Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Apply to the Radiography program

To join this program, you must apply for admission. This competitive program accepts up to 38 students every summer term. Applicants are selected through a point-based system. Competitive applicants have all prerequisites completed with a competitive GPA prior to the application deadline and have some volunteer and/or healthcare experience with direct patient care.

We process applications through a third-party service called AHCAS. You will complete your application and upload all supporting documents to the AHCAS system.

Questions? Attend an information session or contact us.

How to apply

  1. Apply to PCC

    Applying to PCC is free and only takes a few minutes. Complete this step as soon as possible so you can start using PCC resources.
    Apply to PCC angle right

  2. Application timeline

    For a detailed admission timeline, see below on this page.

    Term you want to start Apply to Radiography
    Summer 2023 Closed
    Summer 2024 January 2 – April 15, 2024 at 8:59pm PST
    Take prerequisites

    All prerequisites must be complete by the end of winter term prior to the application deadline and passed with a grade “C” or higher. Pass/No Pass grades are not accepted.

    • These prerequisites must be current within the last 7 years:
      • BI 231: Anatomy & Physiology I
      • BI 232: Anatomy & Physiology II
      • BI 233: Anatomy & Physiology III
      • MTH 95 or higher: Intermediate Algebra or higher. If you have an expired Math course you may take the ALEKS Math Placement Exam. If you place into MTH 111Z or higher, you can use your score to update your expired MTH course. Be aware you will be required to use the grade of the expired math course for application points. If using placement scores to update an expired math course, please upload your raw ALEKS math placement test scores with your AHCAS application. For more information, review the admissions guide.
    • Additional prerequisites:
      • WR 121Z: English Composition I
      • MP 111: Medical Terminology
      • Applicants are required to be computer literate. Students will complete a Computer Literacy Verification question as a part of the online Radiography program application.
  3. Earn application points

    The first phase of the application process is based on a 62-point scale, which looks at the following areas. For a detailed breakdown of the point system, please review the admissions guide.

    • Academic criteria:
      • Applicants are evaluated on their academic achievement in required science, math, and medical terminology prerequisite grades.
      • Applicants must meet minimum 3.0 GPA and prerequisite eligibility requirements.
    • Additional point considerations:
      • Job shadowing: Applicants can earn points for completing a job shadowing experience in an inpatient imaging department by the end of winter term prior to the application deadline. To document your job shadowing experience, complete and upload the Job Shadowing Verification Form in the “documents” section of your AHCAS application before the deadline.
      • Community engagement: Applicants may earn 5 points toward their application for 51+ hours or 3 points for 20-50 hours of documented community engagement in a variety of settings benefitting rural, underserved, and/or underrepresented populations. To document community engagement, complete and upload the Community Engagement Form in the “documents” section of your AHCAS application before the deadline.
      • Service members: Applicants can earn points for U.S. military service (active, veteran, or reserve status). Discharged applicants must provide their DD214, member 4 copy documenting honorable discharge. Active military service members may upload a letter from their commanding officer on letterhead from the respective military branch documenting their active service status. Military service documentation must be uploaded in the “documents” section of your AHCAS application before the deadline.
      • Health care experience/certification: Applicants may earn points for volunteer or work experience completed in a medical setting with direct patient contact. A medical setting is a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or other environment where licensed practitioners diagnose, treat, and prevent acute and chronic illness or injury. If using a license or certification to gain points, copies of the license or certification must be uploaded with your application to qualify for points. Review a list of approved certifications that can be used toward phase I of the application selection process. To earn points, applicants must upload the Health Care Experience Form in the “documents” section of their AHCAS application before the deadline.
  4. Apply to Radiography

    The application process has three phases.

    1. Phase I: application points and fee
      Complete the AHCAS application. Based on Phase I point totals, the top-scoring applicants will be invited to participate in Phase II. Applicants will be notified using the email designated in their AHCAS application. To submit your application, students are required to pay a $68, non-refundable application fee directly to AHCAS.

      • AHCAS allows students to upload evaluation forms for their common application. PCC does not require or review evaluations to be submitted for application to the radiography program. PCC will not consider uploaded evaluations during the admissions evaluation process. Students only applying to PCC can choose the “I am not adding any evaluations” button to complete the evaluation section of their common application.
      • AHCAS also requires an essay that will not be evaluated for PCC admissions consideration. If you are only applying to PCC, you can write a one sentence response in the essay response field to complete the required section of your AHCAS application. If you are applying to multiple schools through AHCAS, you are encouraged to check with each school to see if an essay response is required for admission to their program. PCC will not review or consider your essay response for admission to our radiography program.
    2. Phase II: panel interview and Health Science Reasoning Exam (HSRT)
      Applicants moving on to Phase II will attend a mandatory orientation in mid-May and participate in panel interviews with our imaging faculty and some of our clinical instructors from our local clinical sites. Applicants will also take part in the health science and reasoning exam (HSRT) as a part of the phase II selection process. applicants will be invited to take part in the HSRT. Read more about the HSRT on the Insight Assessment FAQ page under the Testing and Administration section. The exam takes about 1.5 hours. For more info, see How to Prepare and Top 10 Critical Thinking FAQ’s. Phase II scores alone will be used to determine seat offers.
    3. Phase III: selection and requirements
      Applicants who advance to Phase III have received a seat offer and are considered admitted to the program pending their successful completion of Phase III requirements. Students will receive specific directions from PCC’s Radiography department on how to meet these requirements. Applicants should not pursue meeting these requirements prior to being admitted to the Radiography program. Applicants offered a seat in the program must meet the following requirements prior to beginning the Radiography program in summer term:

      • Pass a criminal background check from an agency designated by PCC
      • Pass a 10-panel drug screen from a lab designated by PCC
      • Provide proof of current immunizations and CPR certification
  5. Submit transcripts

    Submit official transcripts from all colleges attended, including PCC. It is recommended to send transcripts at least two weeks before the deadline. AHCAS takes 7-10 business days to post transcripts, and transcripts must be posted prior to the application deadline. See how to check transcript status. If you are currently enrolled in prerequisite courses, it is strongly recommended to wait until winter term grades have been posted before sending your transcript. For a detailed guide on sending transcripts, please visit the AHCAS help center.

  6. Mail official paper transcripts directly to AHCAS to:
    AHCAS Transcript Processing Center
    PO Box 9127
    Watertown, MA 02471

Admission timeline: Fall 2024

  • Early September: Applicants can begin building their AHCAS common application pieces.
  • January 2: Application opens. PCC’s program will not be visible in AHCAS until January 2.
  • April 15 at 8:59pm (PST): AHCAS Radiography application deadline.
  • Late April: Applicants are notified if they are moving on to Phase II.
  • Early May: Mandatory orientation for students selected to participate in Phase II panel interviews.
  • Late May: Panel Interviews and HSRT scheduled.
  • First week of June: Students are notified of program placement via the email address designated in their AHCAS application. Students offered placement in the program must complete the Phase III requirements before starting the program in the fall.
  • Summer term: The Radiography program will begin summer term with RAD 100.
  • Fall term: The Radiography program begins full-time.

Computer Literacy

The Radiography program does not require a computer science class as a prerequisite. However, success in the Radiography program requires that students be computer literate, including an understanding of word processing, data entry, use of spreadsheets, and internet research. Students with no computer experience should discuss with an advisor how to achieve competency prior to program application. A recommended course at PCC is CIS 120 Digital Literacy.