Program Admission
Prospective students must be accepted for admission to USI before being considered for admission to the Radiologic & Imaging Sciences Program. The program is limited in the number of students that may be accepted each year. USI, in collaboration with the clinical affiliates, reserves the right to determine the number of students enrolled in each beginning class. Total admission cannot exceed the maximum number established by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology.
Applicants must have graduated from high school and have completed all program prerequisite courses with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale).
The 3.0 GPA is not the cumulative GPA. This GPA is calculated based on the grades received from the program prerequisite courses only. Please see the curriculum plan for prerequisite courses.
Official university transcripts from all institutions (other than USI) must be submitted to the RT program as part of the admission procedure, if not already on file with USI.
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The program application and accompanying required documents and transcripts must be received by September 15 of the year the student desires admission to the program. Failure to submit all necessary documents by the deadline may make the student ineligible for interviews or program consideration for that year.
Applicants meeting academic requirements must be in good health, meet all ARRT certification and ethics requirements, and be capable of fulfilling program technical standards. Please see the Radiologic & Imaging Sciences Program Guide for technical standards.
The application must be accompanied by a narrative that addresses these questions:
- Why do you believe you are a good candidate for this program?
- What are your career goals?
- Do you have any healthcare experience? If so, explain in what capacity, length of time, and what you gained from the experience?
- What have you learned through your volunteer experiences within a radiology department?
The narrative will be read and scored by the admissions committee. Students should submit two copies of the narrative: one with the student name and signature and the other narrative with only the student ID number. It is recommended that students keep the narrative to less than two pages double spaced.
The clinical site visits are simply tours of each of the clinical affiliates’ radiology departments. It is suggested that students tour all clinical affiliate sites, but no additional credit toward admission will be given to students who have completed visitations to all clinical affiliate sites.
Use the Clinical Site Tour Form for contact information, contact the listed individual for each clinical affiliate site to set up an appointment.
Do not wait until the application deadline to complete the tours, as the clinical affiliates reserve the right to deny tours based on their schedules.
It is strongly recommended that applicants observe a minimum of 20 hours in a radiology department to gain understanding of basic radiologic procedures prior to September 15. This activity is in addition to the clinical site tours. Observation in a radiology department can be completed at one of USI’s clinical affiliates (listed on the observation and clinical site tour form) or at a facility of the student’s choice.
Documentation of the observation must be submitted at the time of application and must be validated by the facility where the observation was made. An observation log to document the observation is provided.
Extra credit toward admission is given to those students completing a minimum of 20 hours and provide documentation of the observations.
It is strongly recommended that students do not wait until the program deadline to complete observations, as clinical affiliates reserve the right to deny observation at their facility when time or space is limited.
Please note:
Completing observations may require the student to have a TB screening, HIPAA class, or facility orientation prior to starting any observations.
During the clinical education portion of the radiology curriculum, students are assigned to a home clinical site and rotate through other clinical affiliates. Students are provided the opportunity to acknowledge their preference of a home clinical site by completing the rank order of preference form. Home clinical site preference is granted based on student rank order of acceptance in to the program and the availability of positions at a particular clinical affiliate.
Credit toward admission into the program will be given to applicants with previous health care experience.
Students who have had either direct or indirect patient care in a healthcare facility or participated in a high school health occupations course may be eligible for extra credit toward admissions.
Direct patient care involves having contact with patients. Indirect patient care is working in the health care field, but not having contact with patients.
The student selection process involves a review of all required documents and an interview by the Radiologic & Imaging Sciences Admissions Committee, consisting of the program faculty and clinical instructors from clinical affiliates.
Individuals whose applications are incomplete or unsatisfactory will be notified. In order to be interviewed, all inadequacies must be corrected immediately.
The Admissions Committee Chair will inform applicants via letter, e-mail or phone call of their eligibility for interview. All interviews are conducted privately and by appointment only.
Letters informing applicants of the committee’s decision will be sent approximately two weeks after all interviews are completed.
