Admission Policies

Prerequisite Course Work Applicants must complete prerequisite courses at an accredited high school (or by 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. The completion of a prerequisite course with a Pass/Fail grade must be approved by each 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 prior to the beginning date of the professional program. Applicants should read the ‘‘Admission Policies’’ and ‘‘Program Description’’ sections of this bulletin for specific entry-level requirements.

Grade Requirements Without exception, applicants 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. In evaluating the high school record of applicants to an associate degree program, only academic course work will be used in calculating the admission grade point average. Students may not be admitted to, hold a position in, or begin a program if they would be on probation as defined by the School of Allied Health Sciences. Students are placed on probation within the School of Allied Health Sciences 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 the 15 credit hour limit; and W’s 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 taking of the course must be taken in the fall of 1996 or later.

Academic Bankruptcy Applicants whose 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 The Indiana University School of Allied Health Sciences, for the purposes of selecting candidates for its various undergraduate programs, will allow an applicant to appeal to the program’s admissions committee for "academic forgiveness." Students must request academic forgiveness at the time of program application.

Academic forgiveness will eliminate, during the forgiveness period, all courses and grades earned by the applicant for the purpose of calculating the admission grade point average. Only grades from courses completed after the forgiveness period will be considered in admission calculations. No course taken during this forgiveness period may be used for the fulfillment of any prerequisite or graduation requirement.

The forgiveness period begins with the applicant’s first academic enrollment period (at any college/university) and ends on a date designated by the applicant but no less than four calendar years for baccalaureate degree programs (two calendar years for associate degree programs) prior to the program’s starting date. To invoke this policy, the student must meet the following conditions:

1. have a 2.00 grade point average (on a 4.00 scale), including all course work taken during the requested forgiveness period,

2. complete a minimum of 24 credit hours for bachelor’s degree programs (12 credit hours for associate degree programs) of graded course work after the forgiveness period, and

3. meet all other program-specific admission requirements.

The granting of academic forgiveness by a program does not alter the student’s official academic record. Students must meet all minimum degree requirements and may invoke this policy only one time. The petition for academic forgiveness must be attached to the application.

Credit by Examination Applicants to any of the Indiana University School of Allied Health Sciences programs who have received "credit by examination" 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. Students on other campuses should contact the School of Allied Health Sciences Administrative Office on their campus.

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.

Technical Standards for Admission and Retention Since a degree in one of the allied health sciences disciplines 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 Allied Health Sciences faculty has therefore specified nonacademic criteria, Technical Standards for Admission and Retention, which all applicants/students are expected to meet in order to participate in the allied health programs. 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.

A copy of the technical standards will be sent to each applicant who is invited for an interview. Additionally, a copy may be obtained from the program of interest or the Office of Student and Academic Affairs in the School of Allied Health Sciences.

Preference to In-State Residents Preference is given to applicants who are Indiana residents. Preference is also given to applicants who complete the majority of applicable course work at a public college or university in Indiana. This policy is applied at the time of program application.

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 Policies concerning the minimum grade point average for admission consideration are subject to change. Changes for beginning freshmen become effective the semester following the announcement of the decision to the university counselors and other constituencies. Changes in prerequisite courses or the minimum grade required in a prerequisite course will be applied as follows for continuing students:

1. Applicants who have taken the course prior to the change and who meet the old requirement will have satisfactorily completed the requirement.

2. Applicants who have taken the course prior to the change and who do not meet the old requirement must complete the course under the new requirements.

3. Applicants enrolled in the course at the time of the change will be permitted to meet the old requirements.

4. Applicants who have not taken the course prior to the change will have to meet the new requirements.