Felony Policy

Applicants with a Prior Conviction

Persons with a prior felony conviction may be eligible for acceptance, but shall require an individual student success plan as a condition of enrolling. In addition to meeting standard admissions requirements, an applicant with a prior felony conviction, must fully disclose their criminal history, including any legal restrictions or requirements. Required disclosures will include court docket reports/summaries, a personal statement from the applicant, and any other materials requested by the College, which may include a statement from the applicant’s parole or corrections officer. The student’s application for admission shall be deemed “pending” until the necessary information is received and reviewed. The College will engage in open dialogue with the applicant to review their file and discuss ideas for the student success plan.

The College will abide by any legal requirements and may limit or restrict the applicant/student’s access to campus, certain buildings or areas on campus (i.e., residence halls), programs, and/or type of student employment or work assignments. Participation in or attendance at College sponsored events or activities, whether or not they occur on campus, may also be restricted by the College.

Our goal as an institution in the Sisters of Mercy tradition is to protect the rights of the applicant and to provide a robust living and learning community for all students, as furthered by the required student success plan.

Individual restrictions may include, but are not limited to:

· Exclusion from living in on-campus residence facilities.

· No guest access to residence halls for any purpose without prior written approval.

· Limiting course of study to existing online programs.

· Restricting access to the campus facilities to daytime hours (weekdays between 8am - 5pm)

· Required check-ins with public safety or designated campus officials.

· Exclusion from state regulated healthcare programs*

*All healthcare students must complete a series of background checks prior to clinical placement. Findings on the PA State Criminal (e-Patch Search) history record check, Child Abuse History and FBI Fingerprint Search may be considered a prohibitive offense which may be prevent clinical or internship placement, the ability to sit for professional licensure in the state, and employment in a wide variety of settings as defined in the Older Adult Protective Services Act.