Before you may schedule your first individual pre-health advising appointment in Continuing Education, you must meet the eligibility requirements and complete up through Step 5 below. 

If you would like to complete your two-hour-long pre-health advising onboarding appointment prior to the opening of the course enrollment period for a given academic term, you must complete up through Step 5 at least five weeks prior to the start of that academic term. 

Step 1. Attend an Info Session (or watch the video)

To learn more about our cohort-based and individually designed enrollment options, we encourage you to attend one of our monthly Information Sessions for Prospective Students. For instructions on signing up to attend a live session or to access a video of the presentation, visit our Information Sessions for Prospective Students webpage

Step 2. Submit the nondegree enrollment application

Once you have decided to enroll as an Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate Studies student through Continuing Education, complete the enrollment application once it has opened for your intended start term:
Link to Continuing Education Enrollment webpage

  • Fall start: Nondegree student application goes live in mid-March
  • Spring start: Nondegree student application goes live in early October
  • Summer start: Nondegree student application goes live in mid-February

Enrollment applications typically are processed within 2-3 business days, but some applications may take longer to process. Please wait until you have received an email confirmation with your CU student ID number before completing Step 4.

Note: If you do not enroll in courses in the academic term indicated on your nondegree application, you will need to submit another nondegree application for your actual start term.

Step 3. Meet with a Continuing Education academic advisor to prepare to enroll in courses

Our academic advisors in Continuing Education experts on CU Boulder's policies and procedures. They are here to guide you through the logistics of being an Individually Designed Post-Baccalaureate student at CU Boulder, including topics such as the following:

To sign up for an individual academic advising session:

1. Log in to our online appointment system
2. Click on the Continuing Education tile
3. Select "Academic Advising" as your appointment type

For scheduling assistance, please call our office at 303-492-5148.

Step 4. Watch our video series for new students

Prior to your first pre-health advising appointment in Continuing Education, all new advisees are required to watch all five of the videos posted below, which provide a comprehensive outline of the types of strategies and experiences that will make you a strong applicant for professional school. (Total time commitment: about 2.5 hours.) This policy applies to all new advisees. 

First, download and print the following handouts for use while watching the videos:

Access the videos here:

Step 5. At least 5 weeks prior to the start of classes, submit the following documents to apply to the IDA program

Your application materials to the IDA program consist of the following materials. Once you have them prepared, send them via email to CEprehealth@colorado.edu: 

  • Complete the first three tabs of this Google Sheet, as follows. This will take some time. Please treat this document as a first step in preparing your application materials for professional school. Aim to present a professional impression, paying attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. 
    • Save a personal copy of the Google Sheet (File -> Make a Copy), adding your name to the title of the sheet.
    • ​Click the "Share" button and change the settings to allow "anyone with the link" to be an Editor.
    • In preparation for your pre-health post-bacc advising onboarding appointment, complete the following tabs:
      • 1. Start Here
      • 2. GPA Calculations (include every college undergrad-level course you've taken at every U.S./Canadian college that has an academic record for you, including college-level courses taken in high school, courses you've repeated, study abroad courses that show up on a U.S. transcript, etc.)
      • 3. Activity History
         
  • Transcripts from every U.S./Canadian college or university where you have an academic record
    • Unofficial copies of your past transcript(s) are fine, but please send us PDF versions of your transcripts (not screenshots/photos)

Timing Guidelines: 

  • Fall start: Classes begin in late August. The deadline to schedule a pre-health advising onboarding appointment prior to the start of the fall semester is in mid-to-late July each year.
  • Spring start: Classes begin in mid-January. The deadline to schedule a pre-health advising onboarding appointment prior to the start of the spring semester is in mid-December each year.
  • Summer start: Classes begin at the start of June. The deadline to schedule a pre-health advising onboarding appointment prior to the start of the summer term is in mid-to-late April each year.

Refer to CU Boulder's Academic Calendar for specific term start dates.

Step 6. Process for scheduling your two-hour pre-health advising onboarding session

Upon acceptance to the IDA post-baccalaureate program, you will receive an email with a proposed date for your two-hour pre-health advising onboarding appointment. 

If you would like to complete your two-hour onboarding pre-health advising appointment prior to the course enrollment period for a given academic term, you must complete this step at least five weeks prior to the start of that academic term. We regret that we are unlikely to have openings prior to the start of the term if you contact us at the last minute.

We offer onboarding appointments prior to the start of each academic term during the following time periods:

  • Fall start: You may schedule your initial pre-health advising session on or after July 1.
    Our onboarding appointment slots prior to the start of the Fall course enrollment period typically are full by late August.
    Fall course enrollment opens one week before the semester begins.
     
  • Spring start: You may schedule your initial pre-health advising session on or after October 20.
    Our onboarding appointment slots prior to the start of the Spring course enrollment period typically are full by mid-December.
    Spring course enrollment opens one week before the semester begins.
     
  • Summer start: You may schedule your initial pre-health advising session on or after February 15.
    Our onboarding appointment slots prior to the start of Summer A Term typically are full by early May.
    Summer course enrollment opens in early March.
Step 7. If seeking financial aid, connect with the Continuing Ed financial aid advisor and submit documentation

Nondegree Post-Baccalaureate Studies students who meet certain eligibility standards may be able to receive federal financial aid. The specifics of your financial aid eligibility will be determined once you have submitted all required paperwork, but here are a few general parameters that apply to non-degree students:

  • Federal financial aid awards for non-degree post-baccalaureate students typically cover the cost of tuition of required pre-health prerequisite courses, but NOT the cost of other courses or your living expenses.
  • Once you start receiving federal financial aid, your eligibility runs for one calendar year, whether you are receiving aid each academic term or not.
  • You are only eligible for federal financial aid in academic terms in which you are taking 6+ credit hours of required pre-health prerequisites. (Elective and "recommended" courses do not count.)
  • To start the process of applying for federal financial aid, follow the steps for undergraduate students listed on this webpage.
    • Documents posted on that page that YOU need to submit:
      • FAFSA
      • Contract for Nondegree Aid
    • Documents your pre-health advisor will submit after you complete your first pre-health advising session:
      • Nondegree Course Certification Form

For more information on financial aid eligibility and required paperwork, please schedule a time to talk directly with our financial aid liaison by sending an email to cefinaid@colorado.edu. 

Step 8. Join the Post-Bacc Slack group

The Continuing Ed post-bacc students use Slack as an informal way to connect, collaborate, ask questions, and share info about post-bacc social events. If you're not yet on Slack, download the app and click here to join the post-bacc workgroup. (Pro Tip: Not all channels will be relevant to you. You can "mute" channels (ie. for a class you're not taking) and still receive notifications for other channels of interest.)