UNIBE - Admission Requirements In Detail (English Version)

     I took a little time off to relax and visit some cool places around the country but now i'm back and running! I'm going to be doing a series of posts dedicated to UNIBE (Universidad Iberoamerica, Dominican Republic) from the most simple things such as admission requirements to how the admissions exam went and when I get accepted, what the procedure is like. I applied into the Spanish program of Medicine at UNIBE. Before I was thinking to enter into the English but the Spanish program was the best method to handle my situation. Here are the requirements for applying to the English Medical Program at UNIBE:

"Click Here for UNIBE's Admission Requirements page for Medicine in English"

1) UNIBE Application for Admission Form (printable version available on our website): This can be found on this web link => CLICK HERE It is the first PDF.
2) Consent for Release of Academic Information Form (printable version available on our website): This form can also be found on the link given for number 1 or you can CLICK HERE. The form is under the PDF document named "Student Request Form".
3) Four (4) photos (2"x2"): you can take these pictures practically anywhere passport pictures are taken because that is what they really are, passport pictures. The cheapest place I could find to take these pictures was at Costco. I believe they were US$5 compared to Walgreens, US$11.
4) ORIGINAL Birth Certificate notarized by the Department of State/APOSTILLE in the Country of Origin: I live in New Jersey and looked at this page for reference (cover letter, costs, etc.) CLICK HERE If you live in a different state I suggest you follow your state's procedure! Also, please do not send your documents to the apostille without a tracking number, please do not! I beg of you! Read the 3rd and 4rth paragraph on my past post about my experience with the Apostille! CLICK HERE It will save you a lot of time and you won't have to worry as much! Do not hesitate to email the Apostille or call them for any reason! Lastly, have the document stamped by a Notary Public and make copies of everything you send to them!
5) Photocopy of Passport notarized by the Department of State/APOSTILLE in the Country of Origin: UNIBE says that they won't accept any copies of any documents and that no document will be returned to you at any time but, in this case i'm pretty sure you won't send your actual passport to them so don't. You already know what i'm going to say about the Apostille so re-read number 4. Also, in my experience, my photocopy of my passport was sent back to me from the Apostille because I had to write "I, ___(my name)___, certify that this is a real copy of my passport." Signed by me. Make sure you write this on the bottom of each document before you send them to the Apostille. Then, have this stamped by a Notary Public.
6) Police Certificate, recently issued by Federal Authorities: I followed the link they had (which is this one CLICK HERE) and looked under "How to Request a Copy of Your Record", following Option 1's procedure. As for obtaining my fingerprints, I had to print the "standard fingerprint form (FD-258)" CLICK HERE (could be on copy paper) and bring it to my police station because mine did not offer fingerprint forms. My friend who is also coming to the Dominican Republic to study for a semester in another school had to get a police certificate but he said he just went to his police station and that was enough. I suggest sticking to what UNIBE says because if they say something is wrong you can say you did what was on the website. After I sent everything in, it took about 3 months to get it so make sure you have enough time before officially applying to receive your police certificate.
7) UNIBE Health Certificate (printable version available on our website): CLICK HERE It's pretty much a physical form that your doctor will fill out.
8) Hepatitis B Vaccine Record - 3 Doses: When you get your physical done, ask your doctor for this record. He/She can give you a copy of it. Highlight the dates.
9) Two (2) Official transcripts one (1) notarized by the Department of State/APOSTILLE; one (1) mailed directly by each College and/or University attended to out Mailing Address: This only applies to transfer students who have attended college before applying to UNIBE. *Note: You have the option of applying as a new student meaning that you would be starting all over again and can skip this step. Some people have told me that even if you had credits in college they couldn't transfer them to UNIBE so it was a waste of time. Nonetheless, you can still attempt. All you have to do is contact your school's registrar and ask for 3 OFFICIAL college transcripts. "OFFICIAL" meaning that it is signed by the registrar and everything. UNIBE will not accept copies or unofficial documents. In my college you don't have to pay for transcripts. Also note that your college will ask you why do you need official transcripts and why do you need 3 of them. First, you need them to be official because like I said before, no copies will be accepted. And secondly, you need 3 because one will be mailed to UNIBE (the address you will mail it to is Universidad Iberoamericana, UNIBE P.O. Box 770310 Orlando, Florida 32877), the 2nd one will be sent to the apostille, and the 3rd one is just in case the 2nd one gets lost. Again, when you send the transcript to the apostille you must write, "I ___your name___, certify that this is a true copy of my college transcript."and your signature. Don't forget! Have two stamped by a Notary Public before sending them to the Apostille. (Please look at number 7 on the Notes section below for Ministry of Education information: Very Important!)
10) Two (2) High School Transcripts: Again, they both must be official. Your high school will give you an official copy in a sealed envelope and tell you not to open it but, you must open it to write "I ___your name___, certify that this is a true copy of my high school transcript." and your signature. This copy will be sent to the apostille. The second one will be sent from your high school to UNIBE to the same address as above. Have it stamped by a Notary Public before sending it to the Apostille. (Please look at number 6 on the Notes section below for Ministry of Education information: Very Important!)
11) One (1) Official 8th Grade School Transcript: When I went to my middle school to pick this up, they said that they had sent all of my grades to my high school. It might be different for you but call and  double check just in case. This must also be official and sent to the apostille. Don't forget the magical phrase on the bottom! Have it stamped by a Notary Public before sending to the Apostille.
12) Photocopy of High School Diploma: I photocopied my high school diploma and once again put the phrase at the bottom. Then, I sent it to the apostille.

13) Personal Essay (Why do I want to become a Medical Doctor?): There is no page or word limit on this essay just make sure you are compelling and demonstrate your passion and future dreams. Most importantly, be honest. They can tell when you're B-S-ing.
14) Three (3) Letters of Recommendation printed on official letterhead and mailed directly by recommenders to our Mailing address (from 2 professors and 1 professional in the Medical Field): This is self explanatory. I asked my Biology and Italian professors from college and my pediatrician for these letters.
17) Official SAT Scores and ACT Scores: You can find these on the SAT and ACT websites. I never took the ACT but the SAT costs US$10 to send it to UNIBE. By the way, UNIBE's federal code is 5952.
19) US$150.00 non-refundable Application Fee - Money Order: If you have a bank account, you can just ask for a money order of this amount and they will charge you a small fee. No big deal.

Notes:
1) All documents must be original with translation into Spanish: You can't even get around this. Every document minus the forms they have available on their website have to be translated. Go to a translator and they will translate and sign on the bottom. Also, all the translations must be stamped by a Notary Public.
5) It should be understood that all original documents submitted become University property and will not be returned to student... : As mentioned before these documents will not be returned to you. Make sure you make 2 sets of copies of all your documents before you send them to UNIBE.
6) In case you completed high school in a country other than the Dominican Republic, you must notarize your high school transcript with the Apostille from the Department of States in your country and the Ministry of Education in the Dominican Republic.: This is extremely important. Go to the Ministry of Education and talk to the Receptionist. Note: You can't walk in with cut off shirts on the shoulders or open toed shoes. This is a government place. You must also be ready with loads of original and copies of all the documents you have. I had to do this and have everything from my birth certificate to copies of my official high school transcript with me. There were so many papers that I forgot which ones I needed. Not to mention my transcript had to come from the Apostille too. You might want to send more than 1 official high school transcript to the Apostille. I also included translations so that they can understand it. Just so you know, almost if not all government offices are open from Monday to Friday only and close at 4 p.m. Also, once you give in all the papers and you're good to go, the Ministry will give you a note saying that your high school transcript is in the process of validation. You can still apply to UNIBE. Make a copy of this note and give UNIBE the original. The Ministry will make you wait 20 days for it to be validated. Then, you go back and pick up your high school transcript in the "Centro Educativo", which is another department in the Ministry of Education. Call to make sure it is ready so you don't waste your time. Once you have the document, give it to UNIBE immediately.
7) Students seeking admission must notarize their university and/or college transcript with the Apostille from their Department of States and submit them to the Ministry of Higher Education in the Dominican Republic.: This is also extremely important for transfer students. I didn't do this but just know that the Ministry of Education is different from the Ministry of Higher Education. The Ministry of Higher Education is actually called "El Ministerio de Educacion de Ciencia y Tecnologia" "MESCYT". It is not found in the Ministry of Education where you will take your high school transcript. They are very close to each other though. I believe a street away.

MAKE COPIES OF EVERYTHING ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES! I'M SURE THAT IN ONE INSTANCE YOU'RE GOING TO NEED IT. ALSO, PUT A TRACKING NUMBER ON EVERYTHING YOU SEND, INCLUDING THE REQUIREMENTS SENT TO UNIBE & THE APOSTILLE. 

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@     mydominicanjourney@gmail.com

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