Admissions Requirements

Doctor of Naprapathic Medicine Requirements
The specific requirements of entrance into the program leading to the Doctor of Naprapathy degree are:
- Completion of Bachelors degree earned at an appropriately accredited institution
- A minimum GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) from an accredited institution of higher education
- A minimum of 6 semester hours in each of the following: English composition, Humanities, Natural and Physical Sciences,Biology, Chemistry and Social Sciences
- Pass a criminal background check.
You must submit your official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, forwarded directly from the institution to the SUNM Registrar. If you meet all requirements, you will be scheduled for an interview.
If accepted to the program the prospective student should be competent with technology as 75% of the coursework is conducted online. During their program of study students virtually attend classes at the SUNM virtual campus through Moodle.
SUNM Virtual Classroom Technology Requirements
During their program of study, students attend online classes through Moodle. The minimum system recommendations to access online courses are:
- Windows 7, 10, Mac OSX Sierra, iPad IOS10
- A broadband connection
- The latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, or Safari
* Please keep in mind that these are minimum system recommendations and other environmental factors may impact your course delivery performance. Be sure to close all other tabs, browsers, and programs while streaming your content. It may also help to hard wire your Internet connection instead of using a wireless network connection. While the courses may run without issue in older operating systems and browser versions, these are not actively tested and we may not address bugs that appear when operating within these older environments.
Admissions Information
As a Naprapath, upon passing the National Board of Naprapathic Examiners exam, you will be licensed and regulated by the New Mexico Medical Board. You must be able to pass a criminal background check in order to be licensed. For information on the criminal background check, refer to the New Mexico Medical Board General Information for Naprapathic Physician Licensure.
Admissions Policy
SUNM will only admit applicants who demonstrate good character and the ability to both perform the intended program and to become a credit to their respective profession.
All applicants are required to complete an interview, either in person or by telephone, depending upon the distance from SUNM. Parents and/or significant others are encouraged to attend, providing potential students and their families an opportunity to learn about SUNM’s programs, faculty, equipment and facilities as well as ask any questions relating to the curriculum and their career objectives. A personal interview also enables us to determine whether an applicant is a strong candidate for enrollment into the program.
The following items are required as part of the admission process:
- Application for Admission
- Official Transcripts from all accredited Colleges and Universities
- Criminal background check
- Admission Interview
Once an applicant has applied, all other necessary documentation has been provided, and completed the Admission Interview, the Admissions Committee will review the submitted information. In addition to verifying that the submitted information is authentic and complete, the Committee will also assess the student’s background and training to ensure readiness for the intended course work. If in the view of the Committee the information does not meet admissions criteria, is otherwise incomplete or the applicant does not appear ready for the intended course work, it will deny the application. If in its view the above requisites have been met, it will notify the applicant that he/she has been accepted for matriculation at SUNM. Then an Enrollment Agreement will be signed once the student has been formally accepted to the program.
Transfer Of Credit To SUNM
Acceptance of credits from other schools and institutions is at the sole discretion of SUNM. A student may obtain credit for previous academic degree study but is limited to 50% of the total doctoral credit required for the degree. The course work must be relevant to the student’s program of study and equivalent in both content and degree level of graduate study.
Credit for prior occupational experience or prior experiential learning is not permitted.
An applicant must provide documentation regarding the transfer of credit prior to the program start date. Students applying for transfer credit for courses taken at other institutions must observe the following guidelines:
- All requests for transfer credit must be received by SUNM prior to the program start date, but after the enrollment agreement has been signed and submitted.
- Technical skills courses, including externship credit, are not transferable into the school. SUNM will evaluate academic courses or programs from any accredited institution.
- Only credits from coursework with a grade of B/3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) may be transferable into the school.
- Student must provide official transcripts from the institution/ where the course was taken, along with course description from the school’s catalog.
- Prior coursework must have been completed within the past seven (7) years.
If transfer credits are accepted, the total number of credits to be completed as well as the cost of tuition will be reduced accordingly, based on the per credit cost of tuition as outlined in the tuition and fee information addendum to this catalog.
Transfer credits are awarded as credits only. Transfer grades are not included in the calculation of the grade point average (GPA).
Policy On Transfer Credit For Military Training And Education
SUNM recognizes and utilizes the American Council of Education (ACE) Guide for the evaluation of educational experiences in the Armed Services. SUNM will award University credit for appropriate learning acquired in military service at levels consistent with the ACE Guide recommendations and/or those transcripts by the Community University of the Air Force when applicable to a service member’s program.
Foreign Students
Students are required to communicate both orally and in writing in English when an instructional setting necessitates the use of English for educational or communication purposes. All courses are taught in English.
For applicants whose first language is not English, English Proficiency can be recognized by:
A minimum score of one of the following:
- 65 on the paper-delivered Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT)
- 80 on the Internet Based Test (iBT)
- 6.5 on the International English Language Test (IELTS)
- 58 on the Pearson Test of English Academic Score Report
- 105 on the Duolingo English Test
- 55 on the 4-skill Michigan English Test (MET)
- 650/LP on the Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE)
- 650/LP on the Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE)
Criminal Background Check
Follow this link to MyStudentCheck
If you are unable to access the link, you may type in the web address located at the bottom of this page.
- Confirm the school name matches: Southwest University of Naprapathic Medicine
- Select your program from the drop down menu, and then select background check.
- Log in with your username and password. If you do not have an existing profile, please create a new account.
- Enter the required information, provide authorization, and continue to enter payment information.
- If you need further assistance, please contact PreCheck at StudentCheck@PreCheck.com.
- You will be provided with a receipt and confirmation page when your order is placed.
Pricing
Background Check $51.50 starting January 1st
Applicable state sales tax will be collected based on the location of your school.
Start your Integrative Manual Medicine Journey Today…
As a catalyst for the Naprapathic movement, SUNM aims to advance Integrative Manual Medicine with the superior quality and professionalism of its graduates. If you’re ready for a rewarding career as a Doctor of Naprapathic Medicine Contact Us and we’ll help you get started! Give us a call at 1-505-467-8777 to speak to a friendly admissions advisor today.