FAQ's New Performance-Based
Health Sciences Process

Frequently Asked Questions - Health Sciences Programs

In recent years, the waitlists for many of CCRI's most in-demand health sciences programs have become lengthy, sometimes with as many as two and three times as many students as can be accepted each year. To address this backup, which had become frustrating for many students waiting months or years for acceptance to their chosen programs, CCRI is instituting a new merit-based acceptance policy for these and selected other health sciences programs. These programs will have limited application windows, as described below. The new acceptance policy will be phased in gradually as the traditional first-come, first-served way of accepting students is phased out.

Currently, this new "Performance-Based Health Science Application Process" is a competitive process that recognizes exceptional academic achievement by expediting the admissions process into the Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Radiography programs. Other programs listed below are part of this new admissions process and do have admission requirements, but are generally able to accept all applicants meeting these requirements.

*Applications for the Emergency/Disaster Management and Fire Science/EMT programs are accepted year-round.

NOTE:  If an official final high school transcript is not submitted with your application for admission to the Fire Science/EMT or the Emergency/Disaster Management program, you will be accepted to the General Studies Program. After your final official high school transcript is received, your application for admission will be changed to reflect your original program of choice (Fire Science/EMT or Emergency/ Disaster Management).

Programs using the performance-based admissions policy are:

Associate Degree Programs
Clinical Laboratory Technology
Dental Hygiene
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Histotechnician
Nursing
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Opticianry Program  «NEW PROGRAM
Physical Therapist Assistant
Radiography
Respiratory Therapy
Therapeutic Massage

Certificate Programs
Dental Assisting
Health Care Interpreter
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Phlebotomy
Practical Nursing (Diploma)
Renal Dialysis Technology

Students wishing to submit their names for consideration in the performance-based selection are required to have already completed the admission requirements.

Performance-based acceptances will make up no more than 10 percent of total new acceptances for Radiography, Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Dental Hygiene programs. Our goal is to accept all students currently on the waitlist, and to phase out the waitlist process entirely. Students currently on the waitlist may choose to apply under the performance-based considerations without risking their current place on the list if the performance-based acceptance is not granted.

The following provides answers to students for commonly asked questions about the Performance Based Health Sciences Process:

FAQs

• What is the new application time period and who can apply? 
• I am currently on a Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Radiography waitlist. Can I be accepted more quickly if I qualify for this performance-based acceptance?
• I wish to apply to the Dental Hygiene program in the application period that starts February, June or August 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I wish to apply to the Dental Assisting program in the application period that starts February, June or August 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I wish to apply to the Radiography program in the application period that starts February 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I wish to apply to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program in the application period that starts February 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I wish to apply to the Nursing program in the application periods that start October 1 to November 2, 2009 and February, June, August and October 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I wish to apply to the Histotechnician program in the application period that starts February, June and August 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I wish to apply to the Physical Therapist Assistant program in the application period that starts February and June 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I wish to apply to the Respiratory Therapy program in the application period that starts October 1 to November 2, 2009 and February, June, July, August and October 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
• I am currently fulfilling prerequisites for one of the other health science programs (other than Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Radiography). Will I also need to apply during the specific application timeframe identified?
• Can I be considered for more than one program?

• What is the new application time period and who can apply?
  • The following health sciences programs will be accepting applications during the months of February, June and August 2010:
    • Clinical Laboratory Technology
    • Dental Assisting
    • Dental Hygiene
    • Histotechnician
    • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
    • Occupational Therapy Assistant
    • Opticianry
    • Phlebotomy
    • Therapeutic Massage
    The following health sciences program will be accepting applications during the months of February, June, August and October 2010:
    • Nursing
    The following health sciences programs will be accepting applications during the month of February 2010 only:
    • Diagnostic Medical Sonography
    • Radiography
    The following health sciences program will be accepting applications during the months of February and June 2010:
    • Physical Therapist Assistant
    The following health sciences program will be accepting applications during the months of February and May 2010:
    • Renal Dialysis
    The following health sciences program will be accepting applications during the months of February, June, July, August and October 2010:
    • Respiratory Therapy
    Any student who has met the admission requirements is welcome to apply to the Performance-Based Health Science Process.

The new program Admission Guidelines are in effect for Applicants for Fall 2009-2011.

• I am currently on a Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Radiography waitlist. Can I be accepted more quickly if I qualify for this performance-based acceptance?
  • Yes. Students who are on the current waitlist, and who have completed all of the admission requirements, may apply for consideration through the new "Performance-Based Health Sciences Process" during any of the specific application periods identified for 2010. You can apply for consideration without any impact on your waitlist status. In other words, if your performance-based application is not accepted, your name will remain in the same position on the list.
• I wish to apply to the Dental Hygiene Program in the application period that starts February, June or August 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process and includes the following criteria:
    • Admission Requirements GPA
    • Overall Cumulative GPA
    • DENT 1000 Grade
    • Placement Test reading score
• I wish to apply to the Dental Assisting Program in the application period that starts February, June or August 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process and includes the following criteria:
    • DENT 1000 grade
    • Reading score
    • Overall Cumulative Grade
    • English score
    • Math score

• I wish to apply to the Radiography Program in the application period that starts February 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process and includes the following criteria ranked in order of importance:
    • GPA for the three courses required for admission
      XRAY 1000, ENGL 1010, MATH 1700 (or other approved MATH courses)
    • Grade of (A- or above) in MATH 1700
    • Grade of (A- or above) in XRAY 1000
    • Earliest completion date of all admission requirements
    • Highest Accuplacer Reading Comprehension Score
• I wish to apply to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program in the application period that starts February 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process and includes the following criteria ranked in order of importance:
    • GPA for the four admission requirements of BIOL 1070 or 1010, ENGL 1010, MATH 1700 (or other approved MATH courses) and PHYS 1000
    • Grade of (A- or above) for MATH 1700
    • Grade of (A- or above) in BIOL 1070
    • Earliest completion date of admission requirements
    • Highest Accuplacer Reading Comprehension Score
• I wish to apply to the Nursing program in the application periods that start October 1 to November 2, 2009 and February, June, August and October 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process and includes the following criteria:
    • Exceptional (B- or above) grades in BIOL 1010, BIOL 1020, and HEAL 1060
    • Cumulative GPA (2.7 or better)
    • Accuplacer Reading Score of (90 or above)
    • TEAS test scores of (50th percentile or above)
• I wish to apply to the Histotechnician program in the application period that starts February, June and August 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process and includes the following criteria:
    • GPA for the two admission requirements of BIOL 1010 Human Anatomy and CHEM 1030 General Chemistry
    • Earliest completion date of admission requirements
    • Highest Accuplacer Reading Comprehension Score
• I wish to apply to the Physical Therapist Assistant program in the application period that starts February and June 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process. Preference will be given to students with the following criteria:
    • Exceptional GPA
    • Grade of (A- or above) in BIOL 1010 preferred
    • Grade of (A- or above) in PHTA 1000 preferred
    • Exceptional Accuplacer Reading Test score
    • Completion of the greatest number of required general education courses:
      (BIOL 1010, BIOL 1020, ENGL 1010, SPCH 1100, MATH 1420, PSYC 2010, PSYC 2030)
    • Earliest completion date of admission requirements
• I wish to apply to the Respiratory Therapy program in the application period that start October 1 to November 2, 2009 and  February, June, July, August and October 2010. What criteria will be considered for potential admission to the program?
  • In addition to the admission requirements, applications will be considered through a competitive process and includes the following criteria in descending order by grade:
    • BIOL 1010 Human Anatomy
    • ENGL 1010 English Composition I
    • Completion of greatest number of general education courses:
      (BIOL 1020, BIOL 2210, CHEM 1010, PSYC 2010, Elective (HUMANITIES or SOCIAL SCIENCES)
    • Earliest completion date of admission requirements
• I am currently fulfilling prerequisites for one of the health sciences programs (other than Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Radiography). Will I also need to apply during the specific application timeframe identified?
  • Yes. If you have fulfilled your admission requirements, you should apply during this timeframe. 
    • Clinical Laboratory Technology
    • Dental Assisting
    • Histotechnician
    • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
    • Occupational Therapy Assistant
    • Opticianry Program
    • Phlebotomy
    • Physical Therapist Assistant
    • Renal Dialysis Technology
    • Respiratory Therapy
    • Therapeutic Massage
• Can I be considered for more than one program?
  • Yes. Students can apply to more than one program for admissions consideration.