2021–2022 CATALOG AND STUDENT HANDBOOK ACADEMIC INFORMATION AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES At the Blaine, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove, Eagan, Lake Elmo/ Woodbury, Mankato, and St. Cloud campuses in Minnesota and the Fargo campus in North Dakota, the following programs require two background checks for admission: one through Rasmussen University’s chosen third-party vendor and one through the Minnesota Department of Human Services. An additional general background check may also be required during active enrollment prior to practicum or clinical placement depending on site requirements. • Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Standard Entrance A-BSN • Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Second-Degree A-BSN • Medical Laboratory Technician • Physical Therapist Assistant • Radiologic Technology • Surgical Technologist At the Moorhead and St. Cloud campuses in Minnesota, the following programs require two background checks for admission: one through Rasmussen University’s chosen third-party vendor and one through the Minnesota Department of Human Services. An additional general background check may also be required during active enrollment prior to practicum or clinical placement depending on site requirements. • Practical Nursing • Professional Nursing At the Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove, Eagan, and Mankato campuses in Minnesota, the following programs require a Minnesota Department of Human Services background check for admission. • Practical Nursing At the Mankato campus in Minnesota, the following programs require a Minnesota Department of Human Services background check for admission. • Professional Nursing At the Blaine, Bloomington, and Lake Elmo/Woodbury campuses in Minnesota, the following programs require two background checks for admission: one through Rasmussen University’s chosen third-party vendor and one through the Minnesota Department of Human Services. An additional general background check may also be required during active enrollment prior to practicum or clinical placement depending on site requirements. • Professional Nursing A. General Criminal Background Check, and Florida Level 2 Background Check Processes Potential students enrolling or students preparing for practicum or clinical experiences in any of the general criminal background check programs will agree to the terms and conditions of the background check process as part of placing the order through the vendor. Potential students enrolling or students preparing for practicum or clinical experiences in any of the Florida Level 2 background check designated programs must complete and return to the University a VECHS Waiver Agreement and Statement. If the background check reveals any history, Rasmussen University will individually assess the students’ or potential students’ result to determine whether the students or potential students are eligible to start the program or qualify for practicum or clinical placement. The University will send either a possible issue letter or a pre-adverse action letter to all students or potential students whose background check reveals any history. A possible issue letter informs potential students or students that a potential problem revealed in their background check may prevent them from completing practicum or clinical activities and/or finding employment in-field after graduation. Students or potential students who receive a possible issue letter may acknowledge the issue and make an informed decision to continue with the program, they may choose to change programs, or they may choose to withdraw from the University. A pre-adverse action letter informs the students or potential students that the University is about to take adverse action. After receiving a pre-adverse letter, the student may contact the background check firm directly to dispute the information contained in the background check before the University takes adverse action. Unless a dispute is filed, within seven days of sending the pre-adverse action letter the University will send an adverse action letter indicating the action to be taken, which could include not allowing the potential student to enroll in a certain program, not allowing the student to continue in a practicum or clinical placement, or removing a student from the University. If the student or potential student wishes to appeal an adverse decision, a written appeal should be submitted following the instructions provided with the adverse action letter. The University will review the appeal and issue a final decision. A denied appeal may cause the potential student or student to become ineligible for enrollment in any program requiring a background check or in any program offered by the University. A potential student enrolling in a program requiring a general or Florida Level 2 background check may begin attending if the general or Florida Level 2 background check is in progress, but not complete, at the start of the potential student’s first academic period of enrollment. This provision of this policy does not apply to the Physical Therapist Assistant Associate’s Degree program whose potential students must have completed the background check process in its entirety, including any required appeal process, before being accepted and starting the program. If the potential student begins attending while the general or Florida Level 2 background check is in progress and is subsequently issued an adverse action letter and chooses not to appeal, then the potential student will be withdrawn and any tuition and fees billed will be credited. If the potential student begins attending while the general or Florida Level 2 background check is in progress and is subsequently issued an adverse action letter, chooses to appeal, and the appeal is denied, then the potential student has the option to complete General Education courses already started for the cost of the course technology and resources fee and book fee(s). Any tuition or programmatic administrative fees billed will be credited. If at the end of the potential student’s first academic period of enrollment the general or Florida Level 2 background check process is still in progress, the potential student may not continue into a second academic period and will be withdrawn until future enrollment eligibility can be determined. In any of the circumstances described in the preceding three paragraphs, final grades of “C” or higher awarded in courses completed while the background check was in process will appear on the transcript and will count toward the cumulative grade point average. Final grades of “C-” or lower in courses completed will not appear on the transcript and will have no effect on the cumulative grade point average. Courses attempted, but not completed prior to withdrawal due to an adverse background check will not appear on the transcript and will have no effect on the cumulative grade point average. A potential student enrolling in a program that requires a background check will not have their financial aid submitted until the potential student is determined to be eligible through a clear to proceed memo. This process may delay a potential student’s funding until the general or Florida Level 2 background check process is complete. A student who is required to submit to a general or Florida Level 2 background check as a condition of practicum or clinical placement during active enrollment who is subsequently denied continued enrollment as a result of the background check will receive no refunds or credits greater than what is allowed by the institution’s refund policy for any tuition and fees previously billed or paid. In this circumstance, final grades will be awarded according to the institution’s course drop policy and course withdrawal policy. A student or potential student whose appeal has been denied has the right to file one request for reconsideration to regain future enrollment eligibility but must provide supplemental or additional information not previously available to support such a request for reconsideration. B. Minnesota Department of Human Services Background Check Process A potential student enrolling in any of the MDHS designated programs will complete an Order Initiation Form. Part of the completion of this form will require review and acceptance of the Minnesota Department of Human Services Background Study Notice of Privacy Rights. Upon completion of the Order Initiation Form, Rasmussen University will initiate and submit a background study application to the MDHS via the NetStudy 2.0 system. Once accepted by the MDHS, the DHS will issue a Fingerprint and Photo Authorization Form with a deadline for the potential student to be fingerprinted at a MDHS authorized fingerprint vendor. A potential student enrolling in a program requiring a MDHS background check may begin attending if the background check is in progress, but not complete, at the start of the potential student’s first academic period of enrollment. This provision of this policy does not apply to the Physical Therapist Assistant Associate’s Degree program whose potential students must have completed the background check process in its entirety before being accepted and starting the program. If the potential student does not present for fingerprinting by the deadline set by the MDHS, then the MDHS will issue an Order for Immediate Removal and Rasmussen University will subsequently deny enrollment. However, this denial does not preclude enrollment in future start dates. Depending on when the order is received, potential students may be able to restart the background check process for the current start date or may restart the background check process for a future start date. ALL CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY ADDENDUM 129
