Policies & Procedures

Policy 3.15 Admissions

POLICY STATEMENT

Anoka Technical College (ATC) considers all applicants for admission regardless of race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status in regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The college follows an open-door admission policy, which means that any resident who has graduated from an accredited high school, successfully completed a General Education Development Examination (GED), or who can demonstrate an Ability to Benefit is eligible for college admission. English language proficiency is not a barrier to admission. Placement testing determines student readiness for college courses and places students into appropriate courses to facilitate student academic success. Persons applying to enroll at the college must submit a completed admission application.

Exceptions:

• Students who have an active suspension for academic reasons from any postsecondary institution will be denied admission to ATC until an appeal can be considered by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Committee. Students granted admittance will be placed on academic probation.
• Students who have a financial hold on their records from another Minnesota State college or university may be admitted to ATC, but will not be allowed to register until the financial hold has been removed.

Admission to the college does not automatically qualify a student for all courses of the college; some course offerings have special prerequisites and requirements. Certain programs require an additional admission process.

VISITING STUDENTS

Students who are not currently admitted as a student at Anoka Technical College, but are currently admitted at another Minnesota State college or university, will be allowed to enroll for up to nine credits as a visiting student. A visiting student’s total number of enrolled credits at all system colleges and universities shall not exceed 22 in any semester.

Visiting Students are responsible for adhering to Anoka Technical College deadlines, policies, and procedures published in the Anoka Technical College student handbook and website. Once registered for a course, students are responsible for all tuition and fees associated with their registration. Students enrolling in courses requiring prerequisites must provide the appropriate documentation (e.g., transcript).

Financial aid is not available from Anoka Technical College for Visiting Students. If students hold a formally admitted status at another Minnesota State institution, they may apply for financial aid through their home school via the Minnesota State Consortium Agreement. Students receiving financial aid from a non-Minnesota State institution must supply a written consortium agreement from their home school.

Students who do not complete the admissions process/placement testing prior to enrolling courses will be required to do so after attempting nine credits.

POST-SECONDARY ENROLLMENT OPTIONS (PSEO) AND CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT

PSEO is a state program for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, which offers the opportunity to enroll in and attend college-level courses and apply earned credit toward high school graduation requirements and a college degree.  State funding covers the cost of tuition, fees, and required books for eligible courses. PSEO students are not eligible for Title IV financial aid. Qualified high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in Minnesota are eligible to attend Anoka Technical College through the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) or Concurrent Enrollment program. PSEO/Concurrent Enrollment students are eligible to enroll in fall and/or spring semesters.

PSEO eligibility requirements include:

High School Seniors
Rank in the top one-half or 50^th percentile of graduating class OR score above the 50th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test

High School Juniors
Rank in the top one-third or 70^th percentile of graduating class OR score above the 70^th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test

High School Juniors and Seniors
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above OR indicate college readiness by achieving college level Accuplacer scores in the area of reading and sentence skills.

High School Sophomores

Any public or American-Indian controlled tribal contract or grant student classified as a 10th grader who meets residency requirements and has attained a passing score on the 8th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment in reading and meets other on-campus course prerequisites or on-campus course enrollment standards established by the college, including but not limited to assessment test scores, program admission, or other requirements, may enroll in a career or technical education course at Anoka Technical College. If the student receives a grade of C or better in the course, the student shall be allowed to take additional career or technical education courses during the second semester of the 10th grade year.

A student who first enrolls under this provision while in 10th grade and wishes to enroll in general education courses as an 11th or 12th grade PSEO student may need to take the system Assessment for Course Placement and achieve the required scores prior to enrollment. If the students did not take the 8th grade MCA, another reading assessment that is approved by Anoka Technical College may be substituted.

Students admitted under this provision may be required to attend counseling or advising sessions at the discretion of the college.

PSEO students:

1. Should be aware that summer courses, as well as courses numbered below 1000, are not covered by PSEO. Students may enroll in summer courses or courses numbered below 1000 but are responsible for tuition, books and all other costs associated with course registration.
2. Should be aware that some programs and courses are not eligible for PSEO. See ATC’s PSEO web page for a complete list of ineligible programs and courses.
3. Are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress, in accordance with college guidelines.
4. Will be allowed to register for courses on a space-available basis.
5. Are required to meet ACCUPLACER course prerequisites.

Students who do not meet admission requirements are asked to submit a two-page, typed, double-spaced essay using a 12pt. font; directions will be given to students by college staff.

EARLY/MIDDLE COLLEGE

Anoka Technical College’s College Connect Program is available to students at a State Approved Alternative High School that partners with Anoka Technical College. This program allows students who have dropped out of high school or are not on track to graduate on time to earn college credit, while also earning credits to complete their high school diploma. There is no GPA/class rank requirement or test requirements; however, students do need to complete the steps and proper paperwork in order to be considered for admission into the program.

CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT

In Minnesota, concurrent enrollment courses are college courses offered at the high school, usually taught by a trained high school teacher. These are offered in partnership with a college or university. Students who successfully complete these courses generate both high school and transcripted college credit from the partnering postsecondary institution. There is no cost to the student to participate in these courses. Concurrently enrolled students are not eligible for Title IV financial aid.

High School Seniors
Rank in the top one-half or 50^th percentile of graduating class OR score above the 50th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test

High School Juniors
Rank in the top one-third or 70^th percentile of graduating class OR score above the 70^th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test

High School Juniors and Seniors
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above OR indicate college readiness by achieving college level Accuplacer scores in the area of reading and sentence skills.

Sophomores

Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher or rank in the top 90^th percentile of their graduating class or score in the top 10^th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test.

Students who do not meet admission requirements are asked to submit a two-page, typed, double-spaced essay using a 12pt. font; directions will be given to students by college staff.

MINNESOTA SENIOR CITIZEN ADMISSION

MN Statutes 2004, Sec. 135 A.51 provides for senior citizens who are legal residents of Minnesota to enroll in courses on a space-available basis without payment of tuition and activity fees. “Senior citizen” means a person who has reached 62 years of age before the beginning of any term, semester or quarter in which a course of study is pursued, or a person receiving a railroad retirement annuity who has reached 60 years of age before the beginning of the term. 

There shall be no administrative fee charged to a Minnesota senior citizen auditing a course. The request to audit a course must be made at the time of registration for the course. Registration for Minnesota senior citizens who enroll on an audit basis begins the first business day after the first class session.

Minnesota resident senior citizens, 62 years of age or older, may enroll in credit courses on a space available basis for an administrative fee of $20 per credit plus fees. Registration for Minnesota resident senior citizens at the reduced fee begins the first business day after the first class session. 

Minnesota senior citizens may also enroll without payment of tuition and activity fees in noncredit courses, except in those courses designed and offered specifically and exclusively for senior citizens. Minnesota senior citizens enrolled in any noncredit course are responsible for purchasing any materials needed for the noncredit course. A Minnesota senior citizen enrolled in closed enrollment contract training or a professional continuing education program is not eligible for benefits under Minnesota Statute section 135A.52, subdivision 1.

Minnesota senior citizens who wish to guarantee their enrollment in a course may register earlier, but they will be required to pay full tuition and fees. The Minnesota senior citizen student must meet course pre-requisites and is responsible for purchasing books and class materials, whether enrolled for credit, audit, or in noncredit courses. Minnesota seniors enrolled for credit or audit will also be charged technology, LeadMN, and parking fees.

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA/GED VALIDATION

In the event Anoka Technical College has reason to believe a high school diploma is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary school education, the College will conduct additional research to determine if the diploma is in fact valid. Red flags that will prompt additional research include:

• No apparent state legal authority for high school or GED
• Limited curriculum/instructors
• High school diploma given for a fee within a short period of time
• High school diploma date/place not consistent
• High school diplomas/transcripts/GEDs that were issued by a school that bears a non-traditional name that does not end in “high school”, such as “academy” or “center”
• High school diplomas/transcripts/GEDs that were purchased and/or completed online
• High school diplomas/GEDs that have names and/or dates that have been written on the diploma, and those where “white out” type corrections have been made

Should any of the above red flags exist, the College will conduct additional research to include:

• Checking the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) website for information relative to the validity of the school, and if the school in fact provides secondary school education. If the College is unable to obtain the required information, the College will contact the state in which the school is located to attempt collecting the appropriate documentation.
• Determining if the school has previously been identified as a high school diploma mill, via internet research and existing lists the College maintains.
• Determining if the diploma or transcript was purchased online with little work expected by the student, or if it was earned via brick-and-mortar traditional high school.

If the College is not reasonably certain a high school diploma or GED is valid, the student will not be admitted.  The College’s decision relative to the validity of a particular high school diploma or GED is final and not subject to appeal.

History:

05.2017 Adopted

06.2020 Technical change to statute number, LeadMN name (formerly MSCSA).

06.2024 Language added per U.S. Department of Education clarifying that PSEO and Concurrent students are ineligible for Title IV financial aid and outlining when research is needed to validate high school diplomas and GEDs.