Criminal Background Check Policy

Applicants to Marquette University School of Dentistry apply through the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). The AADSAS application requires disclosure of any misdemeanor or felony convictions other than minor traffic violations. Non-disclosure/falsification of any aspect of the AADSAS application may lead to an offer of admission being rescinded by the School of Dentistry.

A criminal background check will be completed on all provisionally accepted applicants to Marquette University School of Dentistry, prior to matriculation, as follows:

  1. The criminal background check will be initiated at the time the applicant is provisionally accepted.
  2. The criminal background check is not a component of the application, interview, or initial decision-making process for the school. It is the final component of the admissions process. The letter sent by the School of Dentistry to each provisionally accepted application will include information regarding this requirement, indicating that the final decision will be made after institutional review of the provisionally accepted applicant’s criminal background check report.
  3. Appropriate authorization to initiate the criminal background check will be received from all Marquette University School of Dentistry applicants at the time of their formal interview. Interviewees will be made aware that the background check will only be initiated if they are provisionally accepted for admission.
  4. Final decisions regarding provisionally accepted applicants whose criminal background check reveals negative information will be made by an ad hoc committee appointed by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the Marquette University School of Dentistry.
  5. No information derived from a criminal background check will automatically disqualify any provisionally accepted applicant from final acceptance. A final decision regarding acceptance will be made only after a careful review of the negative information. Offenses revealed by the background check may disqualify a provisionally accepted applicant. The School of Dentistry will use the Wisconsin Caregiver Law as a guide in making such decisions.
  6. All information obtained through the criminal background check will be used in accordance with state and federal laws.
  7. Enrolled students are required to disclose any felony convictions, including deferred adjudications that violate the Wisconsin Caregiver Law, within thirty days of occurrence to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Non-disclosure or falsification of conviction status may be grounds for dismissal or degree revocation.

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