Application Process

To apply to the Medical Laboratory Science Program, applications must be submitted no later than November 18. Class begins August of the following year. Applications that have been received by the deadline date will continue to be processed. Applicants must submit the following:

• A completed application form . Incomplete applications will not be processed. 
• The $50 non-refundable application fee (checks and money orders only). Make check or money order payable to Inova Fairfax Hospital Medical Laboratory Science program.
• The official college transcripts from each college/university attended
• Three letters of recommendation with a minimum of two from current or previous faculty, and one from an employer or individual familiar with the applicant's character. Recommendation letters must be sent directly from the reference source to the Inova Fairfax Hospital School of Medical Laboratory Science or emailed to the program coordinator at shabrina.shah@inova.org. Students working toward a degree in Medical Laboratory Science should instruct the university to send a letter to the program coordinator, stating that Medical Laboratory Science prerequisites will be completed upon entry into the clinical program and that the student will be eligible for a baccalaureate degree at the end of this program.
• Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT). Learn more about the exam and register online at the Educational Testing Service.
• Applicants who completed their education training outside the U.S. must have their educational transcripts evaluated for U.S. equivalency by an accredited credential evaluation service company prior to submission. (Refer here for a list of qualified companies ) The applicant pays for the examination and credential evaluation services. The official transcript evaluation must be sent directly from the official credential evaluation source to the Inova Fairfax Hospital School of Medical Laboratory Science.
• Students accepted into the Medical Laboratory Science Program are considered employees of the Inova Fairfax Hospital: therefore applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.
• Acknowledgement of the Essential Functions Application for Admission 

All application material and supporting documents should be mailed to the following address:

Inova Fairfax Hospital Laboratory
School of Medical Laboratory Science
Attn: Shabrina Shah
3300 Gallows Road
Falls Church, VA 22042-3300

Interviews and acceptance

After reviewing the applications, the program’s Admissions Committee will select applicants to be interviewed. Only those applicants whose application files are complete will be considered for an interview. Interviews are conducted in the month of January. Applicants are selected based on a point system which takes into consideration the following: overall GPA which is calculated by looking at the GPA across all institutions where an applicant has earned credit, science GPA which is calculated by looking at only those courses required for admission, college major, affiliate status which is determined by whether or not an applicant is a student or graduate of one of our academic affiliates, relevant coursework, incidence of course repeats and withdrawals, strength of recommendation letters, interview performance, motivation/interest, work experience, and communication skills/etiquette and overall knowledge and understanding of the profession.

The information obtained during the interview process will be examined and applicants are then chosen for enrollment in the program for the following year. Applicants are evaluated without regard for gender, age, race, color, creed, religion, pregnancy, or related medical conditions, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Applicants selected are notified of their admission status via phone, an email and a follow-up letter during the month of January. Notification of acceptance letters requires a response within 2 weeks of the date of the letter. If the student decides to accept the position within the program they must sign enrollment agreement and submit an acceptance letter along with a $100 fee to reserve their position. The entire fee is applied toward tuition.

Admission is contingent upon satisfactorily passing all parts of Inova's employment process. This includes a health assessment and drug screening by Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Employee Health & Safety clearance by Inova Human Resources Department to include a criminal background check. Evaluation and clearance by Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Employee Health & Safety and Inova Human Resources Department must take place no later than 1 month prior to the start date of the program. Failure to satisfactorily complete these evaluations by this deadline will result in revocation of the conditional admission. In such a case, the applicant must reapply in the next admission cycle to be considered for future acceptance.

Admission may be conditional on completion of pre-requisite coursework. Satisfactory completion of this coursework must be documented by official transcript at least 1 month prior to the start of the program. Failure to satisfactorily complete or provide evidence of completion by this deadline will result in revocation of the conditional admission. In such a case, the applicant must reapply in the next admission cycle to be considered for future acceptance.