13 / 272
Return after Absence
Students who have not been enrolled for one to three semes
ters will need to contact the Admissions office to complete an
internal rejoin process. Those who have been inactive for four
or more semesters will need to reapply to the university. This
time frame does not apply to students enrolled in the Summer
M.Ed. program. Students in this program who have missed two
consecutive Summer sessions must apply for readmission as o
utlinedabove.
Postponement of Enrollment
When the enrollment and room deposits have been paid and a request for postponement is received prior to the originally
intended enrollment date, the deposits will be held for use by the applicant to enroll at a subsequent time. No refund, however,
is granted on cancellation following a postponed enrollment.
Veterans
CIU is approved by the state approval agency (the South Carolina Department of Education of the state of South Carolina) for
training persons eligible for benefits under Veterans Affairs (VA) programs. The VA certifying official is located in the
Financial Aid office.
Undergraduate Policies
Admission of High School Students for Concurrent Enrollment
High school juniors and seniors may apply to enroll in college-level courses as part of CIU’s concurrent enrollment
opportunity. To enroll as a high school concurrent student, the student must submit an official high school transcript at the
time of application for admission. Students who are classified by their high school as a senior may register for lower division
undergraduate courses if they have a high school minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Students who are classified by
their high school as a junior may register for lower division undergraduate courses if they have a high school minimum
cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. A maximum of 24 credit hours may be earned as a high school concurrent student. To be
fully accepted into a CIU undergraduate program, a student must provide a final, official transcript indicating high school
graduation.
Advanced Placement
CIU recognizes that individuals learn in a variety of ways. In some instances, this learning may be validated by taking a
standardized examination from an organization such as the College Entrance Examination Board or the American College
Testing Program. Applicants who have earned satisfactory scores on examinations such as those of the College Level
Examination Program (CLEP) or the Advanced Placement (AP) program will have test results evaluated similar to transfer
credit. For further information regarding AP credit, contact the Office of the University Registrar. Information on CLEP credit
may be obtained in the Academic Success Center office.
Campus Resident Living Requirement
Full-time students who are single and under 23 years old are required to live on campus. Students living with immediate
family within commuting distance are required to live on campus for a minimum of two semesters during their first year of
attendance at CIU. (This requirement also applies to dependents of CIU employees.) The student must be 23 years of age
before August 1 of the current school year to be eligible to live off campus during that school year. Those who believe they
have a legitimate reason for special consideration to live off campus must submit a completed housing appeal form to the
Residence Life office by June 1 for incoming Fall semester students and November 1 for incoming Spring students. The
Housing Appeals Committee will review all appeals.
Standardized Test Exe ption for Older Students
An undergraduate applicant who is 24 years of age or older is not required to submit SAT or ACT test scores. If the individual’s
academic history demonstrates low performance and/or the individual has no previous college experience, the Admissions
Review Committee will review the candidate’s performance in previous educational, work, or military training and determine
if provisional admission is appropriate.
Graduate-level Policies
Non-accredited Degrees
The faculty and administration of CIU recognize that some higher education institutions both in the United States and around
the world have chosen to offer quality instruction and training without the benefit of accreditation by an organization
approved by the United States Department of Education. Generally students graduating with a bachelor’s degree from such
institutions are not eligible for admission to graduate programs at CIU. However, in a limited number of cases it may be
determined that the academic rigor required in the bachelor’s program was sufficient to merit admission. Applicants in this
category must satisfy the general admissions requirements and the specific requirements for the program to which they are
applying. As evidence of ability to pursue successfully an academic program, applicants must have the minimum GPA in
undergraduate study required by the program to which they are applying. Applicants must provide the following documents
from the institution(s) where they completed their earlier study:
13│ Columbia International University
Admissions