The Admissions Committee has established policies that include the selection of applicants best qualified to serve the public and the profession in the years to come. Many factors are considered in selecting students for our program, including:
- academic performance
- motivation
- extracurricular activities and interests
- related and unrelated work experience
- personal achievements
- essays
- letters of evaluation
- communication skills, including a demonstrated command of the English language, both written and oral
When evaluating academic performance, the applicant’s overall grade point average, the grade point average of the last 60 hours of academic coursework, performance in prerequisite courses, number of college credits completed and degree status are taken into consideration.
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Individuals successfully meeting the required admissions selection criteria may receive an invitation to interview, which provides further insight into the applicant’s character and motivation, and allows an applicant the opportunity to interview one-on-one with a faculty member and meet with an Admissions staff member to discuss his or her application. The applicant is given the option to tour our campus with students/admissions staff.
The interview should be conducted in a two-tier process. The first consisting of an interview conducted by a CHER faculty member, preferably from the Occupational Therapy Programs. The faculty will follow a standard interview questionnaire which includes questions to assess the applicant's apparent motivation, career awareness, personal characteristics and communication skills. During the interview, the faculty will not have access to the candidate's file, thus minimizing potential bias and allowing the interviewer to holistically assess the candidate. The faculty interviewer will submit an individual interview summary report to the Admissions Committee.
The second tier of the interview process includes an "Exit Interview" with a member of the admissions staff. The admission staff member will have the candidate's file and will discuss items which will assist the Admissions Committee in reaching a final decision. The purpose of the Exit Interview is to verify that admissions requirements have been met, review any questions related directly to the application as well as provide the committee with additional insight to the candidate’s personal characteristics and communication skills. It also provides the candidate with the ability to discuss any questions or concerns about the faculty interview and/or the admissions process. The admissions staff person will submit an "Exit Interview Evaluation" to the Admissions Committee.
After the interview, the applicant file is presented to the Admissions Committee and a decision is rendered. The applicant will be notified of this decision by the Office of Admissions within two to three weeks after the interview.
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE AND MATRICULATION FEE
An applicant may be notified of his or her acceptance as early as October, prior to the desired year of enrollment. Upon receipt of acceptance, an applicant is required to pay a $1,000 matriculation fee to the University prior to the start of classes, payable as follows:
- Return the matriculation form along with a $250 deposit within 14 days of the date of the acceptance letter.
- The balance of $750 for the matriculation fee is due April 1.
- If accepted after April 1, the offer of acceptance will detail payment requirements.
- All monies received above are non-refundable and will be applied toward first term fees.
Students will be required to meet University
compliance requirements upon matriculation.
Advanced Standing or Transfer Credit
As per the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation policy, credit by transfer
may be accepted for any course within the curriculum when it is determined that the transfer course is substantially equivalent to that offered by the College and OT program. This equivalency will be determined by the course instructor and the program director. Only courses in which the student receives a grade of ‘B’ or above will be considered for transfer. The maximum number of semester hour credits a student may earn by transfer is six (6) semester hour credits. No credit is given for experiential learning.
Deferment of Admission
An accepted student with an unforeseen, extenuating circumstance prohibiting them from matriculating may request a deferment of admission in writing.
The request must be directed to both the Dean of Student Affairs and the OT Program Director, and made via the Office of Admissions.
For deferment consideration, the following is required:
- A deferment request submitted in writing by May 15, before the August start of the academic year. Please note, submission of a deferral request by the deadline does not guarantee approval.
- Official documentation verifying the extenuating circumstance.
- All non-refundable deposit fees and the matriculation supplement must be received (as directed in the University’s official Letter of Acceptance.)
If deferment is approved:
- Admission will be extended to August matriculation of the next academic year.
- A deferment will not extend beyond one admission cycle.
- The student must contact the Office of Admissions, in writing, by April 1st of the deferred admission calendar year regarding his/her intention to resume enrollment.
- The student will be required to meet with a member of the Admissions Committee prior to matriculation.
If a deferral request is denied:
- A student has the option to withdraw acceptance from the Program, or reapply through OTCAS for future admission.
For questions regarding this policy, please contact the Office of Admissions at
admissions@salus.edu.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Enrolled students who withdraw or are dismissed from the University will be responsible for the payment of tuition in accordance with the institutional refund schedule.