What is NU-PATHS?

Unfortunately health care in the State of Nebraska is not uniformly available to all. In too many Nebraska communities, health care providers and health-related research activity, are lacking as a result of economic disadvantages, inadequate educational opportunities, failure to communicate health information systems, and other challenges related to societal structures, both within and outside of the community in need. In addition to an absence of clinics and other health care resources, these communities and neighborhoods are often characterized by below-average educational resources, economic disadvantages both for business and individuals, lingering racial segregation, and a general lack of opportunity. Failure to meet the health care needs of these communities and neighborhoods has dire, long-range consequences that impact the State of Nebraska, far beyond the immediate impact on the specific communities and neighborhoods in need.

The Nebraska University Pre-Admission to the Health Sciences (NU-PATHS) is a collaborative program de eloped by the University of Nebraska campuses [University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)], designed to alleviate this disparity in health care. This program seeks to identify University of Nebraska undergraduate students with a demonstrated commitment to practicing in underserved communities in need, or engaging in research specifically targeted at these underserved communities and neighborhoods.

 

Benefits of the Program

Students selected for the NU-PATHS program receive:

• Full tuition scholarship (up to 135 credit hours) at the University of Nebraska campus (UNK, UNL, UNO) from which they were selected for their undergraduate professional program.
• On-going advisement and career mentoring from advisors from both their undergraduate campus and from UNMC faculty in their professional program of choice.
• A specific pre-professional program of study to prepare them for a professional program at UNMC.
• Regularly scheduled visits to UNMC to learn more about the campus and their selected program.
• Opportunities to participate in summer educational and research programs at UNMC.
• Guaranteed admission to the selected UNMC program upon successful timely completion of their undergraduate pre-professional program of study.

 

Career Development and Experience

Real-life experience is an important element of the NU-PATHS program. Participating students are offered opportunities, such as:

1. Attending UNMC seminars, workshops and video conferences.
2. Attending sample UNMC classes (non-credit).
3. Developing relationships with professionals in the student’s chosen career.
4. Participating in summer enrichment programs, research positions, shadowing professional practitioners, and other activities offered at UNMC, and at the student’s undergraduate campus.

 

Who Should Apply?

Prerequisites

• U.S. citizen or individuals granted permanent resident status
• Undergraduate students currently enrolled full-time at UNK, UNL, or UNL in the second semester of their freshman or sophomore year, as the application deadline date, with no previous undergraduate degree; and
• Completed at least 13 college credit hours, but not more than 60 undergraduate college credit hours earned in the NU system, or that were accepted through equivalency credit transfer within the NU system.
• At the time of application ,applicants for all programs must have attained the required cumulative college GPA required by the program

• All programs except Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine and Physicians Assistant programs require a cumulative GPA of 3.25 at the time of application.
• College of Dentistry program applicants must have an overall college level GPA of 3.50 at the time of application
• College of Medicine program applicants with less than 30 college credit hours must have an overall GPA of 3.25 of higher and a GPA of 3.25 or higher in college math and sciences courses.
• College of Medicine program applicants with greater than 30 college credit hours must have an overall GPA 3.50 or higher and now lower than 3.25 in college math and science courses
• Physician Assistant program applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the time of application

 

Promoting NU-PATHS Objectives; Additional Qualifications

The following, while not requirements for application, are factors that may be considered in student selection:

• Person who shows a demonstrated sustained commitment to practice as a health care/research professional in urban and other communities and neighborhoods in need of health care providers.
• Individual from an environment of economic disadvantage as evidence by complete FASFA form indicating Pell Grant eligibility.
• First generation college student
• Superior academic performance.
• Individual who demonstrates an active involvement in communities and neighborhoods where opportunities are diminished, especially those opportunities to receive the benefits of health care and health care research.
• Proficiency in languages spoken in communities with health care needs.
• Nebraska resident for University of Nebraska tuition purpose.

 

How to Apply

• Fill out application on this website.
• Submit all application materials to the same address on your campus, postmarked no later than February 1 prior to the academic year for which you seek to enter the program.
• Only one application to a single UNMC program per academic year is allowed.

 

Selection Process

Applications will be screened by a committee from the respective undergraduate campuses. Those selected for further review will be forwarded to the UNMC programs. The UNMC programs will identify applicants for interviews by representatives of both campuses. Shortly after the interviews, the successful applicants will be chosen, and all applicants will be notified of the outcome with respect to his/her application.  

 

Participating UNMC Health Education Programs

Annually, UNMC makes available to NU-PATHS’ student participants on each campus (UNL, UNO and UNK) the following number of guaranteed admission positions in the programs listed: