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Freshmen FAQ for undergraduate admissions:
The application process:
Q: I've applied online (or mailed in) my admissions application - what do I do now?
The application will 'start' your application file, and you've likely included your essay with the application. You'll need to request to have your academic transcript sent to us--and be sure you send your official test scores to Quinnipiac. We require one letter of recommendation (guidance counselor or teacher) - you can have a second one sent to us if you wish. High school seniors should send their first quarter grades when they're available.
Q. Do you want all my test scores or just the highest ones?
We value the effort students make when they repeat tests - so we do want all scores (not just the highest). We will automatically select the highest critical reading, math and writing scores or the highest ACT composite score when we review your application.
Q: How do I send official test scores?
Quinnipiac's code for the SAT is 3712, and for the ACT is 0582. You do not need to use the 'rush' scores, we will receive them electronically from the testing service. If you did not select Quinnipiac as a score recipient when you registered for the test, please be sure you go back and add us to your list.
Q: How will I know if you're missing anything in my file?
We will email students at the email address provided on the application, both to acknowledge receipt of their application, as well as to ask for missing information.
Q: Does Quinnipiac offer early decision or early action?
Neither - we read files on a rolling admission basis - which means we start reading them when they are complete - usually beginning in November, when we start receiving the results of the October and November test scores and first quarter grades.
Q: When will I know your decision?
We begin notifying students of their admissions decisions early in January - and you have until May 1 to reply back to us.
Q: So when is the best time to apply?
We recommend high school seniors apply early in the fall in order to be sure to be considered for the program of their choice. Our official application deadline is February 1, but best advice is to apply much earlier.
Q: What is the deadline for Physical Therapy, Nursing and Physician Assistant programs?
We strongly recommended that you apply by November 1 for consideration to those three programs.
Admission Requirements:
Q: What ARE the admissions requirements?
A bit of a tougher question as we review each application individually and look for a student's strengths. We take into consideration your academic record - courses taken, course levels, grade pattern (improving?) and the courses you're taking in your senior year."In general" we look for an overall average of B+ or higher. On the SAT I, we look for critical reading plus math scores of 1050 or higher, or an ACT composite score of 22 - and we'll review all the other information there as well - recommendation(s), your essay and first quarter senior grades. We look for at least three years of math and science for most programs - but for the School of Health Sciences, four years of each are preferred.
Q: What if I don't meet the criteria?
We review all the information in the file - there is not a hard and fast minimum to be admitted - on average, the students we admitted for this most recent year ranked in the top 20 percent of their high school class, and had 1150 on the critical reading + math portions of the SAT. By average - we mean there are those both above and below those numbers.
Q: OK, but if I'm wait-listed, what does that mean?
Being wait-listed can mean one of the following:
- We've admitted our goal number and need to wait until close to May 1 before we'll know of any possible openings in the class - but your grades and scores are strong! Instructions about how to let us know you're still interested in Quinnipiac will be sent with the letter.
- While we find lots of positives in the application information, we may be wait-listing students as we review the remaining applications due to the competitiveness of the applicant pool. Again - we'll know better if we have space as we near May 1. Instructions about how to let us know you're still interested in Quinnipiac will be sent with the letter.
Q: What's important about May 1?
May 1 is the date by which students must confirm their intent to matriculate by sending in the deposit to the college of their choice. At Quinnipiac, our deposit is $200 if you plan to commute and $550 if you plan to reside on campus. Information on how to deposit will be sent with the acceptance letter.
Academic Programs:
Q: How are the academic programs organized?
We have 52 undergraduate majors through our five Schools and Colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, Schools of Business, Communication, Health Sciences, and Education.
Q: Where's the list of majors?
Check out the list of the undergraduate majors.
Q: I thought Quinnipiac had a major in veterinary technology?
Our veterinary technology program admitted its final class in the fall of 2008. Students interested in becoming veterinarians can still be part of our pre-med program and can choose a major of their interest - perhaps in biology or health science studies.
Q: What if I'm undecided about a major?
Being undecided is ok - when you apply, you can choose a college or school to be undecided 'in', or we will place you in the College of Arts and Sciences as a general undeclared student. Special advisers work with our students to help them become familiar with all their options at Quinnipiac and students would usually select a major by the end of their sophomore year.
Q: Is it easy to move from one major to another?
The answer is both 'yes' and 'it depends'. If you change majors within a school, it's usually easy to do - you'd speak with the chairperson of the program you wish to move into for advisement. If you're changing schools eg: going from the School of Health Sciences to the College of Arts and Sciences, you would speak with the chairperson of the major you wish to move into to find out if there are any prerequisites to any courses that you'll need to get scheduled. They'll also check your grade point average and current course selections.
Q: Can I major in something in one school and minor in a subject in another school?
The answer is usually yes. Some programs require that you have a minor and may wish you to minor outside of your major school. Check out our list of minors.
Q: I'm interested in becoming a teacher - how do I go about that?
The School of Educationis happy to advise you from your start at Quinnipiac to prepare you to teach at the elementary or secondary level. The program is a five-year Master of Arts in Teaching - where you complete an undergraduate degree in a subject area and start your education sequence as a junior. You'll receive your bachelor's degree after four years, and continue immediately into a graduate year to complete your program. Your undergraduate major will likely in the College of Arts and Sciences to help prepare your background in the subject area you wish to teach. You can find more information on the elementary and secondary education pages.
Housing:
Q: When will I learn about housing choices and roommate selection?
After students have confirmed that they intend to enroll and pay their matriculation deposit, residence life will survey them in order to match roommates. Incoming students are notified of their housing assignment over the summer, usually by early August.
Q: Does Quinnipiac guarantee housing for all four years?
Quinnipiac guarantees housing for three years to an incoming freshman and two years to an incoming transfer student. Seniors are accommodated in Quinnipiac housing through the lottery system, with an available number of spaces determined early in their junior year able to be reserved for their senior year. All returning students to residential life participate in the housing lottery system which allows students to choose their housing options after determining a priority order. More information about living on campus.
Scholarships:
Q: How do I apply for scholarships?
There is no separate scholarship application. We review every student who is admitted for a possible scholarship. Scholarships are based on a student's academic record - their rank in class in their high school PLUS their SAT or ACT scores. We use the highest critical reading and the highest math scores, and/or the highest ACT composite score.
Q: My high school doesn't provide a rank in class, what happens then?
Most high schools that don't actually 'rank' students, DO provide us with some type of grade distribution information. We can then determine what grade point average would be necessary to rank in the top 20% of the class. If we're not sure - we'll contact the high school, or we'll estimate based on the information in the file.
Q: What types of scholarships are there?
View a complete list of current scholarship awards.
Financial Aid:
Q: Should I apply for financial aid?
We recommend that every family who feels they would like to be considered for financial aid, SHOULD file the FAFSA. These are challenging economic times, and the cost of higher education is considerable. Let us see how we can assist you financially. At the very least - filing the FAFSA allows you access to the federal Direct Loan program.
Q: How do I apply for financial aid?
The only form Quinnipiac requires is the FAFSA which is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov and is a free form to file. You'll need to have much of your 2009 income tax information available so we encourage you to put that together fairly early in 2010, so that you can use ACTUAL information (rather than estimated) when you file the FAFSA. File the FAFSA after January 1, and before March 1 for consideration for maximum financial aid.
Q: If my family uses 'estimated' information when filing the FAFSA, what happens?
They must go back and correct any misinformation when they have accurate tax data. Any changes may result in a change to your financial aid award. If you haven't gone back and corrected any information, in our verification process (checking information along with copies of your tax return) we might need to change your financial aid award later in the process and it can be confusing to families.
Please check out the FAQ on the Financial Aid site.