4.1.1 Admissions

Policy Tracking	Date
Approved
Revised	November 3, 2020
Reviewed

In keeping with the North Carolina Community College System’s Open Door policy, Blue Ridge Community College enrolls students who are 18 years or older or are high school graduates or equivalent. For admission into all degree, diploma, and certificate programs, high school graduation or equivalent is required. Applicants who have not graduated from high school or otherwise fulfilled this requirement may do so by successfully completing the High School Equivalency Diploma Tests. Applicants without a high school diploma or a High School Equivalency Diploma may enroll in specific individual classes as a special credit student. Admission requirements for an emancipated minor shall be the same as for an applicant who is eighteen (18) years old or older. Non-emancipated minors may be admitted and allowed to attend the College pursuant to 1D SBCCC 200.95.
All applicants for admission to degree, diploma, and certificate programs are responsible for the following:
1. Completing an RDS (Residency Determination Service) to start the admissions process. This process will result in the applicant being issued an RCN (Residency Certification Number). An application for admission cannot be submitted without first obtaining an RCN.
2. Completing an application for admission and file with the Registrar’s Office.
3. Having official copies of high school transcript and/or High School Equivalency Diploma scores sent to the Registrar’s Office. Official transcripts are those with the school seal and Registrar’s signature and must arrive unopened from the issuing school or agency. Students whose required transcripts have not been received will be admitted on a provisional basis for one semester. Applicants to all Health Sciences programs who have a High School Equivalency Diploma or Adult High School diploma must also submit an official high school transcript if they completed ninth grade or higher. If transcripts cannot be obtained due to extenuating circumstances (loss by fire, school no longer exists, etc.), documentation of all efforts made by the student and a letter of explanation regarding the circumstances must be submitted to the Vice President for Student Services. Students under the age of 18 who are high school graduates or the equivalent must provide official transcripts prior to enrolling.
4. Completing a set of pre-enrollment placement tests. The College uses the NCCCS approved placement test for placement testing. These tests examine the individual’s levels of ability in reading, math, and English so that the student can be placed in appropriate developmental level courses if necessary. These tests are not admissions tests. Placement testing may be waived under conditions outlined in the College’s Placement Testing Waiver Policy. Detailed information on Blue Ridge Community College’s placement testing is available on the College web site. Students who place into Blue Ridge Community College College and Career Readiness (CCR) level reading will be allowed to enroll in curriculum courses for credit only after they have received appropriate remediation through the CCR (Basic Skills) program. Students who test into CCR English and mathematics must also receive appropriate remediation prior to enrolling in curriculum courses for credit. Students who place into CCR level math only or CCR English only will be allowed to take CCR directed studies and/or curriculum classes with approval of their academic advisor.
5. Meeting with assigned faculty advisor.
A student is officially accepted to the College when all requirements are met. Acceptance to the College does not necessarily imply admission to a specific curriculum since certain programs, such as those in the health sciences area, may have additional entrance requirements.
Application materials should be submitted to:
Office of the Registrar
Blue Ridge Community College
180 West Campus Drive
Flat Rock, NC 28731
Admission of Transfer Students: Students transferring to Blue Ridge Community College from other institutions follow procedures as outlined in Section B. Applicants who want credit evaluated for transfer are responsible for submitting an official transcript from each institution to Blue Ridge Community College’s Registrar’s Office. Transcripts submitted will be evaluated for transfer credit no later than the end of the first semester of enrollment. Efforts will be made to evaluate transcripts prior to registration when possible with early submission (seeSec. 4.3.1 Acceptance of Transfer Students).
Admission of Out-of-State Students: Applicants classified as Out-of-State for North Carolina tuition purposes are admitted under the same regulations as North Carolina residents. However, out-of-state tuition must be paid until North Carolina residency requirements are satisfied. To qualify for in-state tuition, North Carolina law (N.C.G.S. 116-143.1 as amended) requires that the student must have maintained their domicile in North Carolina for at least 12 months immediately prior to classification as a resident for tuition purposes. Individuals must establish that their presence in the state during the designated 12-month period was for the purpose of maintaining a bona-fide domicile and not to simply establish a temporary residence. The student must document residentiary acts normally completed by one who intends to reside in a state permanently. A student cannot qualify for in-state tuition if he or she is claimed as a dependent by a parent or guardian who is not a NC resident. Guidelines regulating residency classification for tuition purposes are set forth in “A Manual to Assist the Public Higher Education Institutions of North Carolina in the Matter of Student Residence Classification for Tuition Purposes.” A copy of the manual is available for review in the Division of Student Services. Students classified as out-of-state seeking in-state status must submit The North Carolina State Residency and Tuition Status Application and supporting documentation prior to registration. If the application is received after the registration day and payment of fees, the application will be reviewed for residency status for the next semester. A new Residency Determination Service (RDS) is scheduled to go live September 2016. RDS will shift residency decisions from campus-based to a centralized process through the on-line college application through College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) to enhance the consistency and accuracy of residency determination. The College reserves the right to refuse admission to any applicant who is not a resident of North Carolina who seeks enrollment in a distance education course if that applicant resides in a state where the College is not authorized to provide distance education.
Admission of High School Students: High school students may be admitted according to guidelines set forth in the State Board of Community Colleges Code and the Manual on Cooperative Programs in North Carolina High Schools and Community Colleges (see Sec.4.2.1 Enrollment of High School Students in Curriculum Classes).
Admission of International Students: The College is authorized under federal law to enroll non immigrant alien students. An immigrant is subject to the same considerations as a citizen. Non-immigrant International students who wish to attend Blue Ridge must have a valid student visa (F-1 visa). Proficiency in the English language and satisfactory academic records are important factors in the admission decision for all applicants from outside the United States. International students must have graduated from a secondary school that is equivalent to secondary schools in the United States. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score between 22-30 on Reading, between 22-30 on Listening, between 26-30 on Speaking, and between 24-30 on Writing is required for all international applicants except those from countries where English is the native language or those applicants with college-level English transfer credit from an accredited United States institution. Additionally, the college pre-enrollment placement test and documentation of financial support for one year’s tuition and living expenses are required of all international applicants seeking a completed I-20 Form for student visa status. International applicants should contact Student Services at Blue Ridge Community College for additional information. Alien Registration Card holders are admitted under the same guidelines used for U.S. citizens.
Admission of Undocumented Individuals: The College admits undocumented individuals pursuant to the State Board of Community Colleges Code 1D SBCCC 400.2 and guidelines from the North Carolina Community College System as follows:
1. An undocumented immigrant with a diploma from a United States public high school, private high school, home school, or Adult High School that operates in compliance with State or local law is eligible to be admitted to Blue Ridge Community College. Undocumented individuals with a High School Equivalency Diploma do not meet this criteria and are ineligible for admission.
2. When considering whether to admit the individual into a specific program of study, the College shall take into account that federal law prohibits states from granting professional licenses to undocumented immigrants.
3. Undocumented students are required to pay the out-of-state tuition rate.
4. A student who is lawfully present in the United States will always have priority for a space or program of study over a student who is an undocumented student. Undocumented students cannot enroll into a class or program of study for which there are waiting lists and must wait until the conclusion of the last published (i.e. late) registration period to register for classes
5. Undocumented individuals who are high school students (public, private, or home school) in North Carolina who meet the eligibility criteria may enroll in college level courses consistent with the Career and College Promise program, which includes the Henderson County Early College High School.
6. Undocumented students may enroll in non-college level courses or programs including High School Equivalency Diploma preparation courses, Adult Basic Education, Adult High School, English as a Second Language, and other Non-curriculum courses less than college level.
7. Undocumented or battered illegal aliens who have been determined to meet one of the qualifying conditions set forth in Federal Law, 8 USC Section 1641 are eligible for college level courses. It is the applicant’s responsibility to produce sufficient documentation to satisfy the College that the applicant is eligible for post-secondary education benefits.
Readmission: Students with credit from Blue Ridge Community College who withdraw for any reason before completing the requirements for a degree, diploma, or certificate may be readmitted by submitting a College application if the student is returning after an absence of two or more semesters, excluding summer term. A conference with a counselor will be required for students returning after academic probation or suspension. Programs of study are under continuous review and course requirements are subject to change as students return after an absence of two or more semesters, excluding summer term. The current academic catalog determines program requirements.
The College reserves the right to refuse admission to any applicant during any period of time that a student is suspended or expelled from another college or educational entity due to non-academic disciplinary reasons.
When a student self-reports on the College application (or it otherwise comes to the College’s attention) that he/she is currently expelled or suspended from another college or university, the following actions will be taken:
1. The student must complete and sign a “Statement of Confidential Information Form” and submit to each college or university formerly attended. The student’s signed release on this form permits the college to inform Blue Ridge Community College of the term and circumstances of the student’s non-academic disciplinary suspension or expulsion, if any.
2. After Blue Ridge Community College receives the completed Statement of Confidential Information Form from all previously attended colleges, the Vice President for Student Services will review the information regarding any active suspension or expulsion and make the determination if the student should be provisionally admitted or denied admission.
3. The decision of the Vice President for Student Services is final.
The College reserves the right to refuse admission to any applicant who is not a resident of North Carolina who seek enrollment in any distance education course only if that applicant resides in a state where the college is not authorized to provide distance education in that state.
The College reserves the right to refuse admission to any applicant if it is necessary to protect the safety of the applicant or other individuals. When making a safety determination, the College may refuse admission to an applicant when there is an articulable, imminent, and significant threat to the applicant or other individuals. Refusing admission on the basis of a safety threat shall be documented by the following:
1. Detailed facts supporting the rationale for denying admission;
2. The time period within which the refusal to admit shall be applicable and the supporting rationale for the designated time period; and
3. The conditions upon which the applicant that is refused would be eligible to be admitted.
The word “articulable” requires that a community college official be able to provide specification about what leads the official to conclude that an applicant poses a safety threat. The College should be able to document specific words or specific actions that create a safety threat. Statements or actions by an applicant that pose a threat that is likely to occur at any moment would constitute an “imminent” threat.
A “significant” threat would be one where an applicant could cause substantial bodily injury to any person.
In the case the applicant chooses to file a grievance with the College for denying admission, the applicant will be referred to theStudent Grievance and Due Process policy, section 4.16, of the College’s Policies and Procedures Manual.