Application Process and General College Admission Criteria

Types of Applicants

• New Students - students who have graduated from high school or received a GED and have not completed any college coursework post-graduation.
• College Credit Plus Students - home school, public school, or private school students, grades 7th-12th, with an opportunity to earn college credit prior to high school graduation.
• Transfer Students - students who have earned 12 or more credit hours from a post-secondary institution that is recognized from a historically regional accrediting organization. All other transfer credit may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

• Non-degree Seeking Students – students who want to take a course(s) and do not intend to pursue a degree.

• International Students – students who have originated in a country other than the United States of America and are not permanent residents or U.S. citizens.

Please Note: Mercy College has not petitioned or received approval from the United States Department of Homeland Security to sponsor international students for F-1, J-1, or M-1 immigration status and cannot issue Form I-20 or other sponsoring documentation. An applicant for admission must be a U.S. Citizen or a U.S. Permanent Resident, possess valid immigration status, or must have permission to be present and attend school in the United States. We require all non-U.S. citizen students to provide proof of immigration status or lawful presence in the United States.

Immigration Status Admission Policy

Mercy College of Ohio only admits students who are U.S. Citizens, U.S. Permanent Residents, have valid immigration status, or otherwise have permission to be present and attend school in the United States. Students who lose their immigration status or permission to remain and attend school in the United States during the course of their enrollment will no longer be eligible to attend the College and will be dismissed.

Mercy College of Ohio considers individuals approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to be domestic students. Please note, however, that there may be limitations on financial assistance and licensures that you should discuss with our Office of Admissions.

Amended January 31, 2024

Applicants with international transcripts are required to submit their official transcripts to any current member of National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) for a course-by-course evaluation and calculated cumulative grade point average (GPA). A list of current NACES members can be found here.

Refer to the Official Transcript Definition catalog section for more information.

Amendment ended January 31, 2024

Required Documentation by Type of Applicants

The following documents are used to evaluate new students for admission:

• Official high school transcript with GPA
• Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges and universities while attending high school

  High School students’ semester grades will be recalculated using the following table to show cumulative subject grades in Algebra, Biology, and Chemistry with lab. Weighted courses will be recalculated using a weighted grading scale. All courses should be completed with a grade of “C” or better; a grade of “B” or better is preferred.

The following documents are used to evaluate College Credit Plus students for admission:

• Complete and submit 'Intent to Apply' form to high school guidance counselor by April 1st
• Official high school transcript with GPA
• Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges and universities while attending high school (if applicable)

*For applicants with a cumulative high school GPA of 2.75 but less than 3.0 and received an "A" or "B" grade in relevant high school courses (Algebra and Biology), also:

• Official ACT/SAT scores; if a student has not taken the ACT or SAT, students will be required to complete the ALEKS placement assessment at Mercy College at no cost to the student
  
  

  Exam	Subtest	Assessment Threshold (Eligible)
  SAT	Evidence Based Reading & Writing	480
  	Mathematics	530
  ACT	English	18
  	Reading	22
  	Mathematics	22
  ALEKS	Mathematics	46

The following documents are used to evaluate transfer students for admission:

• Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges and universities (dual-degree transfer students follow their home institution requirements for transcript documentation)
• High school transcript or GED for a student who has not earned at least an associate degree
• GPA which includes all coursework attempted or earned at an institution that is approved/accredited by a historically regional accrediting organization
  
  A transfer student who is pursuing a program at Mercy College of Ohio that is offered exclusively online is required to submit two (2) forms of verification of Student Identity (see Verification of Student Identity Policy) in the Admission process.

The following documents are used to evaluate international students for admission:

• Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities
• High school transcript or GED for a student that has not earned at least an associate degree
• Applicants with international transcripts are required to submit their official transcripts to World Education Services (WES) for a course-by-course level evaluation and calculated cumulative grade point average (GPA); information is available at www.wes.org
• GPA which includes all coursework attempted or earned at an institution that is approved/accredited by a historically regional accrediting organization
• Permanent Resident, Green Card, or appropriate immigration paperwork
  
  A transfer student who is pursuing a program at Mercy College of Ohio that is offered exclusively online is required to submit two (2) forms of verification of Student Identity (see Verification of Student Identity Policy) in the Admission process.

The following documents are used to evaluate transient students for admission:

• Form completed by the Registrar of current post-secondary institution indicating the course will transfer back to that institution
  • Good standing at the current post-secondary institution
  • All pre-requisites met for the intended course(s)
• Submit two (2) forms of verification of Student Identity (see Verification of Student Identity Policy) in the Admission process

The following documents are used to evaluate special status students:

• Official transcripts documenting all pre-requisites met for intended course(s)
• Submit two (2) forms of verification of Student Identity (see Verification of Student Identity Policy) in the Admission process
  
  Special status students enrolled in a course to obtain CEUs are not required to submit transcripts if not currently enrolled at another institution.