V. B. 1. Admissions
Nondiscrimination
In accordance with the Statement of Equal Opportunity, the Department and its constituent Technical Colleges do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam Era' or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law).
Eligible Applicants
Any individual 16 years of age or older who seeks access to quality instruction designed to develop or improve occupational competencies is eligible for admissions. Presidents of Technical Colleges may waive the “16 years of age” requirement for secondary students who are participating in an articulated program of study.
Academic Criteria
A GED or high school transcript will be required for admission to the Technical College or to a program as specified by the program's standards. Exceptions to this would be for prospective students who have attained an Associate degree or higher, or successful completion (C or better) a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours. Presidents of Technical Colleges may grant a waiver to the admissions requirement as it relates only to possessing a GED or high school diploma for those secondary students who are otherwise eligible to enroll in a program of study that is agreed upon by the secondary school and the Technical College.
In order to be accepted by a Technical College, high school diplomas must have been awarded by a secondary school that is accredited by an agency included in the Department’s list of recognized accreditation agencies. Alternate types of diplomas from accredited schools as defined in this section may be accepted at the discretion of the president. However, students being admitted in this manner must meet all other eligibility criteria.
Students completing a secondary program of study that is not approved by a recognized accreditation agency accepted by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education or meets the requirements of O.C.G.A. 20-2-690 for home schooled students Official Code 20-2-690 may nevertheless be admitted to a Technical College by attaining a GED or through one of the following paths.
1) Documentation of certified home schooling or equivalent as outlined in O.C.G.A 20-2-690; appropriate placement test cut-off scores (e.g. ASSET-Compass); and appropriate SAT critical reasoning/verbal and math scores or ACT verbal and math scores as specified by the program standards.
2) Presidential waiver - Students being admitted under this section may seek a Presidential waiver from the usual requirement that they earn a high school diploma or GED prior to graduation from a Technical College program.
3) Students with diplomas from secondary schools located outside the United States may have their transcripts evaluated for equivalency by an approved outside evaluation organization or follow paths 1 or 2 as identified above.
Admissions Criteria
Minimum admissions requirements shall be established for each standard diploma/degree program.
Students shall be admitted to a Technical College in one of the following categories: Regular; Provisional; Developmental studies; Special; or Transient.
Regular Admission Requirements
Students shall be admitted on a regular admission basis to a degree or diploma program when they meet program standard admission requirements and institutional admission requirements.
Regular admission of a student to a technical certificate of credit (TCC) program is based upon the admission requirements approved by the State Board.
Transfer students must meet regular admission requirements and be in good standing at a regionally or nationally accredited diploma or degree granting institution.
Regular admission status is based upon the credential (degree, diploma, or technical certificate of credit) being sought by the student. Any change in the credential being sought shall require a student to meet the admission requirements of the new credential.
Provisional Admission Requirements
Admission officers may grant provisional admission status to any student based upon their professional judgment and evaluation of assessment scores, other admission file data, or faculty input.
Provisionally admitted students may take developmental classes, and certain specified occupational courses as long as class requisites are satisfied.
All certificate, diploma, and degree program students initially admitted on a provisional basis must have satisfactorily completed the necessary prerequisite and developmental studies course work in order to progress through the State Standard Curriculum.
Provisional admission of transferred students to a certificate, diploma, or degree program is contingent upon their meeting applicable licensure and accreditation requirements.
Developmental Studies Admission Requirements
Developmental Studies Admission is granted to students seeking a certificate, diploma, or degree, but who do not meet the regular or provisional admission requirements. Each Technical College may establish its own placement tests floors for this category and refer applicants who score below this floor to adult literacy classes.
Special Student Admissions
Definition of non-award seeking students: Students who want to receive credit for enrolled coursework, but are not seeking a certificate, diploma, or degree.
Special student admission is granted to students who want to receive credit for enrolled coursework, but are not seeking a certificate, diploma or degree. The following specifics define the parameters of this classification. Special admissions student shall:
- be classified as non-award seeking at time of entry.
- be granted special student status upon recommendation of the admissions office.
- receive credit for regular program coursework that is satisfactorily completed.
- receive credit for an unlimited number of courses; but may transfer only 25 credit hours into a specific program for award seeking purposes.
- have the prerogative of applying for regular student status but must meet the requirements of the regular student admissions process. This includes the State approved assessment process. The number of hours taken as a special student in no way waives the requirements of the regular admission process.
- adhere to the specific institutional prerequisite requirements when selecting courses.
- is not eligible for financial aid.
Transient Student
A student in good standing may be permitted to enroll as a transient student on a space-available basis at another Technical College in order to complete work to be transferred back to the student's home institution. The home and host technical college should sign a Transient Student Agreement. A transient student should be advised in writing by the home institution concerning recommended courses. The transient student must:
1) Submit an application for admission and required application fee to the host institution.
2) Present a statement from the Registrar or Academic Dean of the parent institution to the effect that the student is in good standing and eligible to return to that institution. NOTE: The 25 hour credit maximum may be waived for the student upon the recommendation of the parent institution.
3) Pay scheduled fees for the host institution.
References
Adopted: August 3, 1989
Revised: January, 1992; March 1995; July 1995, June 18, 2001; September 25, 2001; August 25, 2003, June 1, 2006
Code: 05-01-01
Approved