Office of Admissions
Garden City Community College
801 Campus Dr.
Garden City, KS 67846

620-276-7611 or 800-658-1696

ADMISSIONS POLICIES

Admission to Garden City Community College is granted by meeting one of the following requirements:

1. A graduate of an accredited high school.
2. A transfer student, in good standing, from a regionally accredited university/college.
3. A successful completer of the General Education Development (GED) examination.
4. A high school junior or senior student with written permission from the high school principal.
5. A student enrolled in a recognized gifted program with written permission from the school principal.
6. A student 18 years of age or older, having demonstrated through the GCCC student assessment process, the ability to benefit from attending the college.

Applicants who do not meet one of the above requirements will be admitted with "special student" status and are considered as non-degree seeking students. "Special student" status may be changed to "degree-seeking" status upon graduation from an accredited high school program or upon the successful completion of a GED examination.

The college reserves the right to deny admission or re-admission to any individual considered detrimental to the best interests of the college community or if the college is unable to provide the services, courses or program needed to assist any person in meeting his/her educational objectives.

SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS PROGRAMS

Admission to GCCC does not guarantee enrollment in the following programs or Centers of Excellence:

Nursing
Emergency
Medical Services Technology
John Deere Agricultural Technology
Automotive Technology
Information Technology
Industrial Technology

Students seeking admission to one of these programs should meet with the director of that program as early as possible. Additional requirements and/or an additional application is required for these programs.

NEW STUDENTS

1. An Application for Admission

2. An official high school transcript, including final grades, grade point average, class ranking (if available), and graduation date, or an official copy of GED scores.

3. An official transcript from each university/college attended.

* All first-time students are required to take COMPASS through the campus counseling and career resource center. This assessment is used to determine each student's placement in appropriate courses.

* Applicants are strongly advised to take the ACT Assessment for scholarship, advising, and counseling purposes (GCCC's ACT code is 1414).

* Students are placed on "Conditional Acceptance" until all required transcripts or official GED scores have been received and evaluated.

* Official transcripts must be mailed, by the issuing institution, directly to the GCCC Admissions Office. Hand-carried copies are not acceptable. All transcripts must be received during the first semester of attendance for the student to be allowed to enroll in any subsequent semester.

* A complete medical form is required for all students in nursing, child care and cosmetology programs, residential hall residents and athletic program participants. Students in these areas will be advised according to departmental policy and the appropriate forms will be provided.

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NON-DEGREE SEEKING STUDENTS

Students who are admitted as "non-degree seeking" are not required to submit transcripts. Should the classification be changed to "degree-seeking" status, all transcripts must be received before financial aid, including scholarships and grant-in-aid awards, will be disbursed.

FORMER STUDENTS

Students who have not attended GCCC since 1992 will be required to submit a new Application for Admission. Official transcripts of all college credits earned since last attendance, for "degree-seeking" students, must be mailed to the Admissions Office.

Former students should refer to "Residency Defined" section of this catalog to determine current residency status.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

High school junior and senior students, including home-study program students, may enroll concurrently in college courses with written permission of their high school principal. A yearly cooperative agreement with the unified school district or the home study school and the college must be on file in the Registrar's Office for college credit to be granted. Individual student permission forms must be submitted each semester.

GIFTED PROGRAM STUDENTS

Students younger than high school juniors enrolled in a recognized gifted program may enroll in college courses. Written permission of their school principal and a copy of the student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) must be on file in the college Registrar's Office for college credit to be granted. The IEP must be renewed each academic year.

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TRANSFER STUDENTS

A transfer student, who has attended any post-secondary institution, must have an official transcript sent from all previous institutions to the Admissions Office. Transfer students are not officially enrolled until all college transcripts have been received and evaluated. Transfer credits will be accepted from colleges and universities starting from the year they are accredited or hold candidacy status with the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Colleges and Schools, or other institutions approved by the Admissions Department. All transfer credit will be equated on the semester-hour system. All courses listed with an F grade or higher will be transferred and calculated into the student's cumulative grade point average.

Students on academic probation at their former colleges or with transfer cumulative grade point averages below 1.5 will be admitted on probation to GCCC. Students on academic dismissal at the last college of attendance must petition for a hearing before the Academic Review Committee before they may be admitted to GCCC. If admitted by the committee, they will be placed on probationary status until their grade point average meets regular college standards as outlined in the Academic Probation/Dismissal section of the GCCC catalog.

Note: It is the responsibility of the transferring student to inform the Admissions Office if he/she has previously been academically dismissed at any former college. Failure to do so or falsification of information requested by the college may result in immediate dismissal from Garden City Community College at the time the college becomes aware of the deception.

OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS

Residency Defined
Out-of-state and foreign residence: Persons enrolling in a community college who, if adults, have not been or if minors, whose parents have not been domiciliary residents of the State of Kansas for six months prior to enrollment for any enrollment term or session are not residents of Kansas and will be charged out-of-state tuition. Residence of minors shall be determined as provided in K.S.A. 72-1046 and acts amendatory thereof and of adults as provided in subpart Twenty-three of K.S.A. 66-201 and acts amendatory thereof.

The Kansas Board of Regents may adopt rules and regulations governing the determination of residence of students for student tuition and out-of-state and foreign student tuition purposes. (L. 1972. ch. 271. Sec.1; April 11.)

Students who have not resided in Kansas for six months prior to the first day of the semester (or the summer session) are determined to be non-resident students and must pay out-of-state tuition rates. The six-month requirement may be waived, upon appeal to the Registrar, if the student (or parent of a dependent student) was transferred or recruited by a Kansas company as a full-time employee to work in the state and he/she has established a residence in Kansas. A letter of verification from the company is required.

After a student has continuously resided in Kansas for six months, he/she may petition for in-state residency status by securing and completing an Affidavit of Residency form from the Registrar prior to the first day of the semester or the summer session. A student can be a resident of only one state. If a student leaves the state and claims residency in another state, he/she forfeits Kansas residency regardless of the time spent out of the state.

The responsibility of enrolling under proper residence classification for tuition purposes is that of the student. If there is any question of residency classification, as regulated by the Kansas Board of Education, the student must raise the question to the Registrar prior to the first day of classes of any given semester. If a student enrolls incorrectly as a resident of Kansas, and it is determined at a later date that the student was a non-resident for tuition purposes, payment of non-resident tuition will be required for all terms during which the student was incorrectly registered.

A student who is classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes when enrolling and who disagrees with that classification shall be entitled to an appeal, provided that a written appeal is filed with the Registrar within 30 days from the date of the enrollment. A student who is classified as a resident for tuition purposes at the time of enrollment and who subsequently is reclassified as a non-resident for such purposes and who disagrees with that reclassification may make an appeal provided that a written appeal is filed with the Registrar within 30 days of notification of reclassification. The payment in full of tuition as originally assessed shall be a condition to the right to appeal from residency classification or reclassification. If a student fails to file an appeal in the allocated time and manner stated above, the classification or reclassification determined by the Registrar shall, upon expiration of the appeal period, become final.

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

GCCC encourages enrollment of qualified international students as a means of enriching the campus environment. International students who wish to attend must follow procedures outlined in this section in order to meet admission requirements. GCCC has been approved by the U.S. Department of Justice as a school for nonimmigrant students.

International students are advised that the college does not provide special language training, and employment opportunities are limited. International students must also obtain a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of at least 500 paper/173 computer for admission to GCCC. The regular student application for admission is required.

International students must be prepared to supply the following information and meet the following requirements:

The time needed to complete the admissions process varies from country to country due to embassy policies and mailing times. Therefore, GCCC recommends that a completed application, application fee of $150, and all required documents listed below be on file by the following dates:

Fall Semester (August): July 1
Spring Semester (January): November 1
Summer Session (June): April 1

Before a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20) will be issued, the following items must be on file at GCCC:

1. Proof of English Proficiency: GCCC requires a minimum 61 ibt/500 paper/173 computer based TOEFL score. Applicants who have a score below 61/500/173 will be considered on an individual basis.
   
2. Proof of Graduation: GCCC requires proof of graduation from an accredited high school or the equivalent, or a transcript of credit from another accredited institution of secondary level or above.
   
3. Personal Health History and Immunization Record: Applicants must complete the GCCC Health and Immunization Record. All international students will be required to have a TB skin test administered by the college health nurse upon arrival at a cost of approximately $7.50 U.S.
   
4. Indication of Living Arrangement Preference: GCCC Residence Halls, Homestay Program or private off-campus housing (an apartment trailer, etc.)
   
5. Proof of Ability to Meet Financial Obligations: Applicants must document ability to meet full-year expenses through a combination of bank statements and/or approved notarized statements of support. Estimated expenses are as follows:

PLEASE MAIL COMPLETE INFORMATION TO:

Director of Admissions
Garden City Community College
801 Campus Drive
Garden City KS 67846

Before applying for an F-1 visa at the US Embassy, an I-901 application must be completed and the $100 fee must be paid. Information regarding this governmental policy can be found at the following web address: http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/index.htm.

*A properly executed I-20 form will be issued by the college and mailed to the international student in his/her home country upon completion of the above. The I-20, signed by a college official, is required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. for the student to enter the United States. Students who leave the U.S. for holidays must have their I-20 forms properly endorsed by a college official before they leave the U.S. in order to assure their re-entry into the country to attend GCCC.

* International students must provide for their own health insurance coverage. That coverage can be purchased upon arrival at GCCC, or the student may purchase coverage in his/her home country and carry evidence of coverage applicable in the U.S.

* International students will be classified as non-residents and will be required to pay out-of-state tuition.

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RESIDENT ALIENS

Resident Aliens are international students who have been granted permanent resident status by the U.S. Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). To qualify for in-state tuition rates, a student must present his/her resident alien card, or documentation that he/she has been granted permanent resident status by the INS, showing the student's Resident Alien Registration Number to the Registrar prior to the first day of the semester (or the summer session). If a student cannot provide this documentation, he/she will be classified as a non-resident and will be required to pay out-of-state tuition. The student has the right to appeal residency classification. (Refer to out-of-state student section in this catalog for appeal procedure.

AUDIT STUDENTS

Audit students, those who attend a class regularly but who elect not to earn credit, are permitted to enroll. Regular tuition and fees will be charged to a student who audits a class. Students must declare their intention to audit at the time of enrollment and the option cannot be changed once the class begins. A course originally completed under the audit option cannot later be converted to a graded or Pass/Fail basis.

RETENTION OF RECORDS

Credentials of applicants who do not register for the term to which they have been admitted are normally retained by the Admissions Office for one year. Students registering after one year will be required to update application information.

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