As part of the college’s Student Services department, the Office of the Registrar provides services and support for students in the master’s and doctoral degree programs.
Registrar staff work closely with students for the duration of their degree studies, making sure all requirements are completed for graduation. Once all requirements are met and balances are paid in full, the diploma is issued.
Services provided include developing and maintaining the academic calendars and class schedule, registering students for classes and clinic shifts, enrollment and degree verification, and the processing of transcript requests and lender deferment forms.
Registration
Twice each year, students register for academic classes — once for fall, winter and spring quarters and once for summer quarter. In addition, clinical students schedule their clinical shifts each quarter. Student interns schedule for classes and clinic once each quarter.
Changes to student schedules may be requested through the Registrar anytime before a quarter begins or during each quarter’s Drop/Add/Section Change period. Courses are recorded in Populi, OCOM’s online student information system.
Populi - Student Information System
A cloud-based student information system, Populi provides current and prospective OCOM students with online access to: the admissions application, course registration and transcripts, online course material (for master’s program students) and document sharing, financial aid information, tuition and fees, and campus news and event announcements.
Transcripts and Records
Students may request an official or unofficial transcript from the Registrar. Current students can also print their own unofficial transcript via Populi. Official transcripts cost $5.
Transcript Request Form - OCOM alumni and current students can request official transcripts through Populi and pay online. To request a transcript you either must be a current student with an active Populi account or an alumni who is registered and logged into the alumni website alumni.ocom.edu.
NCCAOM Transcript Request Form
Graduation and Licensure
CNT Course — All students are required to to pass the Clean Needle Technique (CNT) Course administered by the Council of Colleges of Oriental Medicine.
NCCAOM — Most states’ licensing boards require applicants to have passed the national board exams administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Per OCOM policy, students are allowed to begin testing for these board exams in their last year of study.
California/New Mexico — OCOM is an approved school for the state board exams for California and New Mexico. Students must have graduated from OCOM before they can sit for these exams.
State Licensing — The Registrar is the liaison between OCOM and the NCCAOM, CCAOM and the various state licensing boards. Students need to research the requirements of the states to which they will be applying for licensure. Each state has different requirements for their application and can change, so it is best to stay up to date.
Veterans Affairs
The Registrar is the contact person for VA students who have current benefits. Students eligible for VA benefits will provide their Certificate of Eligibility form, which details their entitlement for benefits. The Registrar will then input the student’s VA information into the government site VA ONCE system for verifying enrollment information. VA-eligible students must contact the Office of the Registrar for more information.
Students with VA Vocational Rehabilitation benefits will provide the Registrar with the appropriate caseworker information and paperwork. The Registrar will submit spreadsheets and invoices (signed and dated by the student; including tuition, fees, books and supplies) to the caseworker for payment. This process occurs each quarter the student is enrolled.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
For more information on VA benefits, visit their website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
International Students
OCOM is eligible to host full-time students on F-1 visa status*; the Registrar is the Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) contact for such students. F-1 visa status is regulated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is granted when you legally enter the country.
*A student with an F-1 visa is permitted to stay in the country as long as the student maintains student status. International students are required to submit all required documents to the Registrar at least one month prior to the school year starting. The PDSO will verify all documentation and submit online student status each quarter that the student is enrolled. The student will follow all associated immigration rules throughout their OCOM enrollment; if a violation occurs, a student may be required to leave the country or not be able to return to the United States.
I-20 forms are available to admitted applicants who meet INS requirements. Students who were not educated in the United States must meet the same admissions requirements as U.S.-educated applicants. Such candidates must have their educational credentials evaluated by an international educational service such as World Education Services (www.wes.org) and have these sent to OCOM’s Office of Admissions.
English language competency is required of all students seeking admission to the program. This may be satisfied by scoring at least 61 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet based test (iBT), which also requires a minimum speaking exam score of 26 and a minimum listening exam score of 22, or a level 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam.
Alumni Taking Classes
Space permitting, an OCOM alum can audit classes previously taken for credit. They can also register for classes they had not previously taken during their degree studies for a fee equaling 25 percent of the per credit cost. By tracking attendance with the instructor, an alum can coordinate with the Registrar to receive continuing education units (CEU’s) at the end of the quarter.
Contact the Office of the Registrar
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Registrar, 503-253-3443 x112
