Admission Goal

The College seeks as applicants to its Master's degree program mature students with demonstrated academic ability that are motivated toward a career in the healing arts. Students are admitted to the full-time degree program in the Fall and Spring Quarters, however, transfer students and students needing to complete the foundation science courses may be admitted any quarter.

Admission Requirements

The College accepts applications for each quarter and students are encouraged to apply as early as a year in advance for the desired quarter. Because the college operates on a rolling admissions basis, applications are reviewed as soon as the Admissions Office has received all of the required application materials. Once materials are received and reviewed, students will be notified and a time for an interview will be scheduled. Applicants will be notified of their status within 2 weeks following the interview (phone interviews are available for out-of-state and international students). For international student information and admissions requirements please click here.

Application deadlines for each quarter are as follows:* 

*Applications submitted after the application deadline will still be
considered. Priority, however, is given to those individuals whose
applications are received before the official deadline.

If a student is accepted into the college and decides to defer, the application fee that student has paid will count toward the following quarter(s) (up to 1 year). Students who pay the $100 application fee and are accepted into their desired quarter will not be eligible to benefit from the early application fee the following quarter(s) if they decide to defer.

Entrance Requirements

• A minimum of 90 semester or 135 quarter units from a regionally accredited college. 

• An overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher* 

*Prospective students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirements are encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions directly to discuss admissions options.

Admissions Procedure

All prospective students must file a completed graduate application along with the application materials described below. The non-refundable $100.00 application fee ($50 for early application fee) should be in the form of a check or money order made payable to ACTCM. The required materials include:

• A completed application and fee

• An official transcript of previous education from each college attended** 

• Statement of Purpose essay of at least 500 words 

• Two letters of recommendation** 

• A personal interview with the Admissions Committee 

** These documents are to be official and sent directly from the person or institution to the Office of Admissions. All documents become the property of ACTCM.

Notification of Admission

Applicants will receive written notice of their admission status within 2 weeks of their admissions interview.

Additional Documentation

A. Upon notification of acceptance, students must submit the following additional documentation directly to the Office of Admissions.

• Health Certificate (including TB test results) signed by a health care practitioner 

• A registration deposit of $300 for domestic students 

• A resume or curriculum vitae (preferably sent in with application)

• 2 passport photos 

B. The registration deposit is credited to the first tuition payment. If, in the event, an admitted student chooses not to enroll within one academic year of the offer of admission, the deposit will be refunded to the student except for $100 administrative fee.

C. Offers of admission can be deferred for one academic quarter. Requests for additional deferments are subject to review by the Admissions Committee.

Foundation Science Courses

The College recommends that entering students have completed the following undergraduate courses, however, offers of admission are not contingent upon prior completion of these courses. ACTCM offers all of the foundation science courses and students have one academic year after beginning the program to complete them at ACTCM, a local community college, or other regionally accredited institution.

General Science Courses - 22 credits* 

• Human Anatomy I & II with Lab - 6 credits 

• Human Physiology - 4 credits 

• General Psychology - 3 credits 

• Physics for non-majors - 3 credits 

• Chemistry for non-majors - 3 credits 

• General Biology - 3 credits 

The foundation Science courses reflect requirements of the State of California Acupuncture Board.

*Credits are calculated on a quarter scale. If taken as a semester credit, convert 1 semester credit to 1.5 quarter credits (e.g.- Human Anatomy 4 semester credits = 6 quarter credits)

Challenge Exams: Coursework taken at an international institution or an unaccredited institution will not be accepted for transfer to satisfy the ACTCM curriculum requirements. Entering students, with the approval of the Dean of Master's program, will be permitted to take a challenge exam in the equivalent subject area, prepared by the faculty member in that particular subject area, or prepared by a faculty member designated by the Dean of Master's program. If the exams are successfully passed, students earn credit and the grade of "pass." Both the grade and the credits will be recorded on the student's academic record and the course requirement is deemed satisfied. For tuition for challenge exams see Fee and Tuition Schedule.

Advising: The advising and placement of students in classes will be determined by a review of all previous educational coursework, and is not limited to just those courses transferred to satisfy the general education curriculum. Students will be required to meet with their academic advisor or the Dean of Student Services prior to each registration and obtain a signature on their registration form. Specific questions may be directed to the Office of Student Services or Academic Studies.

Please contact the Office of Admissions directly if you have any questions. admissions@actcm.edu or 415-282-7600 ext. 14

Part-time Degree Seeking Student

A part-time degree seeking student is enrolled to receive academic credits toward the Master's degree and is registered at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine for less than 12 credits of course work per quarter. To enroll a student must meet the admission requirements, complete the admission procedure and pay the per credit rate of tuition.

Returning Alumni

Returning alumni wishing to take courses at ACTCM are required to contact the Admission Office to be readmitted. Alumni returning to the College may enroll for credit, in which case, full tuition is assessed. If the alumnus wishes to audit the course(s), then a 25% tuition rate is available. Audits depend on space availability. Only didactic classes may be audited.

Admission Procedures for California L.Ac.s applying for Master's Degree

Acupuncturists (L.Ac.s) who were licensed prior to the State of California's 1987 licensing requirement implementation, or who have obtained their license after 1987 but do not have their Master's Degree, are encouraged to attend ACTCM to allow for upgrading of their skill and knowledge levels to the Master's Degree level. California licensed L.Ac.s are required to submit the following to the Admission Office:

1. A completed Application Form, and the non-refundable application fee 

2. An official transcript of previous education from each college attended 

3. Listing of all relevant training received since licensure (with documentation)* 

4. Listing of all post-graduate training 

5. Listing of any academic courses taught (CEUs, undergraduate, etc.) with appropriate documentation* 

6. Two Recommendation Letters (one from a health care practitioner)* 

7. Statement of Purpose Essay (500 words, typed)

8. Health Certificate (including a T.B. test or Chest X-ray) signed by a health care practitioner (less than 12 months old) 

**These documents are to be official documents sent directly to the Admissions Office of the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

For those applicants that do not meet the minimum of 90 semester credits or 135 quarter credits, the Dean's Office will conduct an evaluation of past education, training, and experience to identify current competency levels. If warranted, competency exams will be required to offset bachelor level requirements. Appropriate fees will be assessed accordingly. The Degree requirements for California licensed Acupuncturists are provided in the Dean's Office.