Student FAQ for Fall 2009 Professional Program Application Process

1. When will my application be reviewed and notification sent out?
2. Is there anything more I need to do to have my application reviewed?
3. I will be taking summer coursework and I want that considered. What should I do?
4. What happens after my file has been reviewed?
5. When will I be able to register for Fall term pro-school courses?
6. I have been conditionally admitted. What does that mean?
7. What does “Capacity Restricted Programs” mean and how does that affect me?
8. I am not in a “Capacity Restricted Program”. How does that affect me?
9. What else can I do to improve my chances of admission?
10. I am a Post-Bac student. What do I need to do?
11. If I am rejected, what should I do?

Q1: When will my application be reviewed and notification sent out?

We have three review cycles:

We need up-to-date documentation from you by the start date of the review cycle in order to review your application in that cycle.

In addition, if you still need to complete more than 12 credits of pre-core requirements as of the start dates of the first two cycles, your application will be reviewed in the following cycle.

• If you have over 12 credits to take after Winter term, your application will not be reviewed in the first review cycle. 
• If you have over 12 credits to take after Spring term, and you have submitted notification of your summer enrollment by the beginning of the second review cycle, your application will only be reviewed in the final review cycle.

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Q2: Is there anything more I need to do to have my application reviewed?

Verify that your documentation is up-to-date (see below).

If your documentation is not up-to-date by the start date of the first review cycle, we will not review your application until the second review cycle.

By up-to-date documentation we mean the following. In addition to coursework taken at OSU, we must have records of:

• All transfer coursework
• All college credit earned in high school
• All AP/IB/CLEP test scores
• Current and future enrollment at transfer institutions

By April 24, you should:

1. Verify that your transcripts are up-to-date:
   
   To verify whether or not your OSU transcript is complete, review your OSU Advance Standing Report and Student Academic Transcript at OSU Online Student Services: http://oregonstate.edu/students/onlineservices/ .
   
   If your transcript is not complete, please provide your (unofficial) transcripts/test scores to your program Head Advisor by the start date (April 24) of the first review cycle. If your unofficial transcripts are not received by then, your application will be reviewed in the second review cycle.  (If you have already submitted that information to your Head Advisor, thank you! Please verify that the information you submitted includes current term enrollment for any transfer coursework.)
   
   
2. Notify your program Head Advisor about all non-OSU course enrollments for Spring term.
   
   If you are taking courses outside of OSU Spring term, you need to notify your program Head Advisor (even if you included this on your pro-application).  Please provide a printout of your enrollment that shows clearly which courses you are taking and the name of the institution.
   
   
3. Apply to OSU if you are not a current OSU student.
   
   If you are not yet admitted to OSU, you must apply and be admitted. We will not review your application until the review cycle that starts after you have been admitted to OSU.

By July 1, you should:

4. Submit unofficial transcripts for any non-OSU coursework taken Spring term to your program Head Advisor. (Also have official copies sent to OSU Admissions.)

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Q3: I will be taking summer coursework and I want that considered. What should I do?

By July 1, you must notify your program Head Advisor of all Summer term coursework if you wish to have your Summer term (OSU and non-OSU) coursework considered in the professional program application review process. (We require this notification even if you listed summer coursework on your pro-application.)

Attach printouts of your enrollment that show clearly which courses you are taking at OSU and/or transfer institutions. For transfer coursework, make sure that the name of the institution is clearly listed.

If you do not notify your program Head Advisor and provide your summer registration by July 1, your admission decision will be made based on the documentation we have received by the start date of the second review cycle.

If you have more than one pre-core course incomplete at the beginning of the second review cycle and do not notify your program Head Advisor that you will be taking summer courses, your application will automatically be rejected.

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Q4: What happens after my file has been reviewed?

The following decisions are possible for all review cycles:

Admit – only if you have completed all pre-core coursework, have met other requirements for admission to the professional program, and have an academic record that qualifies you for admission.

Conditional Admit – if you have yet to complete up to 12 credits of pre-core coursework, have met all other requirements for admission to the professional program, and have an academic record that qualifies you for admission provided that you complete the remaining credits of pre-core coursework with “C” or better grades.

During the first and second review cycles, there will be some students for whom no decision can be made yet:

Hold – if you have more than 12 credits of pre-core coursework remaining, have not met all other requirements for admission to the professional program, have not provided up-to-date documentation, or have an academic record that does not clearly qualify you for admission.

During the second and third review cycles, some students will receive the decision:

Reject – if you cannot qualify for admission for the professional program based on your academic record and the remaining coursework that you have notified your program Head Advisor that you will take in summer term, or if your documentation is not complete at the time of the final review cycle.

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Q5: When will I be able to register for Fall term pro-school courses?

If you are fully admitted, you will be able to register for Fall term pro-courses about a week after you receive notification of admission to the professional program.

If you are conditionally admitted, you will be able to register for Fall term pro-courses about a week after you sign and return a Conditional Admission Agreement to the College of Engineering Undergraduate Programs in BAT 151. 

Students who are on Hold must wait until the next review cycle is over and they are admitted or conditionally admitted to register for pro-courses.

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Q6:  I have been conditionally admitted. What does that mean?

If you receive notification that you have been conditionally admitted, you must read, sign and return a Conditional Admission Agreement to the College of Engineering Undergraduate Programs office in BAT 151 indicating that you accept the conditions of Conditional Admission.

You must agree to complete all, or all but one, of your remaining pre-core requirements by the end of the summer with “C” or better grades. If you have one pre-core requirement remaining during Fall term, then you must complete (at OSU or elsewhere) that requirement during the first term it is offered at OSU with a “C” or better grade. You must also remain in good academic standing at OSU.

If you do not meet these requirements, then you will be removed from all pro-school coursework and returned to the pre-professional program. It is your responsibility to provide transfer transcripts showing completion of any remaining requirements not taken at OSU.

Conditionally admitted students will receive a formal admission letter once all admission conditions have been cleared.

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Q7: What does “Capacity Restricted Programs” mean and how does that affect me?

“Capacity Restricted Programs” have more demand than they can meet given available resources.  “Capacity Restricted Programs” have admission pre-core GPA requirements above the minimum 2.25 pre-core GPA. 

Admission to these programs is determined by rank ordering all applicants by pre-core GPA and selecting those students that are most likely to exceed the capacity restricted admission GPA.  These students will be offered admission or “conditional admission”.  Students closer to the GPA cutoff for these programs will be placed on hold if near the cutoff GPA or rejected if below the cutoff GPA.

The cut-off pre-core GPAs for Admission and Conditional Admission for Capacity Restricted Programs (currently CEM, CE, and ME) for the first review cycle will be communicated by email on May 15th.

Final cut-off pre-core GPA s for Capacity Restricted Programs cannot be determined until the final review cycle.

Therefore, some students in Capacity Restricted Programs who have not requested that any summer coursework be used in the application process may still have to wait until September 15 to receive a final decision.

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Q8: I am not in a “Capacity Restricted Program”.   How does that affect me?

There will be sufficient capacity for all qualified students in programs that are not capacity restricted. There may also be capacity for students who identified (or identify) those programs as second choices.

The cut-off pre-core GPA for Conditional Admission for programs that are not capacity-restricted will be 2.50 during the first two review cycles.

During the third and final review cycle, students may be conditionally admitted with one missing course if their pre-core GPA is 2.30 or higher. See Question 6 for information on the requirements of conditionally admitted students.  

For full admission, you must meet all other requirements for professional program admission and

• Complete all your pre-core coursework requirements with “C” or higher grades by the start of the first or second review cycle with a pre-core GPA of 2.25 or higher, or
• Request by July 1 that your summer enrollment be considered and provide a printout of it, then complete all your pre-core coursework requirements with “C” or higher grades by the end of summer with a pre-core GPA of 2.25 or higher (for full admission during the final review cycle).

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Q9: What else can I do to improve my chances of admission?

If you are on Hold, you can improve your chances for admission if you complete all pre-core coursework before Fall term. Such students will be given priority over those who have outstanding courses at the end of the summer.

Since we use the grade following the “I/grade” for OSU incompletes, you may wish to complete any incompletes you may have.

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Q10: I am a Post-Bac student.  What do I need to do?

Contact your program Head Advisor to make sure he or she has all academic records required to process your application.

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Q11: If I am rejected, what should I do?

If you were rejected from a capacity-restricted program you may be eligible to apply to other majors within the College of Engineering.  Contact your program Head Advisor to discuss possible options.

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