Students wishing to major in criminal justice at BGSU must apply for admission to the program and meet admission requirements over and above those for the university. The application can be downloaded from this web-site. Applications are accepted at any time, although the deadline is the final day of classes BEFORE finals week in each term. Admission decisions are made at the end of Fall, Spring and Summer terms.

There are two different sets of admission criteria depending on whether you are a high school student applying for admission, or if you have graduated from high school and have already attended a 2-year or 4-year college (including BGSU).

For high school students, you need:

1. An ACT composite score of 24 or higher, and
2. A high school GPA of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale)

For those who have graduated from high school and have been (or are) enrolled in a college:

1. Completion of CRJU 210, Introduction to Criminal Justice, or its equivalent, with a grade of "C" or better,
2. The completion of at least 25 graded semester hours of college course work, and
3. A college GPA of 2.5 or better.

Students who have not yet been admitted to major status are considered "pre-CJ" majors. Regardless of a person's status as a freshman, the course requirements, advising, and course scheduling is the same. Failure to be admitted to the Criminal Justice Program as a new freshman will have no impact on the courses taken or the expected graduation date.

Students gaining entrance to the program after the beginning of their junior year should be aware that completion of the program may not be possible in less than 2 years. This means that those students may have to stay at the university beyond the normal 4 years.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR ADMISSION
Admission to the Criminal Justice Program is limited to the students meeting either of the following criteria:
A. Current university students having completed CRJU 210,Introduction to Criminal Justice (or its equivalent at another school), with a "C" or better, and having a 2.5 GPA or better on a minimum of 25 graded semester hours of college course work; OR
B. Entering Freshmen with an ACT composite score of 24 or higher and a High School GPA of 3.0 or above.
The following procedures for admission apply:
1. Applications will be accepted until the end of Spring semester and/or Summer semester for admission to Fall semester and the end of Fall semester for admission to Spring semester (forms available on this web-site).
2. Applicants will include information on A or B above, which will be verified by the Registrar.
3. If the applicant applies while taking CRJU 210 the determination of admission will be contingent on successful completion of that course and validation of GPA.
4. Candidates meeting criteria A or B, above, will be admitted.
5. A student wishing to enter the Criminal Justice Program (1) may choose to enter the College of Health and Human Services as a "pre-Criminal Justice major" until admitted to the major or (2) may choose to remain in another College/Program until admitted to the Criminal Justice Program. No preference will be
given in the application procedure to the pre-Criminal Justice majors; the only prerequisites for consideration are stated in A and B, above. The advantage of “pre-Criminal Justice major” is that the student's records will be transferred to the Criminal Justice Program office, which allows the Director to monitor his/her academic progress.
6. Candidates should be aware of the fact that admission into the Program in the Junior or Senior year may result in inability to complete required Criminal Justice prefix and Core courses without extending the time for graduation. In every case all such courses must be completed; necessary rotation of courses may not allow completion of all such courses in less than a twoyear sequence. STUDENTS SHOULD NOT ACCUMULATE IN EXCESS OF 60 HOURS BEFORE MEETING ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS WITHOUT CONSIDERING CAREFULLY THE CONSEQUENCES OF NON-ADMITTANCE (FAILURE TO GRADUATE BECAUSE OF LACK OF MAJOR, EXTENSIVE DELAY OR EXTENSION OF TIME REQUIRED BY CHANGE OF MAJOR WITH MANY HOURS NOT APPLICABLE, ETC.) AND CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVE MAJORS.
7. Transfer students will be considered according to the same procedures as Bowling Green State University students. A transfer student must be admitted to the University before any decision will be made on his/her admission to the Program. Transfer students should be aware that grades do not transfer to Bowling Green State University; in the case of a student who has transfer credit, the entire transcript (all work attempted) at other institutions will be considered in computing the minimum GPA for admission to the Program. In every case, retention in the Program will be contingent on maintaining a 2.5 GPA at Bowling Green State University. Failure to submit the transcript with the application will result in disqualification.
8. Any student having transfer hours on the record must submit a transcript of those hours showing grades attained. Failure to do so may disqualify the candidate.
9. No one may graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice with a Bowling Green State University GPA of less than 2.5.
10. Notification of admission decisions will be made as soon as possible after the deadline for applications.
11. Admission decisions will be made by the Criminal Justice faculty.
Some additional procedures are pertinent:
a. All Criminal Justice prefix courses except CRJU 210 are typically open only to Criminal Justice majors.
b. All Criminal Justice majors must maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 or better. Failure to do so will result in probation for one semester during which time the student GPA must be raised to the 2.5 minimum required for continued retention in the Program.