Guaranteed Admission Program F.A.Q.
Find frequently asked questions below regarding the Guaranteed Admission Programs. Please thoroughly review the responses to these questions. If you have a question not addressed below, consult the program listings on our Guaranteed Admission Program page. All other questions can be directed to the Honors College at honors@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1803.
You must submit an application through the Honors College application portal at apply.honors.vcu.edu. Create a prospective student account, begin an incoming freshman application, and then select the appropriate Guaranteed Admission Program at the top of the page to open the second half of the application, which is only for students applying to Guaranteed Admission Programs.
Yes, submission of the Common App to VCU is required for consideration to the Honors College and Guaranteed Admission Program.
No, all Honors Guaranteed Admission Program applications are evaluated for both admission into the VCU Honors College as well as the selected Guaranteed Admission Program.
All materials must be submitted by November 1, 11:59pm EST in the calendar year prior to matriculation at VCU as a first-year student. There are no exceptions to this deadline. It is your responsibility to make certain that materials are received by the stated deadline date.
Yes, a test report from College Board or ACT must be received by the November 1 deadline. SAT scores of at least 1330 (critical reading and math; in one test administration) or ACT composite scores of at least 29 are required for consideration. Superscores will not be considered for admission. November SAT or ACT scores of the year of application will not be considered. The SAT code for VCU is 5570, and the ACT code for VCU is 4379.
Applicants must have an unweighted high school GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent.
The graduate-level professional programs are not major-restrictive, so you are able to major in what you would like for your undergraduate degree. The undergraduate-level programs are major-restrictive and must align with the Guaranteed Admission Program you are applying to. The undergraduate-level programs are major-restrictive and must align with the Guaranteed Admission Program you are applying to.
No, instead, there are two short essays on the Guaranteed Admission Program application. Each essay is limited to 250 words.
- Comment on your motivation for, and interest in, your chosen healthcare path.
- Discuss one thing about you that is unique, which has not been addressed anywhere else in this application.
Clinical experience is considered firsthand exposure to the healthcare field, whether through clinical shadowing, paid employment, or volunteer work.
Non-clinical experience can include anything from part-time employment to extensive community service experience to starting your own non-profit organization. Do not include high school clubs or organizations in this section.
No, research is not required. However, if you have research experience, you can list it in the appropriate box in the application. Research experience can include any research conducted in high school, through a college or university, or with a research institution.
The extracurricular section can include awards, leadership experiences, high school club and organization involvement, and other long-term activities, such as music lessons or sports, etc. broken down by high school grade level. Please use a list format in the extracurricular section. Do not repeat what has already been reported in the clinical and non-clinical sections of the application.
The same noncognitive qualities used in regular health-science professions acceptance are taken into consideration for the Honors College Guaranteed Admission Programs. These include, but are not limited to, interpersonal skills, maturity, personal motivation, written and oral communication skills, letters of recommendation, evidence of commitment to healthcare, experience in related healthcare fields, compassion, and community service.
A completed application must include a minimum of two, and a maximum of four, letters of recommendation. We suggest that one of these letters come from your school counselor and, if you have volunteer and/or paid work in a healthcare environment, one from your supervisor. These letters should include, but are not limited to, statements about your ability as a student, potential as a health professional, and extracurricular activities in your school and community.
You must include your reference writers’ email addresses and names on your application. Once your application has been submitted, your reference writers will be prompted via email to compose a letter and will be given information on how to upload it into your Guaranteed Admission Program application. The Honors College will not retrieve reference letters sent in with the VCU Common Application. Only letters submitted through the Honors College online submission system will be included with your Guaranteed Admission Program application.
For your VCU undergraduate application please refer to your VIP page. This will also allow you to track if your ACT or SAT scores have been received. For your Guaranteed Admission Application, you can review if references have been submitted by logging back into your Honors portal.
Yes, certain Guaranteed Admissions Programs require an interview, which include the following: medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, dental hygiene, and clinical radiation sciences. Interviews are held virtually over Zoom.
The selection committee convenes in January to review completed applications, and all applicants are notified later that month via email whether they have been invited for interviews. Interviews are conducted in February. Due to the limited number of guaranteed positions, not all applicants are interviewed, even though they may be highly qualified. Final decisions will be shared no later than April 1.
Guaranteed Admission Programs that do not have an interview component will have all admissions decisions out by the end of January.
No, you will receive separate admission decisions for both the VCU Honors College and Guaranteed Admission Program.
Yes, active membership with the VCU Honors College and graduation with University Honors is required of all participants in the Guaranteed Admission Programs.
If you are applying for a graduate-level professional program, you will be able to apply again through the Preferred Applicant Track, the second entry point into the Guaranteed Admission Program. Otherwise, you will be able to apply for the various health science programs through their general admission processes.
You may only apply to one program in an application cycle.
No, there are no prerequisite courses required to be considered for the Guaranteed Admission Program. We will review high school transcripts to see if a student chose a challenging curriculum, including AP, IB, or dual enrollment courses, if offered by the high school.
Graduation timelines can vary depending on the Guaranteed Admission Program you apply to. This is not an accelerated program. Students in the Guaranteed Admission Program cannot enter the professional program they applied to earlier than the set matriculation year unless they apply through the standard application process. For more information on the timeline of the various Guaranteed Admission Programs, please refer to the specific program listings
Yes, VCU accepts college credit earned in high school through AP, IB, and dual enrollment courses. Learn more about the process from the VCU Transfer Center.
Yes, out-of-state students are welcome and encouraged to apply. Residency is not taken into consideration when reviewing applications.
Yes, international students are eligible to apply for the Guaranteed Admission Programs.