Eligibility Requirements | Individually Designed

Eligibility Requirements

Admission to 鶹ý as a non-degree student and to the Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program is non-competitive. To join the Individually Designed program, students must have earned a bachelor's degree or higher and meet the minimum eligibility requirements listed below.

Students who do not yet meet all eligibility requirements may begin by while working to satisfy those requirements. During this time, students may for assistance with 鶹ý policies, registration, and other logistical questions. Please note that academic advisors are not able to provide pre-health advising. For advice and resources to help you prepare to join the program, visit our Guidance for Prospective Students page.

Students who meet all eligibility requirements except for the completion of prerequisite courses they are currently taking may qualify for provisional enrollment, which allows them to complete their initial two-hour pre-health advising appointment before becoming fully eligible for the program. See the Prerequisite Coursework section below for details.

Eligibility Standards for Admission to the Individually Designed program

General Enrollment Requirements

The Individually Designed post-baccalaureate program is intended for students who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher and plan to complete a substantial portion of their pre-health coursework as tuition-paying non-degree students through the Division of Continuing Education.

Prospective students who are currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program must be on track to have completed that program before joining the post-baccalaureate program.

Students who plan to enroll for only one academic term or who are taking courses through CU's Tuition Assistance Benefit (TAB) are not eligible for the Individually Designed program. However, they may qualify for a one-time comprehensive pre-health advising appointment. See the Limited Advising Opportunities for Other Students section below for details.

Courses

To qualify for admission to the Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program, students must meet the following mathematics and chemistry requirements.

Mathematics

Although Statistics is a valuable math course for pre-health students, it cannot be used to fulfill the math prerequisite for this program.

We require ONE of the following with a grade of B (not B-) or higher in each course:

  • One semester of College Precalculus(recommended), OR
  • One semester each of College Algebra and College Trigonometry, OR
  • One semester of College Calculus 1 or above.

Chemistry

We require ONE of the following with grade(s) of B (not B-) or higher:

  • Full year of high school chemistry with grades of B or above in each term (please include this information when completing the Google Sheet in Step 5 on the How To Get Started page), OR
  • College Introductory Chemistry lecture: 3 semester credits or 5 quarter credits. This course must be designed to prepare students for General Chemistry 1 (lab is not required), OR
  • College General Chemistry lecture: 3 semester credits or 5 quarter credits. This course must be designed for science majors.

Where and How Prerequisites Can Be Completed

We accept prerequisite coursework that was completed at regionally accredited colleges and universities, including community colleges, in either in-person or online formats. We are also happy to accept AP/IB credit for mathematics and chemistry, as well as CLEP credit for precalculus only.

Please note, however, that not all professional schools will accept online coursework or AP/IB/CLEP credit to fulfill their own prerequisite requirements.

  • AP/IB credit:Must be documented in an itemized list provided by the Registrar's Office at the college that granted the equivalent college credit.
  • CLEP credit: We will accept a CLEP exam to fulfill our precalculus prerequisite if you received a minimum score of 74/80, or 92.5%. To use CLEP credit to meet this prerequisite, you must have an official score report sent directly from the to the University of Colorado Boulder. Your application will not be reviewed until we receive your official score report.

Spring 2020 Grading Exception

We recognize that many schools changed their grading policies in Spring 2020. If you completed your math or chemistry prerequisite coursework in that semester, we will accept passing grades in courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis. For all other semesters, we require letter grades.

Provisional Enrollment

Students who meet all program eligibility requirements except completion of the mathematics and/or chemistry prerequisites, and who are currently enrolled in the remaining required coursework at a regionally accredited institution, may apply for provisional enrollment in the post-baccalaureate program.

An unofficial transcript showing current enrollment is required at the time of application. Provisional students may complete their initial two-hour pre-health advising appointment to develop a term-by-term plan for academics and activities.

Provisional enrollment does not provide access to ongoing individual pre-health advising. Upon successful completion of the prerequisite coursework with grades of B (not B-) or higher, provisional students can request full admission to the program by submitting their updated transcripts to CEprehealth@colorado.edu.

Degree

To join the Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate program, students must have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher from an accreditedcollege or university. (An accredited college or university is one that is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.) Students who are currently enrolled in a degree seeking program at the time of application must have completed that program before joining the Individually Designed program.

Academic History

The majority of our students have cumulative and math/science GPAs of 3.0 or higher.In cases in which an individual's academic performance falls below 3.0 or has been highly variable over time, we take a holistic approach to reviewing the academic history, with afocus on the most recent coursework. Werarely accept students with GPAs below 2.70 unless there has been a significant, consistent upwardgrade trend.

As you complete Step 4 in our onboarding process, you will be prompted to enter your complete academic history in your Pre-Health Advising Google Sheet to generateyour current cumulative and science GPAs.If you would like to provide context for your academic history, you will find an optional prompt in your Google Sheet that allows you to provide that information.

As you complete Step 4 in our onboarding process, you will be prompted to reflect upon your clinical experiences as you fill out your Pre-Health Advising Google Sheet.

We require all incoming Individually Designed post-baccalaureate students to have gained sufficient clinical experience relevant to their intended profession to develop a realistic understanding of what working in that profession entails. This must include firsthand exposure to clinical settings where that profession is practiced. Your clinical experiences must extend beyond your own health issues or those of a loved one. If you're considering more than one healthcare profession, we encourage you to gain clinical experience in each of them.

Be sure to list all of your clinical experiences to date (including observational experiences and clinical training programs) in the Activity History section of your Pre-Health Advising Notes Google Sheet.

Examples of qualifying types of clinical experience include:

  • Direct Patient Care Experience (within the past two years): We typically select applicants who have engaged in weekly patient interaction in clinical settings for at least a month by the time they submit their application. Examples of qualifying experiences include volunteering or working in a clinic, hospital, community/public health clinic, hospice setting, blood donation center, in-home caregiving, skilled nursing facility, etc.

  • Clinical Shadowing (within the past 3 years): We recommend completing at least a half day, each, with a minimum of 2 clinicians in your profession of interest by the time you submit your application.

    For example, pre-med students should shadow at least two physicians, pre-PA students should shadow at least two PAs, and so on. If you are considering more than one health profession, we recommend shadowing at least one clinician in each profession you are considering.

  • Completing a CNA,EMT, or phlebotomy training program, including all required clinical rotations. Training courses that do not include clinical rotations with patients will not fulfill this requirement.

Please refer tothis webpagefor further suggestions on ways to gain meaningful clinical experience.

If you're still exploring which healthcare profession you'd like to pursue, we encourage you to take advantage of the no-cost services offered by Continuing Education to current and prospective non-degree students.

Limited Advising Opportunities for Other Students

Students in the following categories are not eligible for enrollment in the Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate program but may qualify for a one-time, two-hour comprehensive pre-health advising appointment if they otherwise meet the program's eligibility requirements:

  • Students who plan to enroll for only one academic term.
  • CU employees and their dependents who are taking courses through the Tuition Assistance Benefit (TAB), even if enrolled as non-degree students.

During this appointment, we will help you develop a term-by-term academic plan, activity plan, and application timeline.

To apply for a one-time advising appointment: Complete Steps 4 through 6 on our How to Get Started page. Our advising team will review your information to determine whether you meet the eligibility requirements for this appointment.

Students in these categories are not eligible for ongoing individual pre-health advising, application writing support, or interview coaching. However, they are warmly welcomed and encouraged to participate in all of our pre-health group advising sessions, workshops, and social events.

Eligibility Standards to Retain Access for Individual Pre-Health Advising

Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate students are expected to earn term GPAs of 3.0 or above and to complete 100% of all courses attempted each semester (no "I"s or "W"s) to remain eligible for ongoing pre-health advising.

Any Individually Designed post-baccalaureate student who has term GPAs that fall below 3.0 and/or who receives "W"/"I" grades in two consecutive semesters will become ineligible for individual pre-health advising and application/interview coaching services.

  • During this time, the student is invited to continue to attend program social events and Pre-Health Advising group meetings. Sign up for group meetings by calling (303) 492-5148.
  • Students who fall below our GPA threshold are strongly encouraged to work closely with Continuing Education's team of academic and career advisors, who can offer guidance and resources to support the student's academic success. Academic and career advisors do not offer pre-health advising.
  • To become eligible for reinstatement, students must complete at least one academic term with a term GPA of 3.0+ while taking 5+ credit hours of prerequisite and/or BCPM coursework, with no "W"/"I" grades. To be considered for reinstatement, follow the instructions in the Applying for Reinstatement section below.

Note that successful professional school applicants typically earn term GPAs of 3.5 or above for the three consecutive semesters immediately prior to submitting their professional school applications.

Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate students are expected to continually engage in at least 6 hours per month of direct patient interaction in clinical settings. Those who are taking a break from clinical work/volunteering may have no more than a six-month gap. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for students who have engaged in more than 1,000 hours of clinical experience within the year prior to joining the post-baccalaureate program.

Examples of qualifying clinical experiences include volunteering or working in a patient-care role in a clinical setting (clinic, hospital, community/public health clinic, hospice setting, blood donation center, in-home caregiving, skilled nursing facility, etc). Clinical experiences must extend beyond the student’s own health issues or those of a loved one. Please refer to this webpage for further suggestions on ways to gain meaningful clinical experience.

Any Individually Designed post-baccalaureate student who has a gap of more than six months in their engagement in relevant clinical experience will become ineligible for individual pre-health advising and application/interview coaching services. To become eligible for reinstatement, students must resume regular engagement in direct patient interaction in a clinical setting for at least 6 hours per month. To be considered for reinstatement, follow the instructions in the Applying for Reinstatement section below.

Continuing Education's individual pre-health advising services are available to eligible current and former students in our post-baccalaureate pre-health programs who meet the program's eligibility requirements.

Current students who have not yet completed 18 credit hours of pre-health coursework in one of our post-baccalaureate programs must be taking at least one in-person pre-health course during each fall or spring semester in which they are seeking individual pre-health advising.

Former students may continue to access individual pre-health advising for up to two years after their most recent coursework in the program if they have completed at least 18 credit hours of pre-health courses in one of our post-baccalaureate programs, with at least 5 of those credit hours completed in an in-person format (daytime or evening).

Please note that former students who have since matriculated into a degree-seeking program at either 鶹ý or another institution are no longer eligible for the program’s individual advising services. We encourage those students to work closely with the pre-health advisors at their current institution, as they are the ones who will be best positioned to provide guidance that is tailored to your current academic program and locale.

In rare cases, we may grant exceptions to these requirements for students with special circumstances. If you would like to be considered for an exception, please discuss your circumstances with the pre-health advisor who has worked with you most closely.

Applying for Reinstatement

Students who have lost eligibility for the Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate program are welcome to apply for reinstatement once they have addressed the factors that led to the loss of eligibility. Applications for reinstatement are considered on a case-by-case basis, as informed by a holistic review of the student’s academic history, engagement in clinical experience, and demonstrated readiness to make sustained progress toward their goal of becoming a strong applicant to professional school.

Please note that reinstatement is intended for former students who are planning to continue taking additional pre-health coursework as a non-degree post-baccalaureate student at 鶹ý. Students who have matriculated into a degree-seeking program at either 鶹ý or another institution are no longer eligible for the program’s individual advising services. We encourage those students to work closely with the pre-health advisors at their current institution, as they are the ones who will be best positioned to provide guidance that is tailored to your current academic program and locale.

Academic Requirements

Students who became ineligible due to academic performance must complete a current academic term that meets all of the following criteria:

  • A term GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • At least 5 credit hours of prerequisite and/or biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics (BCPM) coursework.
  • No Withdrawals (W) or Incompletes (I).

Clinical Experience Requirements

Students who became ineligible due to a prolonged gap in clinical experience can address that gap by resuming regular, ongoing direct patient interaction in a clinical setting, which we define as at least 6 hours per month for the past three consecutive months.

Once you have addressed the circumstances that led to your loss of eligibility:

1. Update the following tabs of your Pre-Health Advising Notes Google Sheet:

  • GPA Calculations
  • Activity History

2. Send an email to CEprehealth@colorado.edu with the subject line "Application for Reinstatement.” Provide all of the following information:

  • State that you are applying for reinstatement and provide a link to your updated Google Sheet
  • If you have completed additional coursework at any other institutions, attach the relevant transcript(s). Unofficial transcripts are fine.
  • Include a short essay (typically one ot three paragraphs) to provide the following information:
    • Bring us up-to-date on your academics and activities in the time since you left the program
    • Share the insights you have gained from those experiences
    • Describe your plans for resuming coursework in the Individually Designed post-baccalaureate program at 鶹ý
    • Identify how you have addressed any factors that had previously prevented you from meeting the program’s eligibility requirements

Please allow about one week for our team to review and respond to your application for reinstatement.

International Students

We regret that we areunable to provide immigration support or documentation (such as F-1 visas or I-20s) for students in our Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions programs.

Please be aware that it can be difficult for international students to gain admission to professional school in the United States. For those seeking admission to allopathic medical students (those granting an MD degree), it can be particularly difficult. For more information, please visit the webpage.