No./Title: COHP110 Admissions Policy		Resp. Office: STUDENT AFFAIRS Approval Body: College Council	Effective Date: March 2019
Category: Student		Last Review: August 2024	Next Review: August 2027
Contact: Neale R. Chumbler, Executive Associate Dean for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs		 901.448.3574	 nchumbl1@uthsc.edu
Related Policies:	COHP106 Waiver and/or Substitution Request

Introduction

The College of Health Professions (COHP) strives to create a diverse student body that is representative of a wide range of social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds and maintains excellence in each of the academic programs. All qualified in-state and-out of-state individuals who meet the admissions requirements for the academic programs offered by the College are encouraged to apply and will be considered fully. However, as a state-supported institution, preference for admission will be given to residents of the state of Tennessee who have the same qualifications as non-resident applicants.

Procedure

The minimum admission requirements and the overall grade point average (GPA) required for admission to each program varies and can be found in the UTHSC Academic Bulletin.
An applicant may be conditionally accepted to a program without having completed all prerequisite work. However, coursework must be successfully completed prior to final acceptance and thereby starting the program.
The admissions committee may consider substituting a similar course for a prerequisite course with approval from the Executive Associate Dean for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs. See COHP106 Waiver and/or Substitution Request Policy for submission process.
Applicants who have not completed all pre-requisite course requirements must submit a proposed plan of study for completion of all remaining required course work as part of their initial application. The purpose of the proposed plan of study is to determine whether it is possible for an applicant to complete all requirements.
The purpose of other required materials, such as the essay contained in the official application and the pre-professional evaluation, is to assess such attributes as communication skills, behavioral/social attributes, emotional health, good judgment, responsibility, ability to function under stress, and flexibility. Please note that not all programs have essays and certain supplemental items.
Applicants must complete tests or examinations such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and submit results when required by the program to which they apply.
Applicants must participate in an in-person interview if required by the program admission committee. This in-person interview can provide an important opportunity for the admission committee members to assess each applicant’s knowledge of and interest in the discipline being considered, and to observe each applicant’s personal attributes and interpersonal skills, just to name a few. The interview also gives applicants the opportunity to elaborate upon special circumstances that should be considered in the selection process. In some programs, interviews are used for advising applicants, and if they occur early in the cycle, provide an opportunity to advise applicants about remaining prerequisites and to make sure the correct courses are being planned. Interview results should be maintained in the applicant’s record in the program files for future reference. Alternative approaches for interviews (e.g. zoom/teams etc.) may be conducted by programs that are delivered fully online, and for international applicants or applicants with home addresses for the application that exceed 500 miles from the site of instruction.
English courses taken at foreign universities (if accepted by the program) are counted as electives (English as a second language) and do not count toward fulfilling the prerequisite requirements for English in the programs requiring such a prerequisite.
Programs may require applicants to have a specified number of observational hours in the clinical or laboratory setting.