Frequently Asked Questions - Clearances

A 'Complete Clearance Packet' is required of ALL Undergraduate students and consists of the following:

• ACT 34 - PA State Police Criminal Background Check
• ACT 114 - FBI Fingerprint Clearance (Federal Criminal History Background Check)
• ACT 151 - PA Child Abuse History Certification (PA Child Abuse Clearance)
• Negative TB Test (valid for 1 year) or Chest X-Ray (valid for 2 years)
• Additional documents as required for field placement

Visit the Clearances Home Page for individual document instructions, deadline dates and more.

IN ADDITION - 

First Year Students, Special Education Professional Block 1 students and Early Childhood Professional Block 1 students ONLY (unless otherwise specified) are required to submit the following:

• National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification Letter (valid for 5 years - 'Volunteer' status  accepted.)
  • Important!  The NSOR Verification Letter is NOT considered to be part of the 'Complete Clearance Packet' listed above and may be submitted separately.  See NSOR Verification Letter instructions on the Clearances Home Page for information.
  • The NSOR Verification Letter is required for some field experiences.
  • Must be 18 years or older to apply. If you are not 18, apply as soon as you turn 18. 

Post-Baccalaureate & Master's Students:  Please see the Clearances Home Page - requirements vary based on employment.

Please contact the Department of Field Services (field.services@millersville.edu) with any questions.  (Please include your M# in all communications.  Field Services will communicate any personal information through your Millersville University email.)

Course information can be found in the MU Web Schedule and Registration Guide and by contacting the program department.  Course information is subject to change.

Every semester, Field Services confirms courses requiring clearances with the program departments.  As soon as the list is available, it is posted on the Clearances Home Page in the 'Clearance Deadlines' table.

No - updated clearances are not required in order to register for courses.

For the purpose of field experiences, clearances are valid for one year from the date of issue on the clearance and cannot expire in the middle of a semester in which you are enrolled in a course with a field experience. 

Submit updated clearances per the instructions on the Clearances Home Page.

Copies of clearances and clearance documents that are outdated or altered will not be accepted.

For the purpose of field experiences, clearances are valid for one year from the date of issue on the clearance and cannot expire in the middle of a semester in which you are enrolled in a course with a field experience. 

Therefore, to participate in field experiences, updated clearances must be submitted if either of the following is true:

• The date of issue on your clearance(s) is currently over 1 year old.
• The date of issue on your clearance(s) will be over 1 year old at any point during the semester in which you are enrolled in a course with a field experience.

The dates of issue of the clearances on file with Field Services can be viewed in your MAX account. 

Date requirements can be found in the 'Deadlines' information table on the Clearances Home Page.

Copies of clearances and clearance documents that are outdated or altered will not be accepted.

No, these clearances are NOT the same as the clearances required for campus employment. 

The codes for the clearances for field placement are different than those needed for campus employment.  Should you submit an incorrect clearance document, you will be contacted and requested to submit the correct document.

Failure to submit the correct clearance document(s) may result in failure to complete the course requirements.

NOTE:  Clearances designated as being for 'Volunteer' purposes are not accepted.

See the Clearances Home Page for clearance document requirements.

 

Instructions for how to obtain your clearances are available on our web site. Visit the Clearances Home Page for more information.

Plan accordingly!!  Clearances must be submitted by the advertised deadlines.  

Once you apply for your clearances, the amount of time it takes to receive your clearance documents (either by email or in the mail) varies per clearance and is subject to the processing time for each agency. Some clearances require a two-step process to be considered complete. 

Below is a guideline of approximate processing times - it is subject to change at any time as dictated by the governing agency.

*Processing Times listed above may change at any time as dictated by the governing agency.  

Clearances are submitted to Field Services through your MAX account.  We do not accept clearance documents through email.  

When submitting your clearance documents, please note that Chrome is the preferred browser!  Other browsers may not function as expected.  For help with technical difficulties, problems with uploading documents or other technical issues, please contact the Millersville University IT Help Desk.  

For detailed instructions on how to submit your clearances, including deadlines, visit the Clearances Home Page.  

If you are having difficulty uploading your clearance documents, make sure you are using Chrome.

Chrome is the preferred browser.  Other browsers may not function as expected.

For help with technical difficulties, problems with uploading documents or other technical issues, please contact the Millersville University IT Help Desk.  

A listing of the clearance documents (along with their respective 'dates of issue') on file with the Department of Field Services is available in your MAX account, and may be viewed on the page immediately prior to the submission form. 

To find your clearance listing information, follow the steps below.

1. Log in to your MU MAX account MU Logins and Services Directory
   • Select ‘Student Services’ 
   • Select ‘Student Academic Records’ 
   • Select ‘Submit Security Clearances’.  This will take you to the 'Summary of Security Clearances' page.
2. The ‘Summary of Security Clearances’ page provides important information regarding clearances as well as the following:
   • A listing of your clearance documents on file with Field Services.  Note that if a document is NOT listed and/or is missing, it is NOT on file with Field Services. See the instructions on the Clearances Home Page regarding 'What Clearances do I Need?' and 'How to Submit Clearances' for more information.
   • The 'dates of issue' of the clearance documents on file.  Reference the 'Clearances Deadlines' table found on the Clearances Home Page for current date requirements.

Review your information carefully! 

Students are responsible for making sure the dates of the clearances being submitted are VALID and their clearance packet is complete for the semester/term in which they are taking a course with a field experience!

Clearances are received in Field Services throughout the year and it is impossible for Field Services to know which semester/term they are for when first submitted.

Clearance deadlines are provided in the 'Clearance Deadlines' table on the Clearances Home Page.

Clearances are typically due in late June for the fall semester and early January for the spring semester.  As outlined in the 'Clearance Deadlines' table on the Clearances Home Page, deadlines for student teachers are earlier than for typical field placements. 

Contact Field Services at field.services@millersville.edu for more information.  (Please include your M# in all communications.  Field Services will communicate any personal information through your Millersville University email.)

Complete clearance packets are required to participate in field placements.  Students submitting clearances after the deadline will be dropped from any course(s) requiring clearances.

Students submitting clearances after the deadline date will be dropped from any course(s) requiring clearances. Complete clearance packets are required to participate in field placements.  

Clearance deadlines are provided in the 'Clearance Deadlines' table on the Clearances Home Page.

Clearances are typically due in late June for the fall semester and early January for the spring semester.  As outlined in the 'Clearance Deadlines' table on the Clearances Home Page, deadlines for student teachers are earlier than for typical field placements.  

Contact Field Services at field.services@millersville.edu for more information.  (Please include your M# in all communications.  Field Services will communicate any personal information through your Millersville University email.)

Contact Field Services immediately! 

If you have an infraction on one or more of your clearances, email Field.Services@millersville.edu to set up an appointment with the Director of Field Services to determine your eligibility for participation in field placements.  

(Please include your M# in all communications.  Field Services will communicate any personal information through your Millersville University email.)

Keep all clearance documents, training certificates, etc. in a safe place so you can reference them when needed.  You will be required to take your clearances with you when you attend your field placement. 

The Department of Field Services cannot provide you with copies of your clearances after they are submitted.

Check your MAX account.  Dates of issue for the clearance documents on file in Field Services will be listed there.  If no documents/dates are listed and clearances are required for the course(s) you are registered for, see the Clearances Home Page for information on how to obtain the required clearances, deadlines and more. 

Please note - Millersville University is no longer directing students to use CastleBranch to submit their clearances.

Effective October 2020, Millersville University is no longer directing students to use CastleBranch to submit their clearances. 

If you have an active CastleBranch account, you will continue to have access to your account until it expires (one year from when you initially purchased it).  You may also receive alerts or notifications from CastleBranch about your account.

Please contact CastleBranch for more information.

Additional information is available on the Clearances Home Page.  Please contact our office if you have additional questions.