Admissions Documentation

Application for admission must include:

1. A properly completed Application for Admission form.

2. A NON-REFUNDABLE application fee of $75.00.

The applicant must provide the following to the Director of Admissions:

1. Official transcripts of all college records.

2. Three letters of recommendation.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

International applicants must complete an Application for International Students as well as an Application to the College of Naturopathic Medicine. Applicants who have done pre-professional study in foreign countries must submit official copies of the records of such study as well as certified translations if the original records are not in English. Usually, these records must be evaluated by an appropriate professional agency. Any fees charged by such an agency are the responsibility of the student. Following submission of these documents to UBCNM, the Director of Admissions will make contact with the prospective student.

All applicants whose native language is not English (including U.S. citizens) must demonstrate proficiency in English at a level appropriate for advanced scientific study. At a minimum, proficiency can be demonstrated in one of the ways listed below:

1. A score of 550 or better on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) AND a score of 50 or better on the Test Of Spoken English (TSE). Information on the TOEFL/TSE can be obtained from TOEFL, P. O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, U.S.A.

2. Receipt of a grade of "C" or better in one semester of English at an accredited U.S. college or university.

3. Successful completion of intensive English Language study at the University of Bridgeport's English Language Institute.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Applications for admission may be submitted at any time. Notification of acceptance will be made as soon as possible; however general admission to the programoccurs only with the Fall term. Only advanced placement and/or transfer students are accepted for Spring term.

TRANSFER CREDITS

The University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine may grant transfer credit for courses taken in accredited professional and graduate schools. In doing so, the following requirements must be met:

1. Courses taken must have content equivalent to courses given at UBCNM. If the UBCNM course contains a laboratory, so must the course being considered for transfer

2. A course being considered for transfer must have credits and hours equivalent to or greater than the same course at UBCNM.

3. Any course to be transferred must have been passed with a grade of "C" or better (2.00 on a 4.00 scale.)

4. A transfer course must carry credit equal to the UBCNM course for which credit is granted. The original grade earned is not transferred and does not affect the student's QPR at UBCNM.

5. In order to obtain transfer credit the student must have been granted an honorable withdrawal from the professional or graduate school attended.

It is important to note that all transfer students must meet the entry level prerequisites for first semester students regardless of having been accepted to the institution from which they are transferring.

Students wishing to transfer must provide the Admissions Committee with an official transcript and a catalog from the naturopathic, professional or graduate school from which they are transferring, as well as a syllabus from each course for which the student is requesting transfer credits. A letter needs to be provided from the dean of the college indicating the student is leaving in good academic standing.

ADVANCED STANDING

Candidates for the College of Naturopathic Medicine eho have a substantial amount of transfer credit may be eligible advanced standing. This will generally be limited to allopathic, chiropractic, or osteopathic physicians, or to students transferring from the allopathic, chiropractic, naturopathic or osteopathic schools. Candidates for advanced standing must meet the same admission requirements as entering first year students, and must have left their previous program in good academic standing. The records of these candidates will be evaluated for transfer credit according to the guidelines listed above and a preliminary plan for completing the program will be presented at the time of acceptance.

Students accepted with advanced standing must complete all of the course requirements for the naturopathic medical degree, either through transfer, or completion of the courses. Students are required to be in residence at the University of Bridgeport for a minimum of two years and complete all clinical internship requirements here.

SELECTION OF CANDIDATES

The University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine is coeducational and does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of sex, race, creed, color or national origin. (Title VI, Civil Rights Act 1964).

All eligible finalists are invited to visit the campus for a personal interview before any action is taken upon their application.  

Among the qualities typical of most successful candidates for admission, the following are especially important:

1. Superior communication skills, both oral and written.

2. Evidence of strong motivation to become a helping professional and, more specifically, a physician.

3. Initiative and honesty as evidenced in the candidate's transactions within the application process and in all information submitted in support of the application.

4. Academic achievement which compares favorably with that of successful students at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine.

CANCELLATION OF ADMISSION OR REGISTRATION

The College reserves the right to cancel the admission or registration of individuals whose attendance at the College, in the opinion of the appropriate administrative officers and Dean, is not mutually beneficial to that person and to the institution.

Individuals who have registered at other educational institutions may not disregard such records and make application on the basis of high school and selected college transcripts.

Applicants who gain admission to the College on the basis of incomplete or fraudulent credentials or misrepresentations in their written application for admission may have their:

* admission and registration cancelled without refund of any fees; and

* total credits rescinded that have been earned following such admissions; and

* future registration at the College prohibited.

PRE-PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE

It is most important that all candidates for admission thoroughly investigate the specific requirements of each state in which they plan to practice. In some cases, pre-professional requirements must be completed prior to entrance into a naturopathic program in order to be qualified to apply for a state licensing examination.

LICENSING AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

Currently, Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine are licensed in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as several Canadian provinces. Graduates of approved naturopathic colleges take a national standardized examination called the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination (NPLEX) to be eligible for licensing in most states.

For specific professional requirements for licensing, candidates should contact the appropriate State Board of Naturopathic Examiners or the designated State licensing agency.

Most states have a professional naturopathic association, and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) is the national professional association for naturopathic medicine.

INFORMATION SUBJECT TO CHANGE

The College of Naturopathic Medicine provides the foregoing information for the purpose of providing students, applicants, and the public with information about the educational programs and policies of the College. This information does not constitute a contract. The College reserves the right to make changes in the program, policies, tuition, fees, schedules, and any other content at any time without prior notice.