ADMISSIONS

Criminal Background Check Procedure

All applicants to LIU Pharmacy upon initial, conditional acceptance will be required to complete a criminal background check. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) facilitates a criminal background check service through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS).  The vendor selected by PharmCAS will be utilized by LIU Pharmacy to conduct criminal background checks.

Admissions Criminal Background Check Process

Upon initial, conditional acceptance, The PharmCAS vendor will send an e-mail notification with instructions on how to initiate and complete the background check process, and to obtain consent for a criminal background check report to be procured. Questions regarding this should be directed to PharmCAS vendor, currently Certiphi Screening, Inc. (www.certiphi.com) NOT the College. Once consent has been provided, the PharmCAS vendor will conduct a criminal background check and produce a report. Failure to provide consent may result in failing to meet the college admissions requirements. Applicants are responsible for the administrative fee associated with the screening.

Results of the background checks are available to the applicant by the vendor (Certiphi Screening, Inc.). The vendor provides the applicant an opportunity to contest the accuracy of the report within a specified time frame. Once the applicant reviews and releases the report, or after the specified time has elapsed, the report procured will be made available to the Office of Student and Professional Affairs by the vendor. Results from a company other than the PharmCAS vendor will not be accepted.

An offer of admission will be conditional until the completion and review of the criminal background check with results deemed favorable. Any questionable findings from the criminal background check will be flagged by Certiphi Screening and will be reviewed on an individual basis by members of the Office of Student and Professional Affairs, and may be shared with the Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening Review Committee, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, or other designated individuals. A prior felony conviction does not necessarily preclude an applicant from being admitted to the College but may prevent participation in off-campus educational experiences, which will lead to inability to continue in the program. Additionally, professional licensing boards may refuse to issue a license to practice pharmacy if an individual has a felony or other conviction on his or her record.

Review of Background Check Results

Applicants have the right to review the information reported by the designated vendor for accuracy and completeness and to request that the designated company verify that the background information provided is correct. All disputes pertaining to the criminal background check findings must be communicated in writing directly to the contracted company that conducted the check. In addition, the applicant must inform the College of Pharmacy by sending a copy of the complaint statement to the Office of Student and Professional Affairs.  Re-verification will be made if the company determines that reasonable grounds exist. If parts of the report are deleted or changed because of re-verification, the Office of Student and Professional Affairs and the student will receive a corrected report.

Results from the criminal background check will be reviewed as follows:

  1. A report will be submitted to the Office of Student and Professional Affairs by the vendor for review.
  2. If the report reveals questionable finding (s), a representative from the Office of Student and Professional Affairs may request that the applicant submit additional information relating to the finding (s) on the report, such as a written explanation, court documents, and/or police reports.  
    1. Prior making a final determination that will adversely affect the student. The Office of Student and Professional Affairs will inform the student of his or her rights and the procedures regarding how to challenge the accuracy of the criminal background check report.
  3. The Office of Student and Professional Affairs will review all information provided and determine whether the applicant’s situation requires input from designated individuals, such as but not limited to, the Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening Review Committee. The Office of Student and Professional Affairs will conduct its review as soon as possible after the disclosure or discovery of the questionable finding (s).
  4. If convened, the Criminal Background Check Review Committee will review all information provided and provide a formal, written recommendation to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Recommendations from the Criminal Background Check Review Committee may be any of the following:
    1. Allow the student to proceed in the academic program without restriction
    2. Allow the student to proceed in the academic program with specified terms and conditions
    3. Deny admission
  5. The Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs will review the committee’s recommendation and make a final decision, which will be communicated to the applicant in writing.
  6. The Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, with or without involvement of other designated individuals, may deny enrollment or require the applicant to comply with specific terms and conditions for any duration of participation in the program.  Notification from the University/College that a prospective student is denied enrollment will be done via letter from the Office of Admissions.  A student may appeal that decision in accordance with the University’s grievance procedure for academic matters found in the LIU Pharmacy Bulletin