Scholarship opportunities vary based on CCSM donors and funders for the year. If opportunities are available students must be meet all eligibility requirements to apply. Please Click here to learn more about our scholarship opportunities.

We do not currently accept FAFSA or FL Prepaid at this time. We are currently in the process to be approved for Title IV Funding to provide this as an option for our students. CCSM is currently in the process of applying to accept GI Bills. To stay up to date on our financial aid options, feel free to inquire to stay informed. 

The Hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery program is designed to meet the educational needs of aspiring midwives across the United States, with no prior midwifery, nursing, or medical training. The Hybrid program is MEAC accredited and adapted to be hosted primarily online, with preceptorships in your local area. We are currently accredited by the Medical Board of California and BPPE to support the California Satellite.

Below is a list of the required prerequisites. While we do not require that our prerequisites be completed at the linked institutes, these are just some suggestions where you can meet our prerequisites:

• Doula Certification – Cornerstone Doula Trainings
• Lactation Educator Training
• College-level Math Course – StraighterLine.com or Sophia Learning
• College-level English Course – StraighterLine.com or Sophia Learning
• College-level Anatomy & Physiology 1 and 2 Courses – Straighter Line or Sophia Learning
• College-level Chemistry- Straighter Line or Sophia Learning
• HIV/AIDS 4-hour Course – KIBI
• CPR Certification – American Red Cross
• NRP Certification – Birth Emergency Skills Training

If you have any questions about whether or not your previous experience will meet our prerequisites, feel free to email at admissions@commonsensemidwifery.org!

If you are applying to our school and are interested in determining if some of your previous education could be applied as for credit, all you need to do is complete this Transcript Evaluation Request Form and pay the applicable transcript evaluation fee. You will need to gather a copy of your course catalog(s), as well as have an official transcript.

Please note, transcript evaluations are not required for our college-level prerequisites, just your official transcript(s) submitted with your application.

CCSM prides itself on student-led preceptor relationships. With the California Satellite inaugrual cohort, the clinical department has been able to gather information for tentative preceptors throughout California. Although we cannot guarantee placement with an onboarded preceptor, we are available to assist students. Our preceptors practice in a variety of settings, which allow students to explore the type of midwifery practice they would like to establish upon graduation. 

1. Submit Completed Application
2. Admissions Interview (for completed applications ONLY)
3. Acknowledgement Check of Governing Documents (Questionnaire of Catalog & Student Handbook)

4. Completion of Clinical Externship Attestation

5. Submission of a completed Technical Performance Standards Evaluation and Physical Exam by a Primary Care Provider

6. Preceptor Securement with Clinical Department

7. Selective Admissions Decisions based on all previous steps

8. Decision Letter emailed from Admissions Department

Online classes one day a week (for California Satellite half-day classes two days a week) via Zoom.

Twice per year (Spring & Fall) mandatory, in-person hands-on skills week event for clinical lab test out (California Satellite skills event will take place in Los Angeles).

Our program uses the following software:

Google Suite: student GMail accounts and Google Drive access

Zoom: student accounts to attend classes

Populi: student online information system for admissions, billing and tuition.

Canvas LMS: attendance tracking, grade reporting, and delivery of academic courses

Typhon: Student tracking for clinical experience

Our program is two-fold: academic and clinical.

The academics will require 10-20 hours per week for course work, home work, and studying. The clinical will require for students to establish a schedule with their preceptor to attend their clinical site weekly to meet their clinical requirements (# of clinical hours and # of prenatal visits, newborn visits, postpartum visits, etc.). Student midwives are also expected to be on-call with their preceptor midwife throughout the duration of the program to meet their required # of births for completion.

Breakdown of 75 Births:

Year 1, Semester (Fall) = 125 hours & (8) Observe Births

Y1:S2 (Spring) = 175 hrs & (12) Observe/Assist

Y1:S3 (Summer) = 60 hrs & (5) Observe/Assist

Y2:S1 (Fall) =190 hrs & (10) Assist

Y2:S2 (Spring) = 200 hrs & (10) Assist

Y2:S3 (Summer) = 60 hrs & (5) Assist/Manage

Y3:S1 (Fall) = 270 hrs & (10) Births – Assist/Manage

Y3:S1 (Spring) = 200 hrs &(10) Births (managed)

A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) is a professional, credentialed midwife who is specially trained to provide maternity care in out-of-hospital settings, such as homes or birth centers.

A CPM is trained in normal pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum care, and newborn care.

They specialize in community birth, not hospital-based practice.

They are certified through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) after completing specific education, clinical training, and passing a national exam.

Where CPMs Can Practice:

• Homes and birth centers are their primary setting.
• They generally do not have hospital privileges, though laws vary by U.S. state.
• CPM licensure/legal status differs by location—some states license them, some regulate them differently, and some don’t license them at all.

CPM training includes:

• Apprenticeships with experienced midwives
• Accredited midwifery programs (MEAC-accredited schools)
• Required clinical experiences (prenatal visits, births, postpartum care)
• Passing the NARM exam

What Services CPMs Provide

• Prenatal care
• Labor and birth support (in out-of-hospital settings)
• Postpartum care for parent and baby
• Newborn exams and breastfeeding support
• Education on nutrition, pregnancy health, and informed decision-making

How CPMs Differ from Other Midwives

• CNM (Certified Nurse-Midwife): A registered nurse with a master’s degree; can work in hospitals, birth centers, or home; licensed in all U.S. states.
• CM (Certified Midwife): Similar education level to CNM but not a nurse; fewer states license them.
• CPM: Only out-of-hospital births; not required to have a nursing degree.