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ACAOM is open to all qualified applicants and will provide educational opportunities to all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, or physical disability. The institution accepts applicants who meet the educational requirements and present evidence that their personal credentials and intellectual skills are of sufficient quality to indicate the likelihood of success in the study and practice of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Prerequisite for Admission
To be eligible for admission, prospective students must meet the following conditions:
1. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent with at least 30 semester credit hours of general education (120 semester credit hours with 30 of those semester hours being upper-level) from college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency that is approved by the U.S. Department of Education or Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
2. Basic science requirement of six (6) semester hours from two of the following three courses: Biology, Chemistry, or Biochemistry. (These undergraduate courses are not offered at ACAOM, but may be completed within the first two semesters as co-requisites at another undergraduate school.)
3. An undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, or a 3.0 GPA on the last 60 semester hours. A student who has earned a master degree may be admitted on the basis of that degree with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Requirements for U.S Citizens and Residents
In order to apply successfully to ACAOM, applicants must:
1. Complete the application form and submit two identical passport size photographs.
2. Submit official transcripts directly to ACAOM from all colleges previously attended.
3. Write an essay (topic listed on the application).
4. Secure two letters of recommendation from current or previous employers or other responsible individuals who have known you for more than 2 years.
5. Provide a copy of valid personal identification.
6. Enclose a non-refundable application fee of $100 payable to ACAOM by the application deadline. Applicants submitting after the deadline must enclose an additional $50.
Requirements for International Students
ACAOM is authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant international students. To apply:
1. Complete the application form and provide two identical passport size photographs.
2. Submit official transcripts from all colleges previously attended. If any transcript is from an international institution and it cannot be determined that all academic requirements for admission have been satisfied, then a credential evaluation of the academic transcript is required. Students can choose Global Credential Evaluators, Inc. (www.gcevaluators.com) or another agency of their choice.
3. Write an essay (on the topic listed on the application).
4. Secure two letters of recommendation from current or previous employers or other responsible individuals who have known you for more than 2 years.
5. Provide a copy of valid personal identification.
6. Submit a non-refundable application fee of $150 payable to ACAOM by the application deadline. Applicants submitting after the deadline must enclose $200.
7. Students from non-English speaking countries must submit a TOEFL score of at least 500 (paper-based) or equivalent .
8. Submit proof of financial responsibility, either in the form of a bank statement or affidavit of support showing a guaranteed support of at least U.S $26,416. Please contact the Admission’s office to obtain an affidavit of support form.
Non-Degree Seeking Students
A student may request non-degree seeking status or may be asked by the College to accept this status for a period of time not to exceed one year (three consecutive semesters). A non- degree seeking student must meet all admission requirements and all prerequisites for enrolling in courses. Once accepted, the student may enroll in only first year courses unless granted an exception by the Dean of Academic Affairs. The student will not be eligible for financial aid and may not enroll for any clinic courses. The non-degree seeking status provides no guarantee to the student of being accepted as a degree seeking student at any time in the future.
A non-degree seeking student wishing to become a degree seeking student may apply to change status after successfully completing at least one semester and before the end of the third semester. The catalog to be followed by the degree seeking student will be the one in effect at the time of the change of status.
Conditional Admission
An applicant (usually with a degree from a foreign university) who has challenges in securing official transcripts of all his/her academic record in a timely fashion, but who can provide other strong evidence of a successful academic record may be considered for conditional admission for one semester pending arrival of additional documentation. Such cases may involve issues of an institution changing names, merging with another institution, or going out of business; records being seized by the state, destroyed or misplaced as a result of a state of war; or other unavoidable circumstances. Such students may present unofficial or informal documents for consideration pending the arrival of official records and documentation of earned degree(s). Such temporary documents may include any or all of the following: A student’s copy of a transcript showing a degree from the college/university, a copy or original of a professional license issued to practice a profession in relation to the claimed degree, an evaluation of the student’s academic credentials—including his/her transcript—done earlier by Global Credential Evaluators or another agency of the student’s choice made of a now lost official document set, or other such documentation.
Upon the satisfactory completion of the one semester of study and the necessary official documents for regular admission still not being available, the student may, with the approval of the admissions office, continue in the second semester as a non-degree student pending the arrival of official academic records to complete the student’s admission requirements. The student may not continue beyond the second semester without all records being completed.
Conditional admission may also be granted to a student who is in the last semester of completing a bachelor degree (or equivalent, 120 semester hours) and has a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or above on a 4.0 system. Upon satisfactory completion of the semester’s work in progress, and meeting all other requirements, the admission status will advance to regular admission of the student.
For information on transfer credits, continue here.