Admission Clearance Process and Record Releases

Admission Clearance Process

General Information

Prospective students who have felony criminal history, have been suspended or expelled from a previous institution, or are required to register with local law enforcement are required to be cleared by Student Support and Conduct (SS&C) before admission can be considered under normal academic criteria. In order to determine whether or not a clearance is warranted, Student Conduct will individually review each situation. Oklahoma State University has the responsibility to maintain a safe community environment and has minors on campus on a continual basis.

Please note, individuals whom have been convicted of a forcible or non-forcible sexual offense and have been incarcerated are ineligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant.

Oklahoma State University does not have any degree programs which are able to be completed without the student's physical presence on the campus. Therefore, applicants who are incarcerated will not be granted clearance. 

Oklahoma State University upholds disciplinary suspensions and expulsions issued by other institutions.

Clearance Process

To facilitate the review of the application, all applicants with a previous felony or separation from an institution will be required to submit documentation, which generally includes at least the following:

• In cases of suspension or expulsion: A copy of your complete discipline file from all institutions of higher education you have attended. These can generally be procured by contacting the Office of Student Conduct or the Dean of Students at the previous institution.
• In cases of felony: A copy of the police affidavit, presentence investigation report and final adjudication for all criminal charges. These are most often public court records that the applicant can obtain from his/her attorney or the Clerk of the Court.
• In cases of felony: Complete the Previous Felony Admission Clearance Form.
• A detailed written explanation describing the nature and specifics of the situation, and a narrative about the your status in relation to the situation at issue. This is your opportunity to tell us what happened in your own words, and explain what the status of this situation is now (e.g. are you on probation or parole, is the suspension current or expired, etc.).
• A written description of any treatment, education or work experience you have had since the situation at issue, and documentation of all treatment and education.
• At least one letter of reference from a professional source who has had frequent contact with you in the past three to six months (e.g., professor, supervisor, etc.). References from family members and friends do not qualify.

Following a review of the submitted documentation, SS&C may conduct a criminal background check, schedule an interview, speak to probation and parole officers or Student Conduct officers, and undertake other action designed to illicit more information about the applicant and the situation at issue.

Result

Following the completion of the review, Student Conduct will issue one of three results:

• The applicant is denied admission clearance and the application will not be considered further. The applicant may appeal this decision.
• The applicant is granted outright admission clearance. The application will then be considered by Undergraduate Admission or the Graduate College for a final determination on the student's application, based on normal academic criteria.
• The applicant is granted provisional clearance with conditions. The most common conditions of admission in these situations are conduct probation and a determination that the applicant not be permitted to reside in on-campus housing, though conditions are often specifically tailored to the applicant and the presenting situation. The application will then be considered by Undergraduate Admission or the Graduate College for a final determination on the student's application, based on normal academic criteria. If the student is admitted and chooses to enroll, they will be required to comply with all conditions specified.

Honesty During the Application Process

Be honest. Having a felony, suspension or expulsion on your record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration. However, submission of false information or withholding information at the time of application or admission or dishonesty with OSU staff may make an individual ineligible for admission to Oklahoma State University.

Student Record Release

Many graduate and professional schools, employers, and study abroad programs require that students obtain certification from Oklahoma State University that the student is in good standing, is not under restriction or probation, or has never had any major violations of the Student Code of Conduct.  These are sometimes called "Dean's Certification," "Judicial Record" or "Record Release."  The requesting institution might suggest that you contact the Dean of Students, the office of Student Conduct, or another place. Student Support and Conduct process all requests for conduct record certification.  In order for a student to obtain this certification from SS&C, she or he must:

• Sign a  release of information, which states that the student consents to the release of their conduct record to the requesting institution. These forms are available in the SS&C office. The institution to which you want the records sent may have provided you a form to sign for that purpose; SS&C will usually accept such signed authorization.
• Submit the release of information and exact address to which you would like the certification sent to SS&C. You can bring the form in to the office during normal business hours, mail it to 328 Student Union, Stillwater, OK 74078, or submit by email to student.conduct@okstate.edu.

If you have no conduct record, certification will be sent indicating that. If you have been found responsible for violating the Student Code of Conduct, the certification will generally include: the date of incident, a brief summary of the behavior you engaged in, the action plan issued, and the current status of those assignments. Requests are generally processed within two business days.

Student Conduct does not provide character references or answer questions about student's moral character as part of a conduct record certification. If you would like to request a reference letter, directly contact the conduct or hearing officer that handled your case. Requests that require enrollment verification information (e.g. dates of attendance, degree plan, major, etc.), GPA or other academic information will be forwarded to the Registrar's Office for processing after the conduct record certification is completed by SS&C.

Conduct records are maintained separate from the student's academic record but are part of the student's educational record.

• Case referrals will result in the development of a record in the name of the student.
• If the student is involved in the conduct process and is found not responsible, the file will be marked no action, no record, and shall not constitute a disciplinary record.
• If the student is found responsible for violations, with sanctions less than suspension or expulsion, will generally be maintained in Student Support and Conduct (SS&C) for seven years from the calendar year of record, after which they are destroyed.
• Records of cases in which suspension or expulsion from the university occur are kept in the SS&C for ten and fifteen years, respectively.
  All conduct records are confidential and may not be disclosed in whole or in part except as provided by law or by the written authorization of the student, under legal compulsion or where the safety of other persons may be involved.

Please see information on FERPA for complete rules about confidentiality, as well as exceptions to the law that allows schools to disclose information without consent.