Admission Policies
CIIS actively seeks a culturally and socially diverse student population.
California Institute of Integral Studies actively seeks a culturally and socially diverse student population. Decisions regarding admission are based on consideration of (1) potential for success in the chosen field of study based upon past academic or professional achievement, maturity, and motivation for educational and personal development; and (2) the congruence of the applicant's interests with the philosophy and purpose of the program and Institute.
Please review our complete set of admissions policies in our academic catalog.
Prospective students and applicants based within the United States but outside of California, please read the policies published on this page: CIIS State Authorization & Professional Licensure Policies & Procedures
Academic Requirements: Graduate Programs
Academic Requirements: Undergraduate Programs
International Students
Personal Interviews
Non-refundable Enrollment Deposit
Provisional Admission
Rejected Application
Change of Program
Unit Applicability Between Changed Programs
Readmission
Reapply: Previously Accepted Applicant
Transfer Credit
Right to Rescind Admission
Special Students (i.e. Non-Degree Seeking Students)
A complete application varies by program. Please see your program's apply page for specific application requirements. Complete applications may include the following items:
An international student is a student who plans to study at CIIS on a non-immigrant visa. All international students at CIIS must be in an eligible visa classification to pursue studies. CIIS assists international students admitted to degree programs with the F-1 student visa application only.
In addition to meeting the general requirements for admission, international applicants who have earned their degree(s) outside the U.S. must have a foreign credential evaluation service evaluate the degrees conferred. (Students who have obtained a degree from a Canadian university are exempted from this policy.)
Please visit the International Students page for credential evaluation services and links to the online applications.
Any applicant whose native language is not English is required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and achieve a minimum score of 80 on the Internet-based test. It is the applicant's responsibility to make arrangements to take this test.
Aside from meeting the admissions requirements, international applicants for the F-1 student visa must also demonstrate that they have the financial resources necessary to cover one year's costs, including tuition, room and board, and other related items upon acceptance to a degree program. This amount varies by degree and is likely to change from year to year. The costs associated with study at CIIS are reflected on the Certificate of Funding, which must be submitted by the applicant along with corroborating financial documents upon admission. Please visit the International Students page for details.
A Certificate of Eligibility Form I-20 for use in obtaining an F-1 student visa will be issued after the student has been admitted to a program of study and has submitted proof of financial support for one year of study. Students who enter the United States on an F-1 student visa must maintain full-time student status in fall and spring semesters. International students at ACTCM must maintain full-time status in the fall, spring and summer semesters.
Interviews are required by the BA Completion program, most MA programs, the PsyD program, all ACTCM and PhD programs. After all the documents have been received, qualified applicants will be contacted to arrange an interview. Most interviews will be conducted during the months of February and March. The interview structure and format vary according to program.
Upon notification of acceptance into a degree program, and to secure their place in a program, students are required to submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit by the date listed on the acceptance notification. Admitted students who do not pay a deposit will not be guaranteed enrollment in their respective program and may have the offer of admission revoked after the admissions offer window closes. The deposit is credited to the student's account and is applied toward tuition.
Students who submit an enrollment deposit will have it forfeited if they do not enroll in the intended term.
Enrollment deposit waivers will only be considered for students who submit in writing to the Director of Admissions a request for an exemption and an explanation that gives (1) the reasons for being unable to put forward the deposit and (2) a confirmation of an intention to enroll.
Provisional admission may be granted for the following reasons: (1) the degree or credit from the institution the student is currently attending has not yet been awarded or (2) the applicant is missing minor requirements required by the program. Full admission will be granted upon receipt of transcripts of the most recent degrees or receipt of missing materials. Students who are on provisionally admitted status are not eligible to receive financial aid. Students may hold provisional status for a maximum of one semester and must be fully admitted in order to register for a subsequent semester.
An applicant denied admission by a program may contact the appropriate Admissions Counselor to discuss the steps needed to bolster the application and reapply in the future. However, please keep in mind that the Admissions Office cannot answer questions concerning the specific reasons an application was rejected. All admissions decisions are final.
Students wishing to transfer to another program must first speak with the new program to see if they would be a good fit. Students will then submit a change of program application along with the $100 change of program application fee to the Admissions office by the regular admissions deadlines. Please note that the $100 fee is nonrefundable, even if your application to change programs is denied. The Change of Program process is only available to fully admitted and enrolled students; those who are currently provisionally admitted can start the process but will not be accepted until they are a full admit.
The Admissions office will route your application file to the new program and will notify you of any modified application materials the program will require (in addition to the regular application materials). Once your application is completed, the program can make an admissions decision of accepted or declined. If a student is accepted to the new program, but declines acceptance, they can apply for a change of program to another program in that same semester, but the decision must be made before Admissions application deadline and the $100 fee will apply. The same rule applies to a student who is rejected by the new program.
A student changing from one CIIS program to another may be eligible to have CIIS units already earned apply toward the degree requirements of the new program. The number of these units is not subject to the one-sixth rule that applies to credit transferred from a degree program from which a student has graduated. The chair of the program to which the student is requesting to be changed determines which units, if any, are accepted in transfer. The program is responsible for notifying the student and the Registrar's Office of this information, of which requirements the student must fulfill, and of any other conditions the student must meet. If any units from the original program are to be used in another program, such units cannot be used again in the original program if the student completes the second program and returns to the original program.
An application for readmission must be submitted if a student has not maintained active students status (see Registration and Grading Policies). Applicants for readmission are required to meet current admissions requirements. Readmission applicants must submit the readmission application and a nonrefundable $65 application fee online and all supporting materials required by the program by the regular application deadlines. Transcripts submitted with the students original application to CIIS may be transferred from the original application file if available. Any missing or additional transcripts must be sent directly from the previous institution to CIIS Admissions. (We prefer that official transcripts are sent digitially to materials@ciis.edu).
Students who have become inactive and who wish to reenroll in a program that is no longer being offered at CIIS will be required to apply to another program. In such cases, the student will follow the same procedures for readmission as stated above. Once the application is complete, the Program Chair will determine how many units will be transferred from the previous program. This amount is not subject to the one-sixth rule that applies to transferring credits (see Transfer of Credit from Another Institution below).
The offer of admissions is valid only for the semester to which the applicant applied. Applicants not accepting our offer of admissions for the requisite semester may reapply to the same program within one year. Applicants will be required to submit a new admissions application and a one-page statement describing the reasons for not enrolling previously and addressing any circumstances that have changed and will now permit them to enroll. Transcripts previously submitted within the last year will be rolled over to the new application. (If the student has since attended another institution since originally applying to CIIS will still need to be submitted.)
This policy will NOT guarantee admission; students will be re-interviewed by the program.
CIIS has established criteria to evaluate work submitted for consideration for transfer credit, and the applicant or student must demonstrate that the learning experience meets these criteria.
The following policies pertain to transfer credit for both undergraduate and graduate programs:
The School of Undergraduate Studies (SUS) accepts up to 84 units of transfer credit and must be able to accept up to 60 for an applicant to be fully admitted. These units may be earned through any combination of the following:
The following are further policies pertaining to undergraduate transfer credit:
The following credits will not be accepted for transfer:
The School of Professional Psychology & Health and the School of Consciousness and Transformation both accept graduate-level transfer credit. These units must:
The Master of Art programs in Counseling Psychology require that one year of practicum training be taken at CIIS. Practicum training units will not be accepted in transfer.
The following further policy pertains to graduate transfer credit:
This policy also pertains to credit transferred from a CIIS degree program from which a student has graduated.
CIIS reserves the right to rescind admission or enrollment in exceptional circumstances, whether occurring prior to the time of application, during the time of application review, or after the admission decision has been made, if the university finds that:
Individuals who wish to take courses for credit without being enrolled in a CIIS program may apply for Special Student status through the Registrar's Office. See the Special Student policies on the Registration and Grading Policies page. There, you can also find the Special Student Application, which you will need to fill out, collect signatures for from the Program Chair and faculty teaching the course, and submit to the Registrar's Office.