Catalog - Table of Index

Admission Requirements

General Admission, Full-time First-year Students

Misericordia University encourages applications from those who seek a strong liberal arts base for their chosen baccalaureate education, and who present evidence of the ability and desire to pursue an academic program of study.

Candidates for general admission are reviewed on a rolling admission basis by the committee on admissions. The decision to admit a student is based on the student’s intended field of study and on an evaluation of the student’s qualifications. An applicant for admission who wishes to enter the first-year student class should provide the Admissions Office with the following:

1. Hard copy or electronic (www.misericordia.edu) application for admission with non-refundable $25 fee. The application fee is waived for applicants who have visited campus.
2. Official copy of the secondary school transcript forwarded to the director of admissions by the guidance department of the secondary school. The transcript should indicate that the candidate has completed, or is in the process of completing, at least 16 Carnegie Units. The transcript should include current semester courses and all pertinent information regarding the student’s educational background. Students who have secured a high school equivalency diploma will also be considered for admission, and must submit a copy of their GED (General Education Development) test.
3. Test results of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board or the American College Testing (ACT) Program are generally required for admission.Waiving of test requirements is made only by written permission from the Director of Admissions.
4. A written recommendation from the high school principal, guidance counselor, or teacher is encouraged. For applicants to the occupational therapy (OT) program, two letters of recommendation and documentation of ten hours of service in an OT setting are also required. For occupational therapy and speech-language pathology applicants, a 500-word essay on their professional interested is also required.

Although personal interviews are not normally required, applicants are strongly encouraged to arrange for a personal interview and tour.

Incoming full-time students who wish to enroll at Misericordia University for either the fall or spring semester must submit a non-refundable reservation deposit of $300. Normally, reservation deposits should be made within six weeks of notification of acceptance.When needed, requests for extensions to the deposit deadline may be submitted to the Office of Admissions.

Transfer Program

Transfer Students Without an Associate Degree
Misericordia University welcomes students who wish to transfer from other accredited four-year colleges or universities, or two-year junior or community colleges. Prospective full-time transfer students are encouraged to arrange an interview with the admissions office to review academic status and proposed curriculum. Prospective part-time transfer students are encouraged to arrange an interview with the Center for Adult and Continuing Education.

Prospective transfer students will be considered for admission if they have maintained a cumulative GPA (grade point average) of 2.0 or better (based on a 4.0 system). Higher GPA may be required to specific majors. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 30 credits at Misericordia University. The university will accept no more than 60 credits from any single or combination of two year institution(s). Only grades of C or better from an accredited, degree-granting institution will be accepted for transfer credit. The Registrar, however, reserves the right to award or withhold credit. GPA requirements for advancement into the professional level of individual programs vary (see individual curriculum guides for each program.) Candidates who meet the GPA requirements for general admission and who seek advanced standing for previous college work must provide the director of admissions with the following:

1. Application for Admission with a non-refundable $25 fee.
2. Official copy of secondary school transcript or GED test results.
3. Official transcripts from each college previously attended where credit has been earned.

Credit for course transfer will be awarded for those courses that are equivalent to ones offered at Misericordia University. Other transfer credits may be accepted as elective credit. Grades earned at other institutions are not included in the student’s GPA at Misericordia University. Please refer to the section below for specific information, which applies to students transferring with an associate degree.

Transferring with an Associate Degree to a Four-year Program
No student admitted to a four-year program with an equivalent major will be required to complete more than 66 credits at Misericordia University if the student has at least 60 transferable credits. Equivalent means that in the process of transcript evaluation, some courses from the associate degree can be transferred as required major courses in the four-year program to which the student is admitted. If the combined requirements of the core and major exceed 66 credits, and if the associate degree is equivalent to the intended major as determined by the Registrar the following will apply:

1. Priority will be given to the major requirements;
2. In distributing other core curriculum requirements, consideration will be given to enriching the student’s liberal education and complementing core equivalencies completed as part of the associate degree. In this case, determination of appropriate core courses will be done by the student’s advisor in consultation with the Registrar;
3. If it is possible within the 66-credit stipulation, students may complete the core curriculum as required either directly or by reasonable substitution through transferred credit as prescribed by the Misericordia University Registrar in the course of transcript evaluation. In some cases, approved substitute courses may fulfill requirements of both core and major.
4. The addition of a double major, a minor, a concentration, change

Misericordia University maintains general articulation agreements with Luzerne County Community College, Lackawanna College, Northampton Community College and Lehigh Carbon Community College, as well as the following program-specific articulation agreements:

With Luzerne County Community College

• Associate in Science Degree in General Studies to Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
• Associate in Science Degree in General Studies to Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging
• Associate in Science Degree in Business Administration to Bachelor of Science in Sport Management
• Associate in Science Degree in Education to Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Special Education
• Associate in Science Degree in Cyber Security Management to Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

With Lackawanna College

• Associate in Arts in Communication Arts to Bachelor of Arts in Communications
• Associate in Science in Sport Management to Bachelor of Science in Sport Management

With Keystone College

• Associate in Applied Science in Allied Health (Radiologic Technology) to Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging
• Associate in Applied Science in Allied Health (Nursing) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing

With Lehigh Carbon Community College

• Associate in Applied Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant to Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy
• Associate in Science in Sport Management to Bachelor of Science in Sport Management
• Computer Science Associate in Science and Computer Specialist Associate in Applied Science Degrees to Bachelor of Science in Information Technology/li>

With Pennsylvania College of Technology

• Associate in Applied Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant to Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy

With the Commonwealth College of the Pennsylvania State University

• Associate in Science in Physical Therapist Assistant to Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy

Transferring with an Associate Degree to a Five-year Program
Transfer students with an associate degree in Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA) and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) should refer to the admissions section of the program to which they are applying, which appears later in this catalog.

Part Time Students
Students who wish to be accepted to Misericordia University on a part-time basis in either the accelerated degree program (evening/weekend); the Expressway Program at Hazleton, Nanticoke, Scranton or Tannersville; or the semester format should first contact the Center for Adult and Continuing Education for a personal interview. Curriculum requirements, relevant university policies, the process for transfer credit evaluation, and financial aid referral will be explained in detail at that time.

Although part-time students may begin their studies on a non-matriculating basis, they are expected to apply for formal admission to the university at the earliest possible date. Non-matriculated students are limited to earning 15 credits at the university unless special arrangements have been approved. Students applying for part-time admission to the university must:

1. Complete a part-time student application form. Submit a non-refundable $25 fee with the form.
2. Send two official transcripts from each college/university previously attended to the Center for Adult and Continuing Education and Community Service.
3. Send one copy of secondary school (high school) transcript (or GED) to the Center for Adult and Continuing Education if this is the first time attending college.
4. Registered nurses must send transcripts from their diploma-granting institution, as well as a copy of the RN license to the Center for Adult and Continuing Education.

Upon receipt of the application for admission, the secondary school record/transcript or post-secondary transcripts (if applicable), and the appropriate recommendations, the Center for Adult and Continuing Education and department faculty review the applicant’s portfolio. Applicants are notified by mail of the admission decision usually within three weeks. Certain programs have specific requirements for acceptance. Applicants are referred to the description of programs, which appears earlier in the catalog.

Courses, which apply to the student’s field of study, will be evaluated by the Misericordia University’s Registrar on a course by course comparison and are subject to approval by the department chair in consultation with the registrar.

Other Undergraduate Admission Information

International Students
Misericordia University welcomes students from all nations. Students for whom English is not their first language must demonstrate language proficiency. Misericordia University’s Admissions Office can help students register for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which measures listening and reading comprehension as well as written expression. Because Misericordia University does not offer English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, it is essential that the student demonstrate a mastery of the language sufficient to perform college-level work.

Home Schooled Students
Misericordia University welcomes applications from home-schooled students. To apply, home-schooled students must submit a completed application for admission with a $25 application fee (application fee is waived for visitors to campus), a copy of the SAT or ACT score and, when applicable, a copy of the high school transcript (which can be obtained through the home school association). If the applicant is not affiliated with a specific organization, the university will accept a transcript from the home-schooling parent which shows course work completed and grades achieved. A General Education Development (GED) test is not required.

Early Admission
Students who have completed their junior year in high school with an outstanding record of achievement may apply for early admission to Misericordia University.

Advanced Placement
Students who have participated in the College Entrance Examination Board college-level testing program may be granted academic credit at Misericordia University. The decision to award college credit in these cases is made by the registrar and the department sponsoring the course for which credit is requested.

Readmission
Students in good academic and disciplinary standing who have withdrawn from Misericordia University and wish to re-enroll within one calendar year of their withdrawal must notify the admissions office, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the chair of the academic department to which they hope to return. Readmission to the university does not automatically imply readmission to the student’s former program. If a student wishes to return to the university in a different department than the one in which the student was enrolled at the time of withdrawal, the student must make formal application to that department through the admissions office.

Students who have been academically dismissed from a specific academic program but not from the university should consult academic department policies and procedures for specific eligibility requirements for readmission. The readmission process for students who have been academically dismissed from the university must include an interview with, and favorable recommendation from, the chair of the department to which the student is applying. In the case of disciplinary dismissal or a withdrawal for personal reasons, the matter will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs. In all cases, readmission to the university does not imply readmission to one’s former academic program.