As a member institution within the North Carolina Community College System, Stanly Community College practices an “open door” admissions policy. Any person who is eighteen years of age or older and who is able to benefit from educational offerings at Stanly Community College may enroll. Persons who are under eighteen years of age may enroll provided proper authorization is obtained.

The open door policy does not mean that there are no restrictions with regard to enrollment in specific programs. Selected programs operate under enrollment capacity restrictions. In such programs, applicants may not be able to enroll on their desired start date if their chosen program of study is filled.

Applicants who are eighteen or older and do not have a high school diploma may enroll in classes leading to a high school equivalency certificate (GED) or an Adult High School diploma. Other restrictions are imposed upon applicants who are required to complete developmental course work as ascertained by assessment tests. A decision regarding such restrictions is made on an individual basis by the Vice President of Student Development or designee.

Admissions Procedures: Curriculum Programs

1. Submit a properly completed Application for Admission to the Admissions Office at Stanly Community College.
2. Request that high school (or GED or Adult High School) transcripts and all college, university, or other postsecondary educational transcripts be sent directly to the SCC Admissions Office.
3. Contact the SCC Admissions Office and arrange to take a placement (assessment) test. Applicants desiring assistance in preparing for placement testing may contact the Stanly Community College Student Success Center for review in reading, writing, and math skills. There is no charge for this service.

Students accepted to allied health programs will complete additional admission requirements which must be satisfied before the first semester of enrollment in the program. These students should review the section of this catalog describing their respective program of study paying particular attention to the admission requirements.

Students accepted to non-allied health programs should make every effort to complete all admission requirements prior to their first semester of enrollment. In those cases where it may be difficult or impossible to complete the admission requirements prior to initial enrollment, the new student will be permitted to enroll one semester as a “conditionally” accepted student. Conditionally accepted students must complete all admission requirements prior to registering for the second semester in their program of study.

Admission to Associate Degree (Two-Year) Programs and Dipolma (One-Year) Programs

1. Applicants to associate degree and diploma programs are required to submit an official transcript of an earned diploma from a high school accredited by a nationally recognized, regional accrediting body. Applicants submitting a high school transcript from sources such as but not limited to online high school completion programs, non-registered home school programs, international high schools, and private transcript evaluation agencies are encouraged to contact Stanly Community College’s Admissions Office to ascertain if the diploma is acceptable for admission to the college. A GED certificate indicating a passing score or an Adult High School diploma is acceptable in lieu of a regular high school diploma. An applicant to an associate degree or diploma program must have an official copy of his or her high school transcript (or GED certificate if applicable) sent directly to the Admissions Office at Stanly Community College. A high school certification of completion is not acceptable for admission to an associate degree or diploma program.
2. An official transcript from each college, university, or other post-secondary institution attended by the applicant must be sent to the SCC Admissions Office. Official copies of transcripts are those on which an appropriate school official has placed his or her signature and mailed the transcript directly to the SCC Admissions Office.
   
   Transcript request forms are available in the SCC Admissions Office as well as on the College’s web site and may be used by the applicant to request copies of his or her transcripts from other schools. It is the responsibility of the applicant to insure that an official copy of each transcript is received in the SCC Admissions Office. Applicants may check the status of their file, including transcript receipts, by logging into their student account through WebAdvisor.
   
   Although transcripts from colleges, universities, or other post-secondary institutions previously attended by the applicant may reflect no transferable credit toward the applicant’s program of study at SCC, the applicant must provide the SCC Admissions Office with an official transcript copy from each institution attended.
3. Applicants seeking admission to associate degree and diploma programs must complete a placement (assessment) test. The tests currently in use are ASSET and COMPASS, which examine an applicant’s skill level in writing, reading, and mathematics. The purpose in testing each associate degree and diploma applicant is to assess his or her academic readiness prior to entering a program of study. Results of the test are used in advising applicants in course and program selection. (See Admissions Testing Policy.)

Applicants to allied health programs must complete additional admission requirements. For more information regarding these additional admission requirements, refer to the selected curriculum in the Programs of Study section of this catalog.

Admission to Certificate Programs

1. Applicants to certificate programs are required to submit an official transcript of an earned diploma from a high school accredited by a nationally recognized, regional accrediting body. Applicants submitting a high school transcript from sources such as but not limited to online high school completion programs, nonregistered home school programs, international high schools, and private transcript evaluation agencies are encouraged to contact Stanly Community College’s Admissions Office to ascertain if the diploma is acceptable for admission to the college. A GED certificate indicating a passing score or an Adult High School diploma is acceptable in lieu of a regular high school diploma. An applicant to a certificate program must have an official copy of his or her high school transcript (or GED certificate if applicable) sent directly to the Admissions Office at Stanly Community College. A high school certificate of completion is not acceptable for admission to a certificate program.
2. Applicants to certificate programs who plan to receive Veterans’ Educational Benefits must submit official transcripts from each post-secondary educational institution attended.

Special Credit Admissions

The special credit classification is designed for those students who wish to enroll in a curriculum course (or courses) but not pursue a degree, diploma, or certificate. Special credit students must complete and submit an Application for Admission indicating “Special Credit” as their desired program of study. Students classified as special credit need not submit a copy of their high school or college transcript unless they intend to enroll in a class in which the prerequisite was completed at another institution. In such cases, an official transcript from that institution is required. They may, however, be required to complete a placement (assessment) test depending upon the course(s) in which they intend to enroll. Decisions regarding placement testing of special credit students are made on an individual basis by the Vice President of Student Development or designee.

The special credit classification may be retained indefinitely. If, however, a student classified as special credit appears to be working toward a degree, diploma, or certificate available at Stanly Community College, that student will need to change his or her enrollment classification from that of special credit to a specific program of study.

Such change in enrollment status requires the student to complete all applicable admission requirements for the designated program of study.

If a special credit student decides to change his or her classification to that of a degree-, diploma-, or certificateseeking student, the student must contact the Admissions Office and complete the necessary forms to reflect this change. The student must complete all applicable admission requirements for his or her new program of study.

A special credit student must maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to continue as a student. The guidelines for determining satisfactory progress for special credit students follow that of Associate in Applied Science degree and diploma programs. (See Satisfactory Academic Progress section of this catalog.)

Special credit students may not displace degree-, diploma-, or certificate-seeking students in classes with limited enrollment. Special credit students may be subject to administrative withdrawal and full refund of tuition and fees if class space is needed for degree-seeking students. Special credit students are not entitled to receive Title IV financial aid or veterans’ educational benefits. Special credit students are not permitted to enroll in courses with prefixes beginning with COE, COS, MED, MLT, NUR, RAD, or RCP. An exception is made for the following MED courses: 121, 122, and 134.