Admission to Piedmont

Traditional Freshmen (First Time in College-FTIC)

A traditional student (First Time in College-FTIC) is defined as an individual who has been out of high school for less than five years and has not taken any college courses with the exception of dual enrollment courses. Traditional freshmen should submit the following items in order to be considered for admission:

1. An application for admission with the required essay;
2. An official transcript of all high school diploma course work or an official home-school transcript. Applicants should have completed at least 23 high school units. Suggested units include:

   Subject Area	Units
   Language Arts	4
   Math	4
   Social Studies	3
   Natural Science	3
   Foreign Language	2 (recommended)

3. An official score report of the results of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board or the American College Test (ACT) of the American College Testing Programs; and
4. An official transcript of all dual enrollment credits from each college or university attended, if applicable.
5. If an applicant satisfied the requirements for a General Equivalency Diploma (GED), the official assessment scores report.

Home-Schooled Students

At Piedmont, we encourage academically talented students from home schools to join our learning community. Admission requirements for home-schooled students are the same as Traditional Freshmen (FTIC).

Non-Traditional Freshmen (First Time in College-FTIC)

A non-traditional student (Freshman FTIC) is defined as an individual who graduated from high school or would have graduated from high school at least five years before the requested application term. Applicants must have graduated from high school or satisfied requirements for the General Equivalence Diploma (GED). Non-traditional students are exempt from submission of official SAT or ACT scores.

Non-traditional freshmen should submit the following items in order to be considered for admission:

1. An application for admission with the required essay; and
2. An official transcript of all high school diploma course work or if a General Equivalence Diploma (GED) was obtained, the official assessment scores report.

Transfer Students

A transfer student is defined as an individual who, having attended another institution of higher learning, is applying for admission to Piedmont.

A TRADITIONAL Transfer student is one who has earned some credits from a previous institution and has been out of high school less than five years. A NON-TRADITIONAL Transfer student is a student that has been out of high school at least five years and has earned some credits from a previous institution.

All transfer students should submit the following items in order to be considered for admission:

1. An application for admission with the required essay;
2. Official transcripts from every college, university, or technical school attended. Transfer applicants must present a satisfactory academic record from each institution attended;
3. If the transfer student has less than 30 transferable semester credit hours from previously attended institutions, an official, final high school transcript or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) assessment scores report is required. Official score report of the ACT or SAT is required for traditional transfer students with less than 30 transferrable hours. Non-traditional transfer students are exempt from submission of official SAT or ACT score reports.

Other policies applicable to transfer students include the following:

• Students may receive transfer credit for courses taken at regionally accredited institutions and foreign institutions approved for semester(s) abroad.
• Students who attended colleges not regionally accredited at the time of attendance may be asked to provide additional materials including course syllabi, college catalog course descriptions, and instructors' credential information before transferability of the courses may be determined.
• Only grades of “C” or higher are transferred in all courses.
• Developmental, orientation, student-assembly, and cultural-events credits are non- transferable.
• All transfer students will need to submit high school information for Financial Aid purposes: transcript, assessment scores, or copy of diploma is acceptable.

Transfer applicants who are enrolled at other institutions and plan to enroll for courses at Piedmont College prior to the completion of course work at another institution must appeal in writing to the dean of the respective school for which they are being admitted for permission to complete coursework at the previous institution.

Admission to Piedmont College does not guarantee admission to a specific school or department. Certain programs have additional admission requirements which must be met before a student can begin taking the upper division classes in their degree program. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the appropriate academic department for additional admission requirements upon acceptance to the College granted by the Office of Admissions.

Transient Students

A transient (visiting) student is defined as a student that is still currently enrolled at another regionally accredited college or university in the United States, and intends to apply their Piedmont College credit(s) to a degree from their home institution.

Transient students should submit the following items in order to be considered for admission:

1. The Transient student application
2. A Letter of Permission or Enrollment Verification form, showing student in good standing, available from their home institution’s registrar’s office.

Failure to Disclose Official Transcripts

Students may not disregard their records from other institutions of higher education. Failure to disclose previous college attendance is sufficient cause for cancellation of a student’s admissions or registration and of any semester credits earned at Piedmont College. Non- disclosure of previous attendance can compromise the ability to qualify for financial aid.

Dual Enrollment

A Dual Enrollment (DE) student is a high school student who is allowed to register for college courses while attending high school or home school. DE students may take a maximum of 15 credit hours per semester. DE students are not eligible to take evening or hybrid courses.

To be eligible for the DE program at Piedmont College the student must:

• Be enrolled as a Junior or Senior high school student in a public or independent high school or home study program;
• Apply and be accepted in the same manner as a regular undergraduate student, meeting the specific requirements for DE students.

Students wishing to participate in the DE program must submit to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions the following documents:

• Application for admission with the required essay
• Official high school or home study transcripts
• Official copy of the SAT, ACT or Accuplacer score report
• Completed Teacher Recommendation Form signed by the principal, one high school teacher and a college/guidance counselor or home school administrator.
• Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in DE classes to be allowed to return for another semester.

International Students

An international student is defined as a student who is a non-U.S. citizen, not a permanent resident, and is not participating in DACA. Piedmont College welcomes international students as active members of the College.

In addition to the application requirements described in the catalog, the following additional admission documents must be submitted before an international student will be allowed to enroll:

1. Submit a course-by-course analysis of all secondary and post-secondary credits earned outside the U.S. We recommend utilizing the services of World Educational Services or Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. or any current member of NACES (http://www.naces.org/). If submitting a secondary course work evaluation that reflects credits still in progress, the applicant must have a final official transcript submitted from the institution attended when available.
2. An official score report of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board or the American College Test (ACT) of the American College Testing Programs is required for students with fewer than 30 transferable credit hours. Non-native English speakers must also provide a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A satisfactory TOEFL score is 550 or higher on the paper-based version, 213 or higher on the computer-based version, or 79 or higher on the Internet- based version. ATOEFL score more than two years old will not be accepted. A satisfactory IELTS band score is 6 or higher. Scanned score reports of the above examinations are not acceptable for admissions consideration.
3. A completed health form, along with proof of health insurance and immunizations.
4. A financial statement showing sufficient availability of funds and the source of these funds for the first year of college.
5. When all of the items listed above are received and if the student has been accepted to the college, a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status – For Academic and Language Students (I-20) can be released to the student.

Due to the time required for sending the additional documents needed for acceptance consideration, international students are urged to complete their application file at least one month prior to the published semester application deadline.

Non-Degree Status

Non-Degree (NDG) status is available for applicants who wish to take undergraduate or graduate level courses for personal or professional enrichment. No more than nine semester hours may be taken as a non-degree student. Applicants who wish to enroll in more than nine semester hours as a non-degree student must apply for permission from the Dean of the appropriate school.

Students applying for non-degree status who have not earned any degree will apply through Undergraduate Admissions as a Non-Degree seeking student. Students who already hold a Bachelor’s or other degree will apply through Graduate Admissions.

The non-degree student must meet prerequisite course requirements for any course taken. Non-degree undergraduate students are not assigned an academic advisor and are allowed to register for courses on a space-available basis.

Courses taken as a non-degree student may not be applied to a degree until the applicant has completed the admissions requirements for that degree, including any required admissions test. These courses will be evaluated by the Registrar and the program director or chair. Policies regarding transfer courses will apply.

Tuition for undergraduate courses taken as a non-degree student is charged at the undergraduate tuition rate. Tuition for graduate courses taken as a non-degree student is charged at the graduate tuition rate.

Non-degree students should submit the following in order to be considered for admission:

1. An application for admission with the required essay; and
2. Official transcripts from the College or university where the student attended or completed an undergraduate degree

Readmission

(Note: Graduate Students see Graduate Readmission )

Undergraduate students who have not been enrolled at Piedmont College for less than two academic years and have not attended another institution must apply for readmission. To reapply, submit an Application for Undergraduate Readmission form to the Registrar at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the semester for which you are seeking readmission. This form is available from the Registrar’s Office or www.piedmont.edu/registrar.

Undergraduate students who have been away from Piedmont College for more than two consecutive years or who have attended other institutions since last attending Piedmont College must go through the complete admissions process. The student will need to submit a new application available at piedmont.edu/apply. They will be required to pay a $100 matriculation fee and provide necessary documentation, including transcripts from all institutions, which must be presented to and accepted by the Admissions Committee.

Students who are readmitted may follow the program of study outlined in the current Piedmont College catalog or if no more than five years have elapsed, may continue the program outlined in the catalog in effect at the time they initially enrolled. Program requirements and procedures are subject to change pending requirements of accrediting organizations.

Academic Forgiveness Policy

Academic Forgiveness allows former Piedmont students and prospective transfer students who experienced academic difficulty in the past to make a fresh start by removing roadblocks to being admitted and thus providing the opportunity to complete a Bachelor’s degree.

Undergraduate students seeking admission or re-admission to complete a degree and who have been out of any post-secondary institution for a period of at least five years may petition for Academic Forgiveness. Academic Forgiveness will initiate a new grade point average (GPA) that will be used to determine academic standing.

Guidelines for Academic Forgiveness:

• A transfer or former student who desires Academic Forgiveness may have his/her transcript(s) evaluated for Academic Forgiveness upon written request to the Dean of Admissions. The written request should be sent with the Application for Admission. The Dean of Admissions will consult with the dean of the appropriate school and an admissions recommendation will be made to the Admissions Committee.
• Only grades of “C” or higher will be used in determining academic standing; however, all coursework will remain a part of the transcript. All attempted coursework will be used in calculating honors for graduation.
• Academic Forgiveness will be granted only one time.
• Granting of Academic Forgiveness does not supersede financial aid policies regarding satisfactory academic progress.

Admissions Appeal

An applicant who is denied admission may appeal to the Dean of Admissions. The appeal to the Dean must be made in writing and submitted electronically. Once this is submitted to the Dean of Admissions, the original file and the letter of appeal will be submitted to the Admissions Committee for a decision.