Montgomery College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in student admissions, student financial assistance, and other student policies and procedures without regard to age, sex, race, color, religious belief, national origin, or disability. It is the policy of the Board of Trustees of the College that all who are high school graduates or the equivalent, and who can benefit from the programs and services of the College, shall qualify for admission. Others may also, under certain circumstances, be considered for admission. To accommodate the various interests and goals of persons requesting admission to the College, applicants, depending on their objectives and educational background, are admitted to the credit programs and courses of the College in the following categories: degree or certificate seeking (curriculum decided); degree or certificate seeking (curriculum undecided); or non-degree seeking.
Some curricula of the College have a limit on the number of students who may be admitted. In addition, admission to the College does not automatically qualify a student for all courses and curricula; some programs and course offerings have more stringent requirements. Students should contact the appropriate College departments and Raptor Central for more information.
In order to satisfy minimum qualifications for enrollment in the College’s credit courses, in addition to submitting an application, the applicant must meet any one of the following conditions:
In all cases, the College reserves the right to make the final decision on admission.
All applicants must submit an application for admission to the Raptor Central, together with the $25 nonrefundable application fee. Newly admitted students will receive a welcome letter with instructions regarding assessment tests, advising, or other procedures required for registration. Applicants who plan to enroll in selective admission programs, including the health sciences and some art and music majors, should contact the Raptor Central regarding additional admission procedures.
The health sciences programs have additional admission and enrollment requirements. These selective programs are available only at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus and require a special application form. All candidates must be eligible for admission to the College (a Montgomery College application for admission must be submitted before or at the same time as the health sciences application, if the general application was not submitted previously); must meet curriculum admission criteria that have been approved in advance by the campus vice president and provost for the curriculum for which the student is applying; and must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) for consideration. All candidates’ backgrounds will be reviewed for appropriate academic preparation.
Applicants to the certain health science programs require an additional test, the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) to be taken. This may be found on the Health Science Application. Students must meet the minimum benchmarks provided in the health sciences application in order to apply to these programs.
All students who are accepted to a Health Sciences Programs are required to submit to an annual background check and toxicology test using this program required vendor. This information is provided to the student upon acceptance and orientation into their program. Other background or drug screenings will not be accepted.
All candidates who are offered admission to a health science program must meet all legal requirements and standards imposed by recognized professional societies and by the institution or agency where the clinical practice is to occur. Students that participate in health sciences clinical courses (e.g., those involving hospital and clinical facilities) are required to pass the appropriate health examinations (e.g. annual flu vaccine, TB test, titers and required vaccinations).
Certain federal facility clinical sites may not be available to dual citizens, and are only available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
The College is proud to have a large and highly diverse enrollment of international students from over 160 countries. International students who require a student visa (F1 or M1) should contact the international student coordinators in Records & Registration for additional enrollment procedures. For details, see www.montgomerycollege.edu/international-and-esl-students/international/index.html.
Applicants who are enrolled in another college or university and wish to take courses at Montgomery College must apply for admission and should submit a letter of permission from the home institution before attempting to register. Doing so will streamline the registration process and ensure the transferability of credit to the home institution. For details, see www.montgomerycollege.edu/visitingstudents.
Applicants who lack a secondary school diploma or GED credentials, and who have not attended another college or university, are limited to enrollment in two courses per semester or summer term until the completion of 12 hours with a cumulative 2.0 grade point average, unless special permission is granted by the director of records and registration or designee. The campus dean of student affairs or designee may recommend permission based on documented potential.
Personal interest applicants whose first language is English are exempt from assessment testing for all courses, with the exception of English and mathematics. However, they must meet specific course prerequisites and any other applicable regulations. The personal interest admissions category is available to those who have been out of high school a minimum of three years and do not plan to pursue a degree.
There are four easy ways to register for Workforce Development and Continuing Education (WDCE) courses:
1. In person at any of the Montgomery College WDCE Customer Service/Registration locations:
2. By mail: send the WDCE registration form to Montgomery College, WDCE, 51 Mannakee Street, 220 Campus Center, Rockville, MD 20850.
3. By fax: 240-683-6945.
Registrants will be enrolled in the order that registrations and payments are received.
Students in the Adult ESOL and Literacy-GED Programs or Refugee Training Program should contact those offices for registration assistance, since the procedures are different from the four options described above. For more information, visit the website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/wdce/aelg.
The College uses guided placement to determine appropriate courses for each student. Placement helps students identify areas of strength, as well as areas where they need the most help. Students are guided into the appropriate level of credit or noncredit courses. Students are also counseled on developing a schedule with the appropriate mix of courses.
Various placement measures and procedures may be used depending on the English language skills of the applicant. Although these placements provide opportunities for college-level course placement, some students may not be immediately eligible for college-level courses.
Students who graduated from a Maryland public high school with an unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, or with documentation of previous college-level coursework in English or mathematics, or with documentation of appropriate scores on one of the standardized tests accepted by the College, are exempt from guided placement.
Students listed below, who do not have any of the exemptions listed above, must go through Montgomery College guided placement:
Personal interest students who are not enrolling in their first English or mathematics course may take up to 11 credits (in courses that do not require English or mathematics prerequisites) before determining whether placement is needed.
Students must have an application on file in the Office of Records and Registration in order to begin guided placement. Students who are assessed as needing developmental or pre-college level courses are required to complete those courses before they can enroll in college-level courses.
Counselors and academic advisors will assist all students in developing educational plans that are best suited to individual goals, interests, and demonstrated skills.
Students may be awarded Montgomery College credit for prior learning in accordance with approved academic regulations of the College. The Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, in coordination with the Office of Records and Registration, evaluates standardized exams, military credit, certificates, high school credits as part of an articulation agreement, apprenticeships, and courses taken at post-secondary institutions. For a transcript to be reviewed, students must be seeking a degree/certificate at Montgomery College and submit corresponding documents to the Office of Records and Registration. Accepted documents include, but not limited to:
Students seeking advanced standing credit for coursework completed outside of the United States must have their transcripts evaluated by an approved independent, accredited credentialing service. This evaluation must then be forwarded directly from the service provider to the Office of Records and Registration at the campus a student plans to attend.
Students can also receive Credit by Exam credit by working with their program advisor or department chair.
To assure evaluation prior to the start of the semester/term, documents must be received by April 1 for summer, July 1 for fall, or November 1 for spring.