CCJ Online Pre-Admission Pathway

What is CCJ Online Pre-admission?

The Criminology and Criminal Justice Online (CCJO) Pre-admission option is designed for prospective or current PSU freshman who are interested in admission to the fully online CCJO program, but have not yet earned enough college credit to meet its full admissions criteria.

Benefits of CCJO Pre-admission

You will work closely with your CCJO Advisor to plan and register for your first year courses in a fully online format.
You will receive access to specially reserved spaces in the fully online courses needed to complete your first year PSU bachelor’s degree requirements.
Your CCJO Advisor will help you stay on track to completing the requirements for full CCJO program admission, and apply to CCJO.

What are the differences between full CCJO admission and Pre-admission?

There are differences between the kind of online courses you will take as a CCJO Pre-admission student and as courses after you are fully admitted to CCJO. As a CCJO Pre-admission student, you will work with a CCJO Advisor to pick and register for “regular” online courses that are open to all PSU students.

As a fully admitted CCJO student, you will be granted access to CCJO’s online courses that are not available to other PSU students, including those majoring in CCJ through our campus-based pathway. You will also receive the full range of services and support provided through CCJO, including enhanced support model within your CCJO courses and personal advising to help you complete your PSU bachelor’s degree as efficiently as possible.

CCJ Online Pre-admission vs. Full CCJ Online Program Admission*

	CCJ Online Pre-Admission	Full CCJ Online Admission*
Tuition	Regular In-state and Out-of-state PSU tuition on all courses	Flat rate tuition on CCJ Online (CCJO) courses that is higher than In-state and Out-of-state tuition
Fees	Students taking general PSU courses pay the following fees: Online Technology fee Recreation fee (charged per term) Student health fee Building fee Incidental fee	Students taking CCJO courses pay only the following fees: Online Technology fee Recreation fee (charged per term)
Tuition Free Degree	Covers full PSU tuition for eligible In-state students	Covers part of CCJO’s flat rate tuition for eligible In-state students
Course Length	Regular 11 week courses	Most CCJO courses are 5 weeks in length
Summer Term Registration	Not necessary	Optional, all CCJO students have the option to take CCJ Elective courses offered each Summer term. _{Please note Tuition Free Degree does not cover Summer term.}
Tech Support	General PSU Help Desk	Specialized tech support provided by our CCJO tech support staff who is familiar with our systems and knows each course, instructor, and assignment.
In-Class Support	General PSU instructional model	Instructional team model that pairs each student with a course facilitator to provide extra assistance and support, in addition to working directly with their professor.

*NOTE: Full admission to CCJO allows students to complete the PSU academic major in Criminology & Criminal Justice, and their upper division University Studies requirements with CCJO’s special tuition and fees. Most students fully admitted to CCJO will need to complete other bachelor’s degree requirements (such as math, science, or foreign language courses) offered in other PSU Departments that charge regular in-state/out-of-state tuition and fees.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I become a CCJO Pre-admission student?

In order to be designated as a CCJO Pre-admission student, you need to complete the following steps:

Complete PSU’s undergraduate admissions process.
- Apply to PSU using the Freshman student application process.
- In the PSU application process, be sure to (1) select Criminology and Criminal Justice as your desired major and (2) select that you are interested in an online program.
Complete the CCJ Online Pre-admission Form.
- Your completed Pre-admission form is submitted directly to the CCJ Online program.

It is important to understand that admission to PSU and Pre-admission to CCJO are two different processes. You need to complete both steps.

Does participating in the option CCJO Pre-admission guarantee full admission to the CCJO program?

No. Full CCJO admission requires meeting the CCJO program’s admissions requirements. The CCJO Pre-admission option is available to guide and support students in meeting those admissions requirements during their first year at PSU. Students cannot be fully admitted to the CCJO program until they have met all of the program’s admissions requirements.

If I start PSU as a CCJO Pre-admission student, can I change my mind about my major?

Yes! Admission to PSU and CCJO Pre-admission are two separate things. As a PSU student, you get to pick your major. Pre-admission to CCJO means (1) you are choosing Criminology & Criminal Justice as your academic major and (2) you want to earn your degree fully online. If you decide at any point you’d rather switch to a different major, your CCJO Advisor can help you do that. You’d then be switched to PSU’s general academic advising team. CCJO Advisors are only able to work with CCJO Pre-admission and fully admitted CCJO students.

Can I be fully admitted to CCJO without participating in the CCJO Pre-admission option?

Yes! Pre-admission is an option for students who are not yet qualified for full admission to CCJO. Students who meet CCJO’s admissions standards are welcome to apply at any time.

Can I decide not to be a fully online student and still major in Criminology & Criminal Justice?

Yes! The Criminology & Criminal Justice (CCJ) Department offers two different ways to complete the CCJ major. All the degree requirements are the same, regardless of the pathway you choose.

One pathway to the CCJ major is fully online through CCJO. The other pathway is through our campus-based program where students complete their CCJ major mostly through face-to-face courses, with some courses offered fully or partially online.

CCJO Pre-admission students can decide at any point in time to switch to the campus-based CCJ pathway. Since all CCJ major requirements are the same, there will be no impact on your bachelor’s degree progress. However, please be advised that campus-based students pay regular PSU in-state/out-of-state tuition and fees and do not receive the personalized services and support provided to CCJO students, including the CCJO advising team.