admissions handbook...studentstudents applying regular decision should plan to take the sat/act no...

ADMISSIONS HANDBOOK

2020-2021

Table of Contents

The Application Process 2

University Values 2

Applying as a First-Year Student 3–8MyROC 3Application Platforms 3Eastman 3ApplicApplication Fee 3Transcripts 3Testing Policy & Deadlines 3–4Recommendations 4Demonstrated Interest 4Optional Admissions Items 4Application Deadlines 4ApplicApplication Decisions 6Combined Degree Programs 6-7Academic Bridge Admissions Programs 7-8Enrollment Deposit 8Deferred Admissions 8Early Admissions (prior to 17 years of age) 8

Applying as an International Student 9

Applying as a Applying as a DACA / Undocumented Student 9

Applying as a Home-Schooled Student 9-10

Applying as a Transfer Student 10

Applying as a Non-Traditional Student 10

Financial Aid at the University of Rochester 11-12Financial Aid Strategy 11Merit Scholarships 11Need-Based AidNeed-Based Aid 11Tuition Benets 11-12Total Costs 12

1

The Application Process

University Values

UR philosophy of holistic and values focused admissions

The University of Rochester employs a holistic application review process to identify curious, capable and engaged students from across the globe. We seek to understand each applicant’s academic ability, extracurricular engagementengagement, and ethical character in order to determine their ability to improve both their campus and the world around them. We are a diverse institution that values equality of opportunity and honest, respectful examination of ideas. We see young leaders who will celebrate and protect the values of our University and join in making the world ever better.

MelioMeliora: We strive to be ever better, for everyone.

Equity: We commit to diversity, inclusion, and access.

Leadership: We take initiative and share responsibility for exemplifying excellence.

Integrity: We conduct ourselves with honesty, dedication, and fairness.

Openness: We embrace freedom of ideas, inquiry, and eexpression.

Respect: We value our dierences, our environment, and our individual and collective contributions.

Accountability: We are each responsible for making our community ever better, through our actions, our words, and our dealings with others.

2

Applying as a First-Year Student

MyROC Admissions Portal

The O ce of Admissions provides and maintains an online portal for each applicant called a MyRoc Account. It is through this portal that applicants can monitor their applicapplication process, determine what application materials have been received and learn of their admission decision and merit scholarship notications. Students will need to create a username and password. It is recommended that students bookmark the MyRoc website and access it regularly throughout their admissions and potential enrollment experience with the University of Rochester.

ApplicApplication Platforms

The University of Rochester uses both the Common Application and the Coalition for College Application. There is no preference as to which to use and equal consideration will be given to either application.

Common Application: The Use of the Common Application is governed by the license agreement for Common ApplicApplication forms, a copy of which is displayed at commonapp.org. Please read this agreement carefully before using the Common Application. Be sure to complete the University of Rochester specic questions on the Common Application.

Coalition for College Application: A copy of the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are available at coalitionfocoalitionforcollegeaccess.org. Please read this information carefully before using the Coalition for College Application. Be sure to complete the University of Rochester specic questions on the Coalition for College Application.

EastmaEastman School of Music: Students who are interested in studying solely at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music for a bachelor of music degree, must apply directly through the Eastman application. The Eastman School does not utilize either the Common Application or the Coalition for College Application.

Application Fee

A non-A non-refundable $50 application fee is required electronically at the time of application submission. TheO ce of Admissions provides a number of application fee waivers and maintains a complete list on both the CommonApplication and the Coalition for College Application. If you

have a College Board or NACAC fee waiver, you can note this on your application in order to have your payment waived.

High School Transcripts

All applicants are required to submit a complete secondary school/high school transcript, including all grades and course listings from their time in high school (as determined determined by their national educational system). In the case of a student attending multiple schools, all years must be provided.

· Mid-Year Transcript/Report: A request will be sent mid- year (senior year) for your school to submit a Mid-Year Transcript. In some instances schools will not send the report, but will only send the mid-year transcript, which is sucient. This additional information will be added to your application and can be used in the academic review of your application.

· Final Year Transcript/Report (required of all enrolling students): All enrolling students must submit their nal ocial high school transcript. In some instances schools will not send the report, but will only send the nal year transcript, which is sucient. The O ce of Admissions will add this document to your application and evaluate your nal transcript as a nal stage in our admissions/enrollment process. It is expected that students will maintain a level of academic performance during the nal stages of their senior year of secondary school, which mirrors that which they were admitted under. Failure to submit an ocial nal transcript may jeopardize your enrollment to the University.

Testing Policy & Deadlines

The O ce of Admissions supervises a holistic review pprocess that incorporates a variety of factors, including many kinds of academic records, including standardized tests. As we seek to enroll a diverse and talented class each year, our review procedures allow for students to demonstrate readiness through a test optional policy.

At the time of applying, applicants may decide for themselves which exam, if any, is an accurate rrepresentation of their ability and potential for future success. Applicants must indicate on their application if

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they wish to have exams included in their application review. Once an applicant indicates their testing review option this remains with them throughout the application review and cannot be updated.

StudentStudents applying Regular Decision should plan to take the SAT/ACT no later than December of your senior year to ensure these scores can be included in your application review. Early Decision applicants should plan to take their SAT/ACT no later than November of your senior year. Tests taken after these dates may not be included in your application review.

A A full description of our testing policy can be found online at enrollment.rochester.edu/testing-policy.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants are required to have their school counselor (or designated school ocial) ll out the School Counselor Report available through the Common Application or CoalitionCoalition for College Application. In many instances your counselor will also write a recommendation on your behalf. In an instance where a school counselor has a large student caseload and is not able to provide a letter, the School Counselor Report form is sucient as a recommendation.

ApplicantApplicants are required to submit one additional letter of recommendation from a teacher or academic source. In an instance where no school counselor recommendation is provided, an additional academic recommendation may be submitted. Please note we do not require additional letters of recommendation beyond those stated above. We realize many students may want to have additional rrecommendations submitted on their behalf and these can be added to your le, however our application review will focus on a school counselor and one teacher recommendation.

Demonstrated Interest

The O ce of The O ce of Admissions values the opportunity to connect with students and their families throughout the admission and enrollment process with the University of Rochester. The ability to understand a student’s individual experience, context and understanding of the University of Rochester is a component of our application process, however it is considered within the individual student’s life experience and contand context.

Admissions interviews are typically available to prospective students and applicants throughout their senior year of high school from June–February. These informational interviews are an opportunity to meet one on one with either an admissions counselor, senior student interviewer or alumni volunteer. All interviews are viewed equally regardless of who is conducting the interview. Interviews are not a required component of our admissions process, but are strongly recommended.

Optional Admissions Items

Many students may want to add additional or supplemental items to their application that they feel rreect their academic and/or artistic curiosity that is central to who they are as an individual. These items may include (but are not limited to) art supplements, research abstracts and writing samples. These items may be uploaded to your application through your MyROC account. Please note that any supplemental item should include a specic description of whinclude a specic description of what it is and your direct involvement in its creation.

· Writing Sample/Graded Paper: Applicants have the opportunity to submit a written work that they are particular proud of and feel is a good representation of your abilities.

· Family/Community Recommendation: The O ce of Admissions provides students the opportunity to submit an optional family or community member recommendation.

Application Plans & Deadlines: The University of Rochester provides several application plans for applicants. Each plan has a specic timeline and policies to be aware of.

Early Decision I October November

Early Decision II December December

Regular Decision December December

SAT / ACT Testing Deadlines

Application Plan Latest Testing (ACT) Latest Testing (SAT)

4

Applying as a First-Year Student (continued)

Early Decision I

· November 1 Application Deadline

· Applicants applying Early Decision must submit an Early Decision Agreement form, which is signed by the applicant, the applicant’s parent/guardian and the school counselor. It’s important to note that students who are admitted to the University of Rochester through Early Decision are expected to enroll and immediately withdraw any other college applications that they may have submitted

· Students considering the Early Decision admissions plan should take advantage of our online nancial aid tools to determine potential eligibility. Additionally, it’s encouraged for families to connect with our Financial Aid O ce to have any need-based aid questions answered in advance of submitting an Early Decision application.

· Early Decision Applicants will be automatically considered for all merit-based nancial awards available.

Early Decision II

· January 5 Application Deadline

· Early Decision II is available for students who identify the University of Rochester as their rst choice and wish to have additional time to submit their application.

· Applicants applying Early Decision II must submit an Early Decision Agreement form, which is signed by the applicant, the applicant’s parent/guardian and the school counselor. It’s important to note that students who are admitted to the University of Rochester are expected to enroll and immediately withdraw any other college applications that they may have submitted.

Regular Decision

· January 5 Application Deadline

· Applicants wishing to maximize their opportunity to receive merit-based nancial awards should apply by December 1.

· Applicants applying Regular Decision have until May 1 of their senior year to enroll at the University of Rochester if admitted.

First-Year Application Deadlines

Application Notication Reply

Early Decision I November 1 Mid-December Within 3 weeks of notication

Early Decision II January 5 Early February Within 3 weeks of notication

Regular Decision* January 5 Mid-March May 1

*To be given highest scholarship consideration, please send all application documents to Rochester by December 1

Combined Degree Program (CDP) Application Deadlines

REMS November 15 Mid-March May 1

GEAR, GRADE, HEAL, DDE, DDN December 1 Mid-March May 1

Transfer Fall GEAR, GRADE, HEAL March 15 Rolling basis (Apr. - May) Specied in decision letter

Transfer Spring GRADE October 1 Rolling basis (Oct. - Nov.) Specied in decision letter


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Application Decisions

Applying our holistic application review for each applicant, the O ce of Admissions will provide an ocial admission decision, and release those decisions at specic times throughout the admission cycle.

· Early Decision applicants may be admitted, denied or in limited cases deferred to Regular Decision. In the case of a deferred decision, applicants will be re- reviewed within the context of the Regular Decision application pool. Additional information, such as updated grades, may be used to render a nal decision. Early Decision applicants who are deferred to Regular Decision are no longer held to the Early Decision Agreement

· Regular Decision applicants may be admitted, denied or placed on our wait list. Students who are admitted have until May 1 to submit their enrollment deposit and conrm their place in the enrolling class (note that housing is guaranteed for all rst-year enrolling students).

Students who aStudents who are oered a place on our wait list have the opportunity to accept their oer to remain on the wait list until May 1. Choosing to be on our wait list does not require a deposit and is simply a way for the student to convey that the University of Rochester remains a high priority for their post-secondary plans. Students have an opportunity to be considered for an entrance term of the fall or the spring semestespring semester. Each year we admit a few students for a January start (spring semester) as a rst-year student if their university enrollment is exible, but the majority of students admitted from the wait list will be for the fall semester.

Decision Appeals

Each year the University of Rochester receives many wwell-qualied applicants for a limited number of enrolling spots. As a result we do not entertain requests to appeal an ocial admissions decision.

Combined Degree Program (CDP) Process

The University of Rochester oers several opportunities to pursue both undergraduate and graduate studies in a number of dienumber of dierent areas, or the chance to pursue degrees in two dierent colleges. Applicants considering CDPs should apply for a fall semester intake only, a spring start term is not available for CDPs.

Rochester Early Medical Scholars (REMS)

· November 15 application deadline.

· By indicating an interest to apply to REMS, applicants will be required to answer a supplemental essay prompt outlining their interest in the medical eld.

· REMS applicants will be notied of their status in late- January. Students selected as nalists will be required to attend an on-campus interview event in February. Final REMS decisions will be released by April 1.

· Applicants not selected as nalists must opt-in to the general admission process in order to be considered for admission to The College.

· Students interested in applying under Early Decision may still apply for REMS, however acceptance of our ED admissions oer is not contingent upon your admission to REMS program. ED admits not selected as nalists do not need to opt-in.

· REMS is not available for students applying as a transfer student.

Graduate Engineering at Rochester (GEAR)

· December 1 application deadline.

· By indicating your interest to apply to GEAR, applicants will be required to answer a supplemental essay prompt outlining their interest in Engineering and Applied Science.

· GEAR applicants will be notied of their status in

Transfer Application Deadlines

Fall Semester March 15 Rolling basis (Mar. - July) 3 - 4 weeks of notication

Spring Semester October 1 Rolling basis (Oct. - Dec.) 3 - 4 weeks of notication


6

Applying as a First-Year Student (continued)

January. Students selected as nalists will be required to attend an on-campus interview event with Hajim School faculty members in early February.

· Final GEAR decisions will be released in March.


· Students interested in applying under Early Decision may still apply for GRADE, however acceptance of our ED admissions oer is not contingent upon your admission to GEAR program.

Guaranteed Rochester Accelerated Degree Education (GRADE)


· By indicating your interest to apply to GRADE, applicants will be required to answer a supplemental essay prompt outlining their interest in the education eld.

· GRADE applicants will be notied of their status in January. Students selected as nalists will be required to attend an on-campus interview event with the Warner School in early February. Final GRADE decisions will be released in March.


· Students interested in applying under Early Decision may still apply for GRADE, however acceptance of our ED admissions oer is not contingent upon your admission to the GRADE program.

Health and Epidemiology Advanced Learning (HEAL)


· By indicating your interest to apply to HEAL, applicants will be required to answer a supplemental essay prompt.

· HEAL applicants will be notied of their status in February. Students selected as nalists will be required to attend an on-campus interview event with members of the Department of Public Health Sciences in February. Final HEAL decisions will be released in March.

· Applicants not selected as nalists must opt-in to the

general admission process in order to be considered for admission to The College.

· Students interested in applying under Early Decision may still apply for HEAL, however acceptance of our ED admissions oer is not contingent upon your admission to the HEAL program.

Dual DegDual Degree at Eastman (DDE)


· Applicants must complete two separate applications: one for The College and one for Eastman School of Music. They must also indicate their interest in DDE on the Common Application or Coalition for College Application.

· Depending on the applicants intended area of interest, a pre-screening audition may be required by Eastman.

· Students interested in applying under Early Decision to The College may still apply for DDE, however acceptance of our ED admissions oer is not contingent upon your admission to the DDE program.

Dual Degree in Nursing (DDN)

·· December 1 application deadline.

· By indicating your interest to apply to DDN, applicants will be required to answer a supplemental essay prompt outlining their interest in Nursing.

· DDN applicants will be notied of their status in February. Students selected as nalists will be required to attend an on-campus interview event in February. Final DDN decisions will be released in March.


· Students interested in applying under Early Decision may still apply for DDN, however acceptance of our ED admissions oer is not contingent upon your admission to the DDN program.

Academic Bridge Admissions Programs

Each year a select group of students are given the opportunity to be admitted to the University of Rochester

7

Applying as a First Year Student (continued)

through a number of academic bridge programs. These admissions plans require students to successfully complete additional steps either in the form of an on-campus summer academic support pcampus summer academic support program or additional instructional requirements during the rst year of study. Successful completion of these additional requirements will ensure students have the skills necessary to be successful as a student at the University of Rochester.

Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)

· To be eligible for HEOP, applicants must reside in New York State and be economically disadvantaged as dened by the State Education Department.

· Financial Eligibility standards are modied for students who are a ward of the State of New York; living with foster parents who will not be providing nancial support for college; and students who are receiving ADC, Home Relief or Family Day Care payments.

· To determine nancial eligibility, the following applications must be submitted by February 15: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), CSS Prole, New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Application, and IDOC documents through College Board.

· Students admitted under HEOP are required to attend the Early Connection Opportunity program, regularly meet with their assigned HEOP counselor, and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Early Connection Opportunity (ECO)

Students are selected to participate in ECO summer bridge program through the application process and for some, admission to the College is contingent on the successfuladmission to the College is contingent on the successfulcompletion of the program.

English for Academic Purposes Program (EAPP)

Students are selected to participate in EAPP through the application process and are identied as academically capable, but who may need additional English language preparation to ensure success. There is no separate applicapplication.

Enrollment Deposit

Students who are admitted and choose to enroll at the University of Rochester must submit an $800 non-refundable enrollment deposit by the date indicated ontheir acceptance lettetheir acceptance letter. All Regular Decision applicants who are admitted have until May 1 to submit their deposit, while Early Decision applicants who are admitted typically have up to three weeks from the time of their acceptance to submit their deposit.

Deferred Admissions

If you’re admitted the University of Rochester and wish to defer to defer your admission/enrollment, you must formally submit your request through our Deferred Admission Form by July 1. Admitted students can defer up to two years (four semesters), but no more than one year (two semesters) at a time. Prior to submitting the form you must submit the $800 non-refundable enrollment deposit. Requests to defer are handled on a case-by-case basis. During the During the year(s) of deferral, enrollment in a degree seeking program at another institution is prohibited.

Early Admissions (Applying Prior to Secondary School Graduation)

Applicants younger than 17 at the time of move in are evaluated on a case-by-cases and may be required to interview in person with a member of the admissions sta.

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Applying as an International Student

Applying as a DACA or Undocumented Student

Applying as a Home-Schooled Student

Students applying to the University who are not a United States citizen or Permanent Resident are considered an in-ternational student and additional items may be required as part of your application.

Applicants who reside or attend Secondary School in the following countries will be required to read and sign an acknowledgement of the EEA General Data Protection Reg-ulation Privacy Notice (GDPR) located at enrollment.roch-ester.edu/general-data-protection-regulation: Austria, Bel-gium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Chechnya, Denmark, Esto-nia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,Sweden.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) or Undocumented Student

All DACA and undocumented students follow the same application process as domestic applicants, not international applicants.

· Students will be eligible for full nancial aid and merit awards.

In addition to the general application requirements for First Year Applicants, Home-Schooled students must also submit the following:

· Syllabi with textbooks, where applicable, and a list of all completed literary texts.

· A description of instruction methods and assessment for laboratory sciences.

· A brief (100–200 words) personal statement reecting

If your native language is not English and you completed your secondary or higher education in a non-native English speaking country, you must take either the TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test exams to demonstrate English language prociency. Any of the above exams will satisfy the language prociency requirement.

InternInternational Applicants required to demonstrate the ability to cover the full cost of attendance through the submission of an International Financial Support Form (IFSF). Applicants who cannot cover the full cost of attendance must submit the CSS Prole Form to be eligible for institutional Financial Aid. All International applicants are eligible for merit scholarships.

· Students seeking need-based nancial aid are required to submit the International Student CSS Prole.

· If the student or their family/guardian le federal taxes, required nancial documents should be submitted through IDOC.

· If the student or their family/guardian do not le federal taxes, a Nontax Filer Statement is required to be submitted through IDOC.

on the value of the home schooling experience.

· At least four years each of English, mathematics, and history/social studies, and three years each of science and foreign language. (Most admitted students will have completed these years of study in these areas.)

· Any transcripts from accredited colleges or universities. (Most successful home-schooled applicants have completed college-level course work.)

9

Applying as a Home-Schooled Student (continued)

Applying as a Transfer Student

Applying as a Non-Traditional Student

Home-schooled applicants are also encouraged to complete the following in order to allow the admissions committee to better understand their individual program: · At least one, and preferably two, letters of recommendation from outside instructors, volunteer or group supervisors, or employers.

The UniThe University of Rochester accepts transfer applications for both Fall and Spring semesters.

Required Materials

· Common Application or Coalition for College Application

· O cial college transcripts from any institution of higher education where you have received course credit.

· Final high school transcript. For applicants who have successfully completed one year of full-time college coursework, you may request this requirement to be

Students wishing to enroll in non-matriculated (non-degdegree) part-time or full-time courses will register through the O ce of Summer Programs and Part-Time Studies.

· No more than six non-matriculated courses taken at Rochester may be used towards a degree.

· Non-matriculated students who wish to pursue a degree at Rochester will apply for full or part-time studies as a transfer student.

· A peer recommendation from someone not more than one year older or younger. · A request for an on-campus, o-campus, Skype, or telephone interview with an admissions counselor (before December 15 of your senior/application year).

waived.

· College Report Form from either Common Application or Coalition for College Application. This is typically completed by your current Academic Advisor.

Priority Application deadlines

· Fall semester application deadline of March 15

· Spring semester application deadline of October 1

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, typically within 4-6 weeks after receipt

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Financial Aid at the University of Rochester

Financial Aid Strategy

The University of Rochester has one of the most generous nancial aid programs in the country, thanks in part to generations of gifts from alumni, parents and friends. It allows us to award more than $136 million a year in a combination of both merit- and need-based nancial assistance to appassistance to approximately 85% of undergraduate students at The College. This means that merit scholarships are awarded to recognize academic achiachievement and need-based grants are awarded based on your family’s household and nancial information. We are committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated nancial need of all incoming students through a combination of scholarships, grants, subsidized loans, and student employment opportunities. We look forward to working with you and your family to make a UR education aoaordable.

Financial Aid Deadlines

Merit Scholarship Policy

The University believes in recognizing and rewarding outstanding high school senior and toutstanding high school senior and transfer students for their eorts and academic accomplishments by awarding merit-based scholarships at the time of admission. These awards are not based on nancial need and are renewable for up to three years if the minimum criteria are met. Award amounts remain constant and do not increase with tuition and fee increases. Merit aid is reserved for students with with exceptional and distinguished academic qualities.

Merit scholarship amounts range from $2,000 per year to full tuition and all admitted students undergraduate

applicants to the College are considered for merit scholarships at the time of application review.

If eligible, admitted students are able to receive only one scholarship and internal awards are non-stackable. Should an applicant be eligible for more than one award, the higher of the two will be awarded.

A full Financial Aid Handbook can be found A full Financial Aid Handbook can be found at https://enrollment.rochester.edu/nancial-aid/wp-con-tent/uploads/2020/03/FA-Handbook-2020-21.pdf

Need-Based Financial Aid

Most nancial aid at the University of Rochester is administeadministered on the basis of demonstrated need. Need is shown if your estimated family resources are less than your student expense budget for the academic year.

Eligibility for federal aid programs is determined by using the federal methodology, a need-analysis formula authoauthored by Congress. Eligibility for institutional funds are determined through the institutional methodology of the College Board’s CSS Prole.

The University of Rochester meets 100% of demonstrated need for students through a combination of grants, scholarships, loans and work eligibility.

If If you are eligible for nancial aid, you can expect your family contribution to remain fairly consistent from year to year as long as your family circumstances remain stable.

We ask students to reapply for need-based nancial aid each year because family circumstances do sometimes change.

UniUniversity of Rochester Tuition Benets

If at least one of your parents is an employee of the University of Rochester, you may be eligible for dependent child tuition benets. Since both the benet and scholarship funds can help with the costs of tuition only, you may be eligible to receive a combination of tuition benet and scholarship funds thtuition benet and scholarship funds that can approach or match, but not exceed, the cost of tuition.

Early Decision December 1 December 1

Regular Decision February 15 February 15

First Year Students FAFSA Due CSS Prole Due

Spring Term October 1 October 1

Fall Term March 15 March 15

Transfer Students FAFSA Due CSS Prole Due

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Financial Aid at the University of Rochester (continued)

It is our policy that tuition benets must be applied to your bill before merit scholarships. University of Rochester tuition benets and scholarship funds cannot be applied to non-tuition related expenses, e.g., housing and dining services.

Total Costs (2020–2021)

Discrimination Statement

The UniThe University of Rochester does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion/creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status protected by law in matters of admissions, employment, housing or services or in the educational programs or activities it operates.

The UniThe University complies with all federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination based on the protected categories listed above, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination (including sexual harassment and violence based on sex) in the University’s educational programs and activities, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability

Tuition $57,188

Fees $1,020

Room & Board $17,144

Inderect Costs (books, supplies, etc.) $1,310

Transportation* $300

Other Expenses $1,080

TTotal $78,042

Item Cost

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