Early Assurance Pathway Application Requirements
The Office Of Admissions Works With First-Year Applicants Who Have Qualified To Be Considered For The Early Assurance Pathway To The SU Graduate Health Professions.
The EA Pathway, our most competitive option, is available to incoming first-year undergraduate applicants who meet rigorous high school GPA and course grade requirements. This pathway guarantees an admission interview with a Shenandoah graduate program as long as undergraduate criteria are maintained at Shenandoah.
The graduate schools reserve placements within their programs for all EA students who meet the program requirements and pass the graduate school interview. For most programs, this is an accelerated pathway that structures a student’s transition into the graduate program by overlapping the first year of graduate school with the fourth year of undergraduate study.
Students Eligible: Incoming First-Year Undergraduate Applicants Only. Transfer students are not eligible for the EA Pathway but are eligible for the Articulated Pathway and Traditional Pathway.
Students who do not qualify for the EA Pathway can pursue the Articulation Agreement Pathway or the Traditional Pathway.
Early Assurance Pathway Programs at Shenandoah
Process for Consideration for the Early Assurance Pathway
- An incoming first-year applicant submits a first-year application for admission to Shenandoah.
- The Office of Admissions reviews the applicant’s eligibility for each program based on GPA, courses taken and grades received.
If a student qualifies to be considered for the Early Assurance Pathway, they will be notified via email how to:
- Upload/submit the required observation hours.
- Register for the required shadow/interview day with the graduate program on select dates listed below.
Students are strongly encouraged to apply and submit their application materials prior to completing any supplemental requirements.
The Final Firm Deadline for ALL Early Assurance application materials is February 19, 2026.
Application Materials DEADLINE *Interview Registration & Supplemental Materialsare due one week prior to scheduled interview | Interview Dates On-Campus or Virtual |
|---|---|
| Thursday, November 13, 2025 | Friday, November 21, 2025 |
| Thursday, November 27, 2025 | Friday, December 5, 2025 |
| Thursday, January 8, 2026 | Friday, January 16, 2026 (virtual) |
| Friday, February 6, 2026 | Monday, February 16, 2026* |
| Thursday, February 19, 2026 | Friday, February 27, 2026 |
*Monday, February 16 is available to ALL EA programs; however, EA-PT will only be offering the shadow day experience on that day, followed by Zoom interviews with faculty that will be individually coordinated. The Zoom interviews will be spread across 2/17, 2/19, and 2/20.
After successful submission of all required supplemental materials, and graduate faculty consideration, applicants may be offered a reserved seat into the graduate program via the Early Assurance Pathway.
Undergraduate Academic Criteria
The criteria each student must maintain during their undergraduate years of study for each EA Pathway are provided to the student in the form of an EA contract. If a student fails to maintain the criteria for their EA Pathway during their undergraduate studies, they are removed from the EA Pathway and they are eligible for the Articulation Agreement Pathway or the Traditional Pathway.
Contact your Admissions Counselor with any questions.
