Admission to the University

Office of Admissions

The Office of Admissions is responsible for processing applications of first-year and transfer students, and requests for readmission and non-degree status. For graduate and professional studies admissions, please refer to the table of contents.

Office hours: Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and selected Saturdays.

Academic Admission Requirements

1. A candidate for admission should have been graduated from an approved secondary school. Applicants who have not completed four years of high school must submit a High School Equivalent Diploma (GED) issued by their state department of education.
    
2. Candidates for admission must submit an official transcript indicating the successful completion of at least 16 academic units of work (grades 9-12) earned at a secondary school approved by state and regional accrediting agencies. The 16 units are to be distributed as indicated below:

Application Procedures for Freshman Admission

Applications may be submitted at any time after the candidate’s junior year of high school up to August 1 for the fall semester. A complete application for admissions consists of:

1. The Application for Admission. Saint Francis University provides three options:
   1. Complete on-line at www.francis.edu (fee waived)
   2. Submit Common Application at www.commonapp.org (fee waived)
   3. Contact Office of Admissions to receive a paper application ($30 non-refundable application fee. Saint Francis University does not participate in the College Board Fee Waiver Program.)
2. Official High School Transcript
3. One letter of recommendation
4. SAT I or ACT scores. Score must be part of the official high school transcript or sent directly from the testing agency (SAT code #2797 or ACT code #3682). Visit www.collegeboard.org or www.actstudent.org for more information.
5. An essay/writing sample of at least 250 words
6. An interview is not required but highly recommended for all prospective students.

Priority Application Dates for Fall 2016:

Occupational Therapy - December 1, 2015
Physical Therapy - December 1, 2015
Physician Assistant Sciences - December 1, 2015
All other programs - rolling admission

Applicants should review the application for admission for 2015-16 for specific application instructions. It is the responsibility of the applicant to arrange to have all supporting credentials on file with the Office of Admissions prior to deadlines.

Application Procedures for Transfer Admission

Saint Francis University has a flexible transfer policy for students transferring from accredited colleges and universities. The university operates on a rolling admission basis and admits transfer students for the fall and spring semesters. A complete application for admission consists of:

1. The Application for Admission. Saint Francis University provides three options:
   1. Complete on-line at www.francis.edu (fee waived)
   2. Submit Common Application at www.commonapp.org (fee waived)
   3. Contact Office of Admissions to receive a paper application ($30 non-refundable application fee. Saint Francis University does participate in the College Board Fee Waiver Program.)
2. Submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities previously attended.
3. Candidates who have left an institution for reasons other than graduation must complete a College Clearance Form (provided by Saint Francis University) at the time of application.
4. SAT I or ACT scores. Score must be part of the official high school transcript or sent directly from the testing agency (SAT code #2797 or ACT code #3682). Visit www.collegeboard.org or www.actstudent.org for more information. Candidates who have been out of high school for five or more years or have graduated from a college or university are not required to submit SAT or ACT results.
5. One letter of recommendation
6. Candidates for the Nursing and Physical Therapy programs are required to complete an interview with the respective department.

Documents received by Saint Francis University become the property of the University and will not be returned to students. Copies of the documents will be made only for internal University business.

Transfer Admission Requirements

A candidate for transfer admission should have earned minimum of 12 transferable credits and a 2.0 Q.P.A. to be considered for admission to the University. Meeting the minimum Q.P.A. does not guarantee admission to all academic programs. The Nursing and Physical Therapy programs can accept students on a space available basis. To be considered for admission into those programs, competitive applicants should have a minimum Q.P.A. of a 3.0. Students transferring into the nursing program must also have a 2.75 Q.P.A. in required science courses.

Acceptance of Transfer Credit

Transfer students will receive an official credit evaluation after an offer of admission has been made. A preliminary evaluation, even before application, may be requested. Changes in the transfer evaluation will not be made after the student has completed one semester at Saint Francis University.

Transfer credits will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. A maximum of 64 credits can be transferred to the University.

A course for which no credit is given at the original institution cannot be transferred for credit at Saint Francis University; developmental, review or remedial courses are not transferrable.

Only courses with a grade of “C” or better will be approved for transfer, however, courses that were graded a C-minus and carried two quality points are acceptable.

Transfer credits are not used in the computation of a student’s cumulative quality point average at Saint Francis University.

Students may transfer up to six credits of Religious Studies at the original time of transfer, but three of those must be from another Catholic college. Except by permission of the appropriate department chair, RLST 105  and RLST 205  must be completed at Saint Francis.

Students who, upon admission, transfer 28 or more credits including a two-semester, six-credit sequence in college-level English composition classes (excluding Placement and CLEP credits) will be exempt from ENGL 103  .

Military credit may also be considered for transfer credit.

The Provost resolves any questions regarding transfer policy.

Degree Completion Requirements

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees must fulfill appropriate degree requirements. At least 64 credits of study must be completed at Saint Francis University for a student to be eligible for a bachelor’s degree, except those students studying for a second bachelor’s degree (see second degree requirements listed here ), selected non-traditional degrees through the office of Adult Degree and Continuing Studies, or a teaching certificate. The last 30 of those credits must be taken at Saint Francis University.

Students are required to follow the course curriculum as stated in the Saint Francis University catalog in effect at the time of the student’s entrance into the University or when the student declares a major. A student who wishes to follow a curriculum in its entirety, adopted after that time, must file a Policy Waiver Request Form available at the Registrar’s Office. A student wishing to follow parts of both the old curriculum and the new curriculum must file a Course Waiver/Substitution Form for each new curriculum course.

Once a student has matriculated at Saint Francis University, all courses in the major must be completed at Saint Francis University. Likewise, it is expected that all collateral courses will be completed at Saint Francis University. Applications for exception may be directed to the Registrar.

Students who matriculate at Saint Francis University with credits from other institutions must complete at least half of the total credits in the major discipline at Saint Francis University. Department chairs will decide which specific courses will be required.

For Those Currently in the Military Service 

The Military Affairs Office educates veteran-students on Federal and State programs that are in place to assist with funding an education. This includes, but is not limited to, Veterans Affairs and ROTC benefits. The Certifying Official submits all veteran enrollments to the appropriate VA Regional Processing Office (VARPO).

The Military Affairs Office assists veterans with the application, financial aid, and scheduling processes at Saint Francis University as well as overseeing the Military Science curriculum as acting liaison for the program on campus. The staff educates veterans about physical and mental health services that are provided on campus and throughout the surrounding area. For additional information or questions, please contact: Laura Papcunik, Military Affairs Representative, (814) 472-3077, lpapcunik@francis.edu.

Saint Francis University has been designated as an institutional member of Service members Opportunity Colleges (SOC), a group of more than 400 colleges and universities providing voluntary postsecondary education to members of the military throughout the world. As a SOC member, Saint Francis University recognizes the unique nature of the military lifestyle and has committed itself to easing the transfer of relevant course credits, providing flexible academic residency requirements, and crediting learning from appropriate military training and experiences. SOC has been developed jointly by educational representatives of each of the Armed Services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and a consortium of 13 leading national higher education associations; it is sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC).

Admission of International Students

 Saint Francis University welcomes applications from international students. There are three international admissions options:

Traditional Admissions (for those students that meet the English language proficiency requirement):

1. The Application for Admission. Saint Francis University provides three options:
   1. Complete on-line at www.francis.edu (fee waived)
   2. Submit Common Application at www.commonapp.org (fee waived)
   3. Contact Office of Admissions to receive a paper application ($30 non-refundable application fee. Saint Francis University does participate in the College Board Fee Waiver Program)
2. Official secondary school (high school) academic records (transcripts, certificates, diplomas, mark sheets) with certified English translations. Transcripts must be translated by the high school or an international credential evaluating agency. Students who have attended an international university will need to have a course by course evaluation completed by an international credential agency. World Education Services is recommended.
3. One letter of recommendation from an academic source
4. SAT I or ACT scores. Score must be part of the official high school transcript or sent directly from the testing agency. Visit www.collegeboard.org or www.actstudent.org for more information.
5. International Students whose native language is not English must submit proof of English language proficiency. TOEFL, IELTs, iTEP exam scores can be submitted to satisfy the language proficiency requirement.
6. A 250 minimum word writing sample

Conditional Admissions (for those that need to enroll in the University’s intensive English program before completing traditional university studies):

1. The Application for Admission. Saint Francis University provides three options:
   1. Complete on-line at www.francis.edu (fee waived)
   2. Submit Common Application at www.commonapp.org (fee waived)
   3. Contact Office of Admissions to receive a paper application ($30 non-refundable application fee. Saint Francis University does participate in the College Board Fee Waiver Program.)
2. Official secondary school (high school) academic records (transcripts, certificates, diplomas, mark sheets) with certified English translations. Transcripts must be translated by the high school or an international credential evaluating agency. Students who have attended an international university will need to have a course by course evaluation completed by an international credential agency. World Education Services is recommended
3. English Proficiency tests are not required, but, are helpful to the admissions committee.
4. After completion of level 7 of the intensive English program, a recommendation from the coordinator will be required in order to begin university-level studies.

Intensive English Program (ESL) Admission (for those students who only want to complete a short-term Intensive English program):

1. Intensive English program application (fee waived)

Readmission

Students previously in attendance at Saint Francis University who have interrupted their studies for financial or personal reasons do not need to submit another undergraduate admission application. However, they do need to contact the Office of Admissions for the reactivation of their credentials. The Admissions Office will process their request for readmission through the Provost, the Vice President for Student Development, and the appropriate academic department chair.

Students who are academically dismissed from the University may not reapply for admission for at least one calendar year, at which time the Academic Standing Committee will determine whether readmission is granted or not. Further details can be found in the Academic Policy  section of this catalog.

Students who have attended another institution in the interim will need to submit an official transcript from the institution in which they have enrolled, be in good academic standing at that institution, and submit the University Clearance Form.

Students who are readmitted to Saint Francis University, either in their original major or a new major, will be governed by the degree requirements as stated in the University’s catalog in effect at the time of readmission. Readmitted students will be assigned their former departmental advisors for scheduling purposes where appropriate.

Non-Degree Students

Students wishing to take courses of interest may do so on a space-available basis. Applications for non-matriculated status can be obtained in the Admissions Office.

No more than 24 credits may be taken by any student in the non-degree category.

Advanced Placement

Saint Francis University participates in The Advanced Placement Program of the College Board–a program that allows exceptional students to complete college-level courses while they are still in secondary school. The University accepts scores from 27 Advanced Placement Examinations. In general, a course waiver is awarded for a score of “3” and credit is awarded for a score of “4” or “5.” A complete listing of Saint Francis University Advanced Placement Program equivalences can be found at info.francis.edu/ap-equivalencies/.

Graduate Degree Programs

The requirements for graduate admissions vary by program. Please visit the department’s page for admission requirement information.

Adult Degree and Continuing Studies

Requirements for admission into the Adult Degree and Continuig Studies ADCS program:

1. Completion of the ADCS Online Application or submission of a hard copy of the ADCS printable application (PDF)
2. One letter of recommendation 
3. A resume outlining work experience and other credentials 
4. Official transcripts for all post-secondary study (If no prior college courses, then a copy of your high school transcripts or GED is required).

All materials can be mailed to: Saint Francis University, ADCS Dept., P.O. BOX 600, Loretto, PA 15940.
The resume and letter of recommendation can be emailed to oce@francis.edu or faxed to 814-472-3299.