Admissions

Undergraduate Admissions

Although Grantham University allows undergraduate students conditional admission with a high school attestation, the University requires the following documentation as appropriate to the undergraduate student:

Admission Requirements

An official copy of the high school transcript (showing completion), high school equivalency certificate, or state recognized home school graduation certificate is required for admission to the University.  In lieu of a high school transcript or official high school equivalency certificate, the following may be submitted and considered official proof of high school graduation or equivalent:

• Form DD214: Veterans may submit Form DD 214 indicating high school graduation. (Please note that not all DD214 documents contain this information.) Form DD214 is usually free for veterans and can be obtained in ten (10) working days or less at the following website: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/.
• Form DD1966: Service members may submit a DD1966 that indicates high school graduation.
• Military Statement of Service: Active duty service members may submit the Military Statement of Service Memorandum annotated by his/her personnel or administrative office indicating completion of high school or its equivalent.
• Other official military records documenting high school graduation or equivalent may be submitted subject to approval by the Registrar.
• Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Science degree awarded from any school accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education – Official Transcript must be provided to satisfy requirement

Proof of graduation in the form of an official transcript or other document listed above that confirms graduation from high school or its equivalent is required prior to matriculation for new students or within 56 days of re-registration for previous Grantham students, except that no students may register for courses beginning January 1, 2012, or later without having documentation of high school completion or equivalent on file with the University. Failure to comply with thisrequirement will result in dismissal from the University.

Bachelors of Science Nursing Admission Requirements
Admission to the RN to BSN Degree Completion program requires the following:

• An earned Associate Degree in Nursing(ADN/ASN) from an accredited nursing program
• Valid RN License as indicated by Date of Issue
• Nurses educated outside the United States, who are eligible to practice as an RN in the United States must:
• Have an earned baccalaureate degree in nursing that equates to a U.S. baccalaureate degree
• Be CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) certified and pass the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse)

Please note: Nursing courses are not transferrable into the Nursing Programs at Grantham University.

High School Student Applicants
A high school student who wishes to enroll at Grantham University (while concurrently attending high school) may apply for admission as a non-degree seeking student and may enroll in no more than four (4) credit hours (undergraduate coursework) per term. Exceptions may be granted by the Provost for students wishing to enroll in more than four (4) credit hours. A high school applicant must submit a copy of his/her official high school transcript with a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for admission. The prospective student must also have demonstrated one of the following:

• ACT with a minimum average selection index of 18
• SAT with a minimum average selection index of 440 Math and 440 English
• PSAT with a minimum average selection index of 147
• Demonstration of successful completion (grade “C” or higher) of college coursework in which college credit was earned
• The student must present a recommendation and written permission from the high school Guidance Counselor

A student must provide a high school diploma or equivalent before he/she will be allowed to enroll into a degree program.

Home School Applicants
A home school student who wishes to enroll at Grantham University while concurrently finishing a home school high school degree/equivalent may apply for admission as a non-degree seeking student and may enroll in no more than four (4) credit hours (undergraduate coursework) per term. Exceptions may be granted by the Provost for students wishing to enroll in more than four (4) credit hours. The prospective student must also have demonstrated one of the following:

• ACT with a minimum average selection index of 18
• SAT with a minimum average selection index of 440 Math and 440 English
• PSAT with a minimum average selection index of 147
• Demonstration of successful completion (grade “C” or higher) of college coursework in which college credit was earned
• Provide state verification of minimum 11th grade level competency

Any applicant who is beyond the age of compulsory school attendance and has not completed secondary school through home schooling must meet one of the above criteria to establish eligibility to benefit from instruction at Grantham University.  No student below the compulsory age of attendance will be permitted to enroll until it is determined that enrollment won’t be detrimental to student success. For persons not meeting the requirements for enrollment, a record will be made showing the reasons for acceptance.  All exceptions to the above guidelines will be based on review and approval of the record by the Provost.  Students must attain high school diploma or equivalent before being allowed to enroll into an online degree program.

Process for Record of Exceptions for Home School Applicants
Two recommendations are required. One must be completed by the home-school administrator and the other must be completed by a parent or guardian.  If the educational administrator is the parent or guardian, the second recommendation must be from an individual meeting the following criteria:

• The student and the individual granting the recommendation shall not be relatives
• The student and the individual granting the recommendation shall not reside at the same address
• Examples of suitable recommendations may originate from: member of clergy, law enforcement officer, university/college faculty member or equivalent, librarian, official learning/tutoring center representative, employment supervisor

Application essays are required of all home school applicants.  Applicants must complete a 500 -1000 word essay.  The essay must describe how the applicant has been successful with his/her home-school independent learning environment and why he/she will benefit from distance learning college-level coursework. In addition, the applicant must submit evidence of the coursework completed and level of performance reflecting acceptable accomplishments. A telephone interview will be conducted with the applicant by the Provost.

Transfer Credit Requirements

To apply for and receive transfer credit for previous college/university work, American Council on Education (ACE) evaluated work experience or credit by exam programs, students must submit:

• An official copy of all college transcripts from institutions previously attended
• Employer course certificates with description of course content and class hours
• Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) transcript, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) score, Coast Guard Institute (CGI) transcript, Army American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS) transcript and/or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript

A student may send copies of transcripts or documents during the initial admission stages.  However, official transfer credit will not be awarded until official transcripts are received by the Registrar’s office.

Any transfer credit(s) conditionally/tentatively awarded through the use of an unofficial transcript will be rescinded if a) an official Grantham transcript is requested prior to receipt of official transcripts for transfer credits awarded; b) the student has been inactive for 365 days or more, or c) an official transcript is not received by the University prior to degree completion, which will require the student to complete the necessary credit hours to achieve graduation status.

After the evaluation is complete, an Evaluations Representative will prepare a custom curriculum of the remaining courses the evaluator anticipates as necessary for graduation based on official/unofficial documents received at the time of evaluation, known as the Degree Plan.

It is the responsibility of the student to provide transcripts prior to enrollment to ensure that he/she is not enrolled in courses at Grantham for which they will receive transfer credit. A student who enrolls/registers in a course that may be awarded later as transfer credit will not be issued a refund for that course in which he/she was enrolled prior to receiving transcripts if the course proves to be unnecessary.

Transfer Credit Policy
Grantham University evaluates and awards transfer credit any time an enrolled student submits an official transcript. Students will be required to repeat courses in which competencies have not been mastered.

A prospective student may use:

• Prior college coursework.  Transcripts must be in English. Foreign transcripts require an equivalency evaluation prior to evaluation at Grantham.
• Military experience – As determined by ACE (American Council on Education), usually listed on an AARTS, SMART, CCAF or CGI transcript.
• Employer courses – Provided the course has been appropriately evaluated for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE).
• AP, CLEP and DANTES/DSST – Courses offered by taking these tests are transferrable into the degree program for which they apply as long as the ACE recommended score is achieved and the test was taken less than 20 years prior to matriculation.

Grantham awards transfer credit on a course-by-course basis for courses with equivalent content and value as the corresponding Grantham course(s). Generally, undergraduate college-level courses completed at accredited institutions as recognized by the Department of Education and Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) will transfer, provided that grades of at least “C” are earned and the course is similar in content and scope to work offered at Grantham University. Developmental courses will not be considered for transfer. Nursing courses are not transferrable into the Nursing Programs at Grantham University.

The amount of transfer credit accepted is dependent upon the declared program of study and Grantham’s residency requirement. Previously earned transfer credit is determined by the requirements of the program.

Grantham will make every attempt to assist the student in obtaining the needed official transcript(s) if permission from the student is granted. There are cases, however, when official transcripts can only be obtained by the student directly. Official military transcripts (SMART, AARTS, CCAF, CGI), ACE transcripts, college level testing transcripts (CLEP, DSST, ECE, AP), international transcripts and equivalency reports must be requested by the student. Ultimately, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that any requested official transcript(s) are forwarded to Grantham University directly from other institutions attended by the student.

Any transfer credit, conditionally/tentatively awarded through the use of an unofficial transcript will not be reflected on the official Grantham University transcript or counted toward degree completion at Grantham University until the official transcript of the transferring institution is received by Grantham University.

Foreign Transcript Evaluation
An applicant who has completed secondary/university-level courses in a foreign country that are comparable to course credits in the American education system must have his/her courses evaluated and official copies of the evaluations sent to Grantham. Foreign transcript evaluations are accepted from any agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators.

Residency Requirement

• The student must complete at least 25% of the required credit hours in the enrolled degree program at Grantham to earn the associate degree.
• The student must complete at least 25% of the required credit hours in the enrolled degree program at Grantham to earn the bachelor degree.

Student Academic Summary
The Degree Plan defines a student’s personal program of study.  Electives may be required to satisfy program requirements.  Please contact a University representative in Advising or the Registrar’s Office to confirm which courses satisfy elective requirements.

A student’s degree program adheres to the version of the Catalog under which he/she first enrolls. However, if a student is withdrawn from the University, his/her degree program will be updated to reflect the requirements of the current Catalog upon readmission.

Degree Program Changes
After a student is matriculated, he/she may decide to pursue a different degree program at Grantham.  To request a change in a degree program, a student should download an Evaluation Request form from the Student Portal, and return the form to degreeprogramchanges@grantham.edu or his/her Student Advisor.  Upon receipt of this request, Grantham will evaluate the student’s record to determine applicable transfer credits.  The student will receive the results of the evaluation within 5-7 business days.  Should the student choose to move forward with changing his/her degree program, the student must submit a signed Degree Change Authorization (Enrollment Agreement Addendum).