiveness period, applicants must have at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale).
- After the designated forgiveness period, applicants must complete the following minimum number of graded course hours based on the degree level of their program of interest - Bachelor’s Degree - 50 credit hours of graded course work or Associate Degree* - 12 credit hours of graded course work.
- Meet all other program-specific admission requirements.
Applicants may include in-progress course work at the time of the specific program’s application deadline toward the minimum number of graded course work required after the designated forgiveness period.
*Applicants to the Radiography Program must complete at least one math/science course as part of the 12 credit hours of graded course work completed after the academic forgiveness period.
NOTE: Fresh Start will not be granted for professional Radiologic Sciences courses for those applying to the Medical Imaging Technology Program.
Credit by Examination Applicants to any of the Health Professions Programs who have received credit by examination from Indiana University in a course that meets a program prerequisite will be viewed as meeting this specified requirement. Application of this policy for math/science prerequisites will be determined at the program level. Any credit by examination hours received by the student must be transferred onto the student’s university transcript before it can be considered as meeting a program’s admissions prerequisite.
At IUPUI, credit by examination can be earned from the following sources: Advance Placement (AP), the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), and Indiana University departmental examinations. See IUPUI Admissions for required documents and procedures on receiving credit. Students at Indiana University whose standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) are high enough to have course content waived by a particular academic unit may request the specific program’s admissions committee to accept this waiver.
Undistributed Credit Upon admission to any of the Indiana University campuses, students with course work completed previously at accredited colleges or universities are awarded the appropriate transfer credit for this prior education. Transfer credits are either matched to the appropriate course equivalent (e.g., ENG-W 131) on that IU campus or transferred as undistributed credit (e.g., ENG-UN 100). Some campuses have policies that limit the number of credits that students may receive for their prior education.
When transfer credits are designated as ‘undistributed,' this simply means that the transfer credit analyst for the specific campus did not find an equivalent course at that IU campus. These credits can still be applied for use towards any of the School's degree programs.
When a student has been given ‘undistributed' credits, it is the student's responsibility to contact the School's Administrative Office to determine how these credits will be accepted by the admission committee of the student's program of interest. Such a request should be made in writing (preferably via email) to a member of the administrative staff. The request will then be forwarded to the appropriate admissions committee for consideration.
Testing Applicants may be required to complete testing as designated by the program. Testing results may be used as a component of the admissions decision unless their use would violate state or federal law.
Interview Applicants may be required to complete a personal interview. The interview may be a component of the admission decision. Some programs limit the number of interviews granted based on the number of applications received.
Technical Standards for Admission and Retention Because a degree in a health professions discipline attests to the mastery of knowledge and skills, graduates must possess the essential knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and render a wide spectrum of patient care in a safe and effective manner.
The School of Medicine Health Professions Programs faculty has therefore specified nonacademic criteria, Technical Standards for Admission and Retention, that all applicants and students are expected to meet in order to participate in a health professions program. These criteria include the following five categories: (1) observation; (2) communication; (3) motor function; (4) intellectual-conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities; and (5) behavioral and social attributes. All accepted students will be required to sign a statement certifying that they can meet the technical standards that apply to the program to which they have been admitted.
A copy of the technical standards will be sent to each applicant with an offer of admission. Additionally, a copy may be obtained from the program of interest or the Health Professions Programs Administrative Office.
Preference to In-State Residents Preference is given to applicants who are Indiana residents and to applicants who complete the majority of applicable course work at a public college or university in Indiana. Each program’s admissions committee determines how the preference policy shall be weighted in their admissions policies.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy Indiana University pledges to continue its commitment to the achievement of equal opportunity within the university and throughout American society. In this regard, Indiana University will recruit, hire, promote, educate, and provide services to persons based upon their individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on arbitrary consideration of such characteristics as age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Indiana University shall take affirmative action, positive and extraordinary, to overcome the discriminatory effects of traditional policies and procedures with regard to the disabled, minorities, women, and Vietnam-era veterans. An office on each campus monitors the university’s policies and assists individuals who have questions or problems related to discrimination.
Policy Changes Health Professions Programs Admissions Committees are charged with setting the minimum standards for entry into their specific program. These policies build upon the School's Undergraduate Degree Requirements including both the minimum degree requirements and basic general education areas. The School and Program criteria for admission include, but are not limited to the minimum grade point average for admission, specific prerequisite courses required for entry, and minimum number of credit hours needed at program entry. Minimum grade point averages can include both cumulative, specific (e.g. math & sciences course), and minimum grade required in each prerequisite course.
When a change to any School or Program criterion is made, it will become effective for applicants who apply for admission during the specific program's application deadline immediately following the announced change.
Any changes in a specific program's requirements will be announced on the School's website and in advising materials made available to students. Changes will also be distributed to university counselors and constituents who work with pre-health professions students state-wide.
Last Updated: May 25, 2011