Admissions

Graduate and Professional Studies applicants may apply for and be granted admission status at any time during the year, regardless of program choice. For undergraduate programs, all applicants must be graduates of an accredited public or private high school must have passed a GED examination or provide proof of completion of a GED equivalent or must have completed a state-approved high school diploma through home schooling. Students must have completed high school with an average grade of “C” or better, have a standard 2.0 or better for GED students or show college credit with a cumulative grade point of 2.0 or better for admission to an undergraduate degree program. Students who do not meet the cumulative grade point standard may be conditionally accepted and required to take specific introductory course work and complete it with a grade of 2.0 or better, prior to consideration of formal acceptance.

In determining accreditation, Saint Joseph’s College uses the publication Accredited Institutions of Post-secondary Education by the American Council on Education (ACE) published in consultation with the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Students who have attended a foreign institution must have their transcripts evaluated by a member institution of the National Association of Credential Evaluator Services (NACES) to determine accreditation equivalency and transferability of credits.

Acceptance into undergraduate degree programs is provisional until six credits of courses in the program of study are successfully completed with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better and all admissions requirements have been met. At that time, a determination is made regarding advancement to matriculated status. A lower grade-point average may result in dismissal or academic probation, at the discretion of the College.

Applicants with no prior college course work must submit a high school transcript. Applicants who have completed college course work need not submit a high school transcript but must submit official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended.

Prerequisites

In some instances, courses in the undergraduate degree programs at Saint Joseph’s College will have prerequisites which must be completed prior to enrolling in the specific course. Unless other­wise specified, prerequisites may be transferred, completed through Saint Joseph’s, or fulfilled by satisfactory CLEP or DANTES proficiency examination scores. When using actual courses for prerequisites fulfillment, students may only use course work passed with grades of “C” or better. See specific program for prerequisites requirements.

Transfer Credits

The Division of Graduate & Professional Studies values prior formal learning and career-based experiences. The College follows the American Council on Education guidelines in granting transfer credit. Transfer credits may include:

• Courses of study from accredited colleges or universities, with a grade of “C” or better, examinations through CLEP, ACT/PEP and DANTES DSST programs (the maximum number of semester-hour credits which may be challenged and transferred is 30);

• ACE/PONSI approved credit;

• ACE-approved military training and experience credits.

• Undergraduate students may submit a portfolio demonstrating experiential learning to challenge a specific course. Guidelines are available from Graduate & Professional Studies, Enrollment Services, at 800-343-5498 or 207-893-7800. The maximum number of credits that may be awarded by portfolio process is: Baccalaureate Degree: 18 credits Associate Degree: 9 credits Certificate 6 credits

At the undergraduate level, transfer credit is awarded for appropriate coursework taken at hospital-based Schools of Nursing and hospital-based Schools of Radiologic Technology. Transfer credit is not awarded for pre-collegiate level or remedial coursework.

As a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), the Division of Graduate & Professional Studies honors the Institutional guidelines/commitments outlined in the SOC Handbooks. See Military and Veterans.

At the undergraduate level, students must complete a minimum of 25% of the course requirements at Saint Joseph’s College in order to meet degree requirements:

For transfer credit review, official transcripts must be sent directly from the credit-granting institution to Enrollment Services, Division of Graduate & Professional Studies, Saint Joseph’s College, 278 Whites Bridge Road, Standish, ME 04084. Proficiency examination score reports must be sent directly from the testing service to Enrollment Services, Division of Graduate & Professional Studies.

Note:
Saint Joseph’s College is registered as a private institution with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to sections 136A.61 to 136A.71.  Registration is not an endorsement of the institution.  Credits earned at the institution may not transfer to all other institutions.   

Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board certification does not constitute an endorsement of any institution or program. Such certification merely indicates that certain criteria have been met as required under the rules and regulations implementing institutional and program certification as defined in Arkansas Code Sec. 6-61-301.

Graduate & Professional Studies applicants may apply for and be granted admission status at any time during the year, regardless of program choice.

For all graduate programs, applicants are required to have a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher learning accredited or accepted as accredited in the United States, with a cumulative grade point of 2.5 or better. Students who do not meet the cumulative grade point standard may be conditionally accepted and required to take specific introductory course work and complete it with a grade of 3.0 or better, prior to consideration of formal acceptance. For additional requirements, see specific program information.

In determining accreditation, Saint Joseph’s College uses the publication Accredited Institutions of Post-secondary Education by the American Council on Education (ACE) published in consultation with the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Students who have graduated with a foreign bachelor’s degree equivalent must have their transcripts evaluated by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluator Services (NACES), and the degree must be deemed equivalent to a degree at an accredited institution.

Acceptance into graduate programs is provisional until six credits of courses in the program of study are successfully completed with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and all admissions requirements have been met. At that time, a determination is made regarding advancement to matriculated status. A lower grade-point average may result in dismissal or academic probation, at the discretion of the College.

Applicants must provide official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions, and graduate transcripts for courses in curriculum-related areas. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the transmitting institution(s). Transcripts and any additional supporting documentation must be received in order to implement the evaluation process. Once all official transcripts and supporting materials have been received, a decision regarding acceptance will be made, appropriate courses will be determined, and the applicant will be notified immediately of acceptance. See specific program for any additional required documentation.

Official transcripts must be sent directly to Enrollment Services, Division of Graduate & Professional Studies, Saint Joseph’s College, 278 Whites Bridge Road, Standish, ME 04084.

Prerequisites

In some instances, courses in the graduate degree programs at Saint Joseph’s College will have prerequisites which must be completed prior to enrolling in the specific course. Unless other­wise specified, prerequisites may be transferred, completed through Saint Joseph’s, or fulfilled by satisfactory CLEP or DANTES proficiency examination scores. When using actual undergraduate courses for prerequisites fulfillment, students may only use course work passed with grades of “C” or better. See specific program for prerequisites requirements.

Transfer Credits

Saint Joseph’s College recognizes the value of previously earned academic credits within specific guidelines. For all graduate degree and certificate programs, the applicant may transfer two curriculum-related courses, of 3 semester-hour credits each, from an accredited college or university, with a grade of “B” or better.

At the graduate level, it is Saint Joseph’s College policy that credit can not be created and must be transferred from another accredited college or university or one deemed equivalent by a NACES member organization. Graduate transfer credit will not be awarded for undergraduate coursework or graduate courses that had been used previously to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements.

For transfer credit review, a photocopy of the catalog course description(s) should be sent to Enrollment Services, Division of Graduate & Professional Studies, Saint Joseph’s College, 278 Whites Bridge Road, Standish, ME 04084.

International students are required to submit, in English, certified copies of their secondary school transcript from their home country or certified copies of their post-secondary course work, in addition to the requirements for regular admission.  They must also submit an external transcript evaluation from an authorized agency and a satisfactory score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  A student, whose primary language is not English, must provide copies of TOEFL test scores directly from the testing service for admission.  A minimum score of 485 or higher for the paper-based version or 161 for the computer-based version is required for undergraduate applicants.  Graduate applicants must submit minimum scores of 550 for the paper-based version or 213 for the computer-based version of the exam.  The TOEFL requirement is waived for applicants who submit proof of graduation from an English-speaking Institution, which is either accredited or deemed equivalent by the evaluating agency.

For more information on TOEFL, contact your local U.S. Consulate or Embassy or contact:
Phone: 1-609-771-7100
Fax: 1-609-771-7500
Mail: TOEFL Services, Educational Testing Services, PO Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
Web site: www.toefl.org Saint Joseph’s College’s TOEFL identification number is 3764