Admissions Process for Part-Time Study
All part-time undergraduate students are admitted through Undergraduate Admissions.
If an individual is a first-time student, he/she must submit a high school transcript and meet with an admissions counselor.
New students should follow these easy steps to become part-time students at Sacred Heart University:
Create an account, complete an online application and make an appointment to meet with a part-time admissions counselor. The application form is available online at https://apply.sacredheart.edu. Transfer students should fax a copy of their college transcript(s) to Undergraduate Admissions prior to their appointment. A final official transcript should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office for evaluation and inclusion in the student’s academic record. Students may register for up to 9 credits.
All admissions requirements must be fulfilled prior to being awarded financial assistance. All students must be in compliance with state law before registering. For information regarding immunization requirements, contact the University’s Health Services Office at 203-371-7838 or visit the Health Services website: www.sacredheart.edu/healthservices
College Credit by Examination—National Testing Programs
EXCELSIOR, CLEP, and DANTES
These are national programs awarding college credit by examination.
The University awards credit for CLEP, DANTES, and certain EXCELSIOR exams. College credit is awarded when a student successfully passes an exam. Credit is awarded only in areas where the student does not have prior credit applied toward a degree.
Students may not take exams in a graduating semester.
Sacred Heart University offers the nursing student the opportunity to take EXCELSIOR exams in anatomy and physiology I and II, and the National League for Nursing (NLN) challenge exam in microbiology. For additional information concerning these exams, contact the Nursing Programs Office at 203-371-7715.
Assessment of Prior Learning Program
Recognizing that higher education also occurs outside the classroom, the University awards academic credit to students for what they have learned through life and/or work experience in very exceptional circumstances. This experience can be the result of self-education, professional certification, in-service training programs, volunteer work, or management work.
In order to apply for credit, the student must be enrolled at the University in the semester in which the portfolio is submitted. Credit is awarded only for experience that parallels the University’s courses and programs. This credit can be used in the core curriculum, in the major, or as free electives as long as the student completes at least 30 credit hours in the classroom, with half of the required major courses taken in the classroom at Sacred Heart University. No more than 60 credits can be awarded for prior learning and CLEP, DANTES, and EXCELSIOR combined. This credit is not awarded in areas where national testing programs are applicable.
For this process of Prior Learning Assessment, Sacred Heart University has partnered with Charter Oak State College so our students will benefit from a long-standing PLA program from which SHU accepts transfer credits.
The process includes enrolling in a portfolio course that is designed to help students analyze their experience, relate it to specific college courses, determine what the learning objectives and/or topics covered in the course would be, and choose appropriate supporting documentation. It guides students through the process of constructing a résumé, identifying areas where they have college-level knowledge, writing a biographical overview of their relevant background, analyzing course knowledge components, and completing a narrative essay that will do the following:
- Describe what the student knows
- Relate that knowledge to every course knowledge component that the student has identified
- Specify when, where, and how the student acquired that knowledge
- Present each piece of supporting documentation and describe how it supports the student’s claim to knowledge
A portfolio(s) is then submitted for evaluation. Credits earned can then be transferred to SHU.
For additional information on the Assessment of Prior Learning program, contact Undergraduate Part-Time Admissions.
Withdrawals from courses must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar. Official withdrawal is necessary and must be submitted by the last day to withdraw (see Academic Calendar for deadline dates).
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement
Sacred Heart University has been approved by Connecticut to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of post-secondary distance education. For information regarding professional licensure by state, visit www.sacredheart.edu/aboutshu/consumerinformation/disclosuresandstudentcomplaints/