Enrollment Policies

Attendance

During the first week of the quarter, it is important that students attend all classes in which they are registered. When a student remains on a waitlist they must attend the first class meeting.  A student who does not attend by the beginning of the second class meeting in the quarter and who has not made prior arrangements with the course instructor, may be dropped from the class at the discretion of the instructor. If a student does not notify the instructor or the division office of his/her absence, that student may be withdrawn from class.

The College does not always, withdraw students for non-attendance. It is very important for students to check their schedule and make certain they are registered in the correct classes.  Students are responsible for withdrawing from classes they are registered in if they are not planning to attend or have changed their mind on a particular class.  A student who is not officially withdrawn may be issued a failing grade by the course instructor and be responsible for tuition.

Do you meet the Prerequisite?

A prerequisite describes the skills and/or knowledge the student must have before taking a class. Prerequisites are listed in the catalog and class schedule. Students are expected to satisfy all prerequisites prior to starting the course. If a student has not met the stated prerequisite(s), the Division Dean may withdraw the student during or before the first week of the term for a regularly scheduled class, or at the first class meeting for a class that has non-standard meeting times.

What are Corequisites

A corequisite indicates a another course that must be taken at the same time. For example, a health science course may require that a lab class also be taken. In our Learning Communities, courses are often linked, such and ENGL 101 and PSYCH 100 - both courses must be taken in the same quarter.

Waitlist - What should I do?

If a class is full, you may consider placing your name on the waitlist. If you are on a waitlist, we cannot guarantee the instructor will accept you into the actual class.

As vacancies occur in a class, the top name on the waitlist will move into the actual class.  You are responsible for monitoring your waitlist status  and paying for the course if enrolled. If your name is on an active waitlist and the quarter begins, you must go to the first class and obtain a dated signature from the instructor.  This dated signature must be submitted to the Enrollment Services office in order for you to be enrolled in that class.  Dated signatures from instructors must be presented to the Enrollment Services office within 48 hours of obtaining them.  For online classes, a printed email from the instructor or having the instructor contact the Enrollment Services office will support their permission to register a student that is on a waitlist into their class.

Waitlists run automatically until 4:30 p.m. on the Friday before the beginning of the quarter (or on the Thursday before the start of the quarter if the college is closed on Friday). Once you move from a waitlist into a class,standard tuition deadlines apply.

Once the quarter begins, students who are moved from the waitlist into a class via an Add/Drop form with instructor permission must pay by the end of business day on the date of registration. Failure to pay by the deadline may result in the student being dropped from the class. Failure to withdraw by the deadline may result in the student remaining enrolled in the class and incurring a debt.

Remember waitlisted classes are not included in credits a student is registered for.  So if a student is registered in two classes and waitlisted for a third, the total credits shown and the amount of tuition owed would not reflect full-time status.  It is not until the student is actually move off a waitlist and actually registered in a class that the credits show on a students' schedule.  This will affect financial aid students most of all, so read the section below marked Financial Aid. This will also affect students on Veterans’ benefits, and students who may have an employer or agency paying their tuition.

Financial Aid students: If you have been awarded a full-time aid package, it will not be activated until you are actually registered in courses that add up to full-time, which is a minimum of 12 credits. If you are on a waitlist, your aid check will be delayed until you get off a waitlist and into a class so that your total credits equal at least 12. Advisors can help you explore alternatives.

Veterans: Your best bet is to register as early as you can, so that you can register full-time and send in the paperwork to VA so that your checks can be released.

If an employer or agency is paying your tuition: You must go to the Cashier’s Office after you register and submit payment authorization forms, otherwise you risk being dropped due to non-payment. If your agency or employer first needs proof that you are registered full-time, then your best bet is to register early, as well as work with an advisor to find alternatives if you see that the classes you want are waitlisted.

Auditing a Course

Students may audit a course by indicating their intention at the time of registration. In auditing a course, the student pays full tuition and fees, and usually participates fully in the course. However, no credit or grade is received. Students receiving financial aid, or within a program where credit must be earned in order to qualify for the program, should think twice before signing up to audit a course since auditing a course may disqualify them from benefits such as financial aid or employer repayment. Running Start students may audit a course only if they pay the tuition themselves, since school districts do not reimburse for non-credit enrollment. In some cases, students may initially register for a course, and in the middle of the term decide to switch to audit, or vice versa; this requires instructor permission. If a student who is enrolled for audit does not attend regularly and fails to withdraw officially, the instructor may issue a grade of V (unofficial withdrawal).

Course Repeat Policy

Courses may be repeated to improve the grade earned, but credit is applied once.  In no circumstance will any course be repeated more than twice in order to improve a grade; (this is defined as two repeats in addition to the original enrollment). Permission may be required to repeat a course, and/or requirements specific to an individual program of study may affect eligibility to repeat a course.
 
To repeat a course for the purpose of improving a grade, the student must register for the course and pay all necessary fees. The student must complete a course repeat form at the time of registration or no later than one full academic year after repeating the course.
 
If the student is registering for a course that has a different number than the one being repeated, the signature of the instructor will be required in order to verify that it is the same course. Each grade received will appear on the student’s permanent record, but only the last grade awarded is used in computing the grade point average and in the degree.
 
Other colleges and universities may not accept a grade earned in a repeated course. If accepted, the grade may be treated differently in the calculation of grade point average.

Courses with an I,N,U,V,W or Y do not affect the grade point average and do not require a repeat request.