The Biomedical Science MBS Master's Degree is an Online Academic Enhancement Program

Admission Requirements

• Possess (or be in the process of finishing) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.

• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better (on a 4.00 point scale) for the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress.

  If you are still completing your bachelor's degree at the time you apply, admission will be based on your current cumulative GPA, and you will need to re-submit your official transcript (showing your conferred degree and final GPA) during your first semester. If your final GPA fell below 3.00, you will be given additional requirements as defined by the academic program that must be met within one calendar year to remain enrolled at UNC.

  If you have completed a master's degree, or at least 18 credit hours towards a master's degree, the GPA of your master's work will be used.

• A minimum score on at least one of the following standardized tests:
  • MCAT: 494
  • GRE: 300
  • DAT: 17
  • OAT: 300
  • PCAT: 50th percentile or higher

Eligibility by State

At this time, UNC can serve online education to students from every state, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. We are not currently accepting students to our online programs who reside in the CNMIs.

Because some states may have additional requirements or limitations for certain programs, please check the following page to verify your eligibility. Note: if your state is showing "limited authorization" it means you are likely eligible with additional documentation, but please contact lisa.grimes@unco.edu for details.

Current State Authorizations for This Program

International Student Eligibility

International students residing outside of the United States are eligible to apply to our online programs. Applicants for online programs must demonstrate English proficiency in order to be considered. Possible ways to demonstrate proficiency:

• Qualifying test scores: TOEFL iBT: 80, IELTS: 6.5, PTE: 60
• Completion of a degree in the U.S., or from an English speaking country (parts of Europe, Canada), within the last two years.

Students in completely online UNC programs are not required to come to the United States. You will not need student Visas or receive any immigration documentation, and do not need to provide financial documentation during the application process.

A Note of Caution for International Students: please be aware that admission to a U.S. Medical School is very difficult for international applicants, and so non-U.S. Citizen students who are interested in pursuing the MBS degree as preparation for Medical School in the U.S. should first contact the Program Coordinator for more information.

Transferring Credit

Applicable graduate credit with a grade of A or B from a regionally accredited university may be able to be applied towards this academic program. Master's degree students must complete a minimum of 24 credits at the University of Northern Colorado. All work counted in a master's degree program must be completed within five years. The time limit is calculated from the beginning of the first class transferred in and counted in the degree program. See the full Graduate Transfer Credit Policy.

Students must submit an original transcript to their advisor for review. Student and advisor then complete a Transfer of Credit form to submit along with the original transcript to the Grad School for review and final approval.

Tuition

This is an Extended Campus program, which means that for most students all of your coursework will feature:

• A flat per-credit tuition rate for all students (in-state or out-of-state)
• There are no student fees – they are incorporated into our flat tuition rate
• Certain courses may carry specific course fees for additional services and materials

The 2020-21 program tuition is $580 per credit hour, for an estimated total of $17,400 in tuition for the entire program. Tuition for 2021-22 will be determined in mid-June 2021.

Financial Aid

Students who cannot pay for tuition alone are encouraged to apply for federal financial aid. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA priority filing date for each academic year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle which begins each August) is June 1, although the form is now available by October 1 of the previous year and requests tax information from the year prior. For example, the FAFSA form for aid for the 2021-22 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2020, and is based off of 2019 tax return information.

Late submissions of the FAFSA are still accepted throughout the school year but you may not be considered for the maximum amount of aid. If the priority deadline has passed for the upcoming/current school year, we encourage you to apply for FAFSA consideration as soon as you enroll for your first courses. Depending on the time of year, you may be able to submit an application for the current academic year and an early/priority application for the following academic year.

Master's degree students must be enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits per academic term for financial aid eligibility. Full time enrollment is based on 9 credits per term.

To apply for federal financial aid assistance

Fill out the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa

For more specific help, Extended Campus students may contact Lisa Schuller in Financial Aid: schedule a meeting or email her at OFA.Extended@unco.edu. You can also reach the Office of Financial at 970-351-4862 or via the UNC Financial Aid website.

Students can also find helpful information such as the Guide to Federal Student Aid at https://studentaid.gov/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.

Note for MBS Students

We recommend that MBS students proactively make the UNC Financial Aid rep (linked above) aware of your total credit load each semester (the default for full-time graduate students is 6 or 9 hours) so that they can calculate the correct award amount.

Student Health Insurance

The University of Northern Colorado offers a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to all degree-seeking students who enroll in courses on our main UNC Campus, an Extended Campus Center, or Online.

Degree-seeking graduate students enrolled in 6 or more credit hours will automatically receive this benefit each term. SHIP premiums will appear on your semester bill. If you have comparable insurance coverage, and do not want to be charged for SHIP coverage, you must opt out of this plan each Fall via an online waiver process.

Please visit the UNC Student Health Insurance pages for more information about the insurance plan.