The institution publishes admissions policies consistent with its mission.

_X_Compliance                      ___Partial Compliance                       ___Non-Compliance

Narrative

St. Petersburg College is in compliance with this comprehensive standard because its admission requirements are consistent with the institution’s mission.  General admission requirements address citizenship, age, and acceptable secondary and post-secondary credentials.  SPC has different admission criteria for specific programs and levels of degrees driven by Florida Department of Education requirements and accrediting bodies for specific disciplines.

Admissions policies for St. Petersburg College

Board Of Trustees (BOT) Rules 6Hx23-4.01, 6Hx23-4.02, 6Hx23-4.72, and 6Hx23-4.53 together specify requirements for admission to St. Petersburg College and each of its specific programs.

6Hx23-4.01     Students, Admission, Programs, and Activities - General.  Describes the general admission policies of the College, including Equal Access/Equal Opportunity, but must be read in conjunction with Board Rule 6Hx23-4.02 Admission Requirements.

6Hx23-4.02     Admission Requirements.  Describes general requirements for admission, special requirements for admission (including Baccalaureate programs), accelerated High School programs, and policies for waivers, transfer, transient, non-degree seeking, international, and disabled students.

6Hx23-4.72     College of Education Programs – Special Rules.  Describes the admission criteria and progression requirements for the College of Education.

6Hx23-4.53     Health Related Programs – Special Rules.  Describes the progression requirements for Allied Health, Nursing, Veterinary Technology, and Funeral Services Programs.

General requirements.  A standard high school diploma or successful completion of the General Education Development test (GED) is required for admission to programs that award associate and bachelor degrees, college credit certificates, and applied technology diplomas.  Graduates of regionally accredited institutions and their international equivalents who have been awarded an Associate in Arts or higher level degree are exempt from the standard high school diploma/GED requirement.

Special circumstances.  Although College policy is to require a standard high school diploma or GED for admission, SPC provides a waiver process for students who have not obtained, giving consideration to other factors such as career and life experiences, demonstrated success in post-secondary coursework, special certifications, and military training and experience.

Certificates of Completion.  Individuals who have not been awarded a standard high school diploma, but who have met all requirements except achieving a passing score on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) may be admitted into degree and certificate programs through an appeal process that considers whether the student has made a clear case for admission.  Information considered includes scores on approved placement instruments, evidence of student's life experiences, career/work experience, service occupation, other training, performance in selected academic courses, evidence of an appropriate reading level or appropriate competency indicating the ability to function in college-level classes, and/or recommendations from prior teachers and/or other professionals.

Special diplomas.  A student who receives a special diploma due to a disability and believes he or she should be considered for waiver and/or substitutions for requirements for admission to the College may use the appeal process.  Current documentation of the disability, including test scores when appropriate, is required.

Non-degree students.  Students who are not high school graduates may enroll in courses if they meet all other requirements and prerequisites, demonstrate the ability to benefit from the courses, and receive permission from the Admissions/Registration campus coordinator.

High School students.  The College also admits High School students who meet the requirements of programs such as Dual Credit, Early Admissions, and Credit Bank.

International Students.  An International student is one who has entered the United States under any type of visa other than an immigration visa and for whom a Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant student must be issued by the College.  International students must provide proof of high school graduation or equivalencies translated into English and file a Certificate of Financial Ability.  To be admitted to college-level courses, international students must prove to have sufficient knowledge of English to allow them to pursue a full course of study for credit.

Baccalaureate Program admission.  Students currently attending lower division courses at SPC must complete the Baccalaureate Supplement to the Admissions form in order to gain admittance to the upper division; non-SPC students must complete the standard SPC Application for Admission, including the application fee, and the Baccalaureate Supplement.

Admission to the various Baccalaureate programs is specific for each program.  In general, the following admissions requirements apply:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  To be admitted to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, students must have an approved Associate in Science degree with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and the required credit hours in General Education courses.  Nursing students also must have a Registered Nurse license.

Bachelor of Applied Science.  To be admitted to Bachelor of Applied Science programs, students must have an approved Associate in Science degree with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and the required credit hours in General Education courses.  In most B.A.S. programs, students with 60 credits, but not an Associate in Science or Associate in Applied Science degree may be admitted to the upper-division program only with permission of the Dean.  In addition, students with an A.S. degree that is not listed in the Technology Management Guide may be admitted to the upper-division program with permission of the Dean.  Some B.A.S. programs also require licensure in the appropriate field.

Bachelor of Science in Education.  For the College of Education, students must have an Associate in Arts degree, or equivalent coursework in a lower-division education-related program of study, with a minimum cumulative grade point average is 2.5, and, by Florida Statute, must pass the Florida Department of Education General Knowledge Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination or a suitable substitute.

Basis of St. Petersburg College’s admission policies

St. Petersburg College follows the admissions guidelines of the Florida State Statutes regarding admission of students:  to provide opportunities to all while combining high standards with an open-door admission policy.

Excerpt from 1004.65  Community colleges; definition, mission, and responsibilities

For College of Education and Health Baccalaureate programs, SPC follows the admissions guidelines set by Florida Statute and State Board of Education Rules, and recommended by specific discipline accrediting bodies.

Distance education.  Distance education courses are fully integrated into the SPC curriculum and students are not required to apply separately for admission to take online courses.  Prior to registering for distance courses, the eCampus cyberadvising site encourages students to complete a self-assessment to evaluate whether they are good candidates for a distance course.

                                       SPC’s eCampus Web page

In addition, counselors at the various campuses evaluate students’ past success in traditional courses and discuss the special requirements for success in distance courses before recommending them to students.

SPC carefully monitors the success rates of students who take distance education courses.  The average difference between success rates (grades of A, B, or C) in traditional and online classes over the last 8 semesters has been 5%, better than research shows is typical of online delivery.  The same is true for the difference between withdrawal rates, which has averaged 4.7% over the same time period.

Comparison of student success rates (grades of A, B, or C) in traditional and online classes over 8 semesters

Consistency with the SPC mission

The mission statement of the College supports the mission given SPC by the Florida Legislature in Florida Statute 1004.73:

Excerpt from SPC mission statement

SPC has created accessible admissions standards through its open admissions policy, and its multiple avenues for admission.  Potential students may gain admission with a high school diploma, GED, international equivalent, home schooling affidavit, or waiver process.  SPC’s specific GPA and other requirements for admission to its Baccalaureate programs are consistent with the College’s Baccalaureate mission, and are in compliance with the standards set by the State Board of Education or discipline-specific accrediting bodies.

Reasonableness and appropriateness to identify qualified students who have the ability to complete programs successfully

Minimum college-level skills for success in an open admissions environment.  SPC requires testing (SAT, ACT, or SPC’s College Placement Test) to quantitatively demonstrate students’ preparation and likelihood of success in college-level courses in three areas:  reading, writing, and arithmetic.  College preparatory courses are required for degree-seeking students who score below the SPC College Placement Test cut-off scores prescribed by State of Florida Board of Education Rules and may not enroll in credit courses in those skill areas in which they are deficient until mastery has been demonstrated.

Waivers.  The waiver process at St. Petersburg College provides recourse for students with less than a standard high school diploma to gain admittance to the College.  To qualify for admission to the College without a High School diploma or GED, students must demonstrate ability to benefit from college-level courses by achieving minimum score on the College Placement Test in addition to making their case for approval of the waiver.

Knowledge of English.  For international students with limited English skills, St. Petersburg College offers a full program of English as a Second Language (ESL).  Students placed in the appropriate ESL level based on the Placement Test for ESL and will be permitted to enroll in a maximum of 12 semester hours in the ESL Program and no other courses at the College while in this category.

Baccalaureate program admission standards.  SPC has determined through research on peer institutions and standards published by other accrediting bodies that specific GPAs in students’ A.S. or A.A. degree provide the necessary skills and knowledge for success in its B.A.S., B.S.N., and B.S. programs.  A GPA of 2.0 is required for admission to B.A.S. and B.S.N. programs.  The State of Florida, supporting the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards, has mandated a 2.5 GPA, with a 2.5 in the education prerequisites, for admission to the College of Education Baccalaureate in Science programs.

Health-related programs.  For health-related programs where the number of eligible students exceeds the positions available, students are admitted on a point system based on program GPA (pre-entry requirements, general education, and support courses) and total program credits earned.  Minimum program GPA for consideration is 2.75 except Dental Hygiene, which is 3.0.  Service area residents will be given first priority.  Because of clinical agency requirements, a background check and a drug screening are required for each health related program application.

Consistent implementation.

SPC’s admissions policies have been implemented consistently for all students applying for admission.  There are three methods of applying for admission to St. Petersburg College: completing the application in person at one of the five main campuses (St. Petersburg/Gibbs, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Health Education Center, and Seminole), downloading a PDF version of the application to complete and mail in, or completing the online application to the College through the MySPC portal.

                              Online Forms on the SPC Web site

SPC has a centralized office for admissions and student records, with admissions personnel at Clearwater, St. Petersburg/Gibbs, Health Education Center, Seminole, and Tarpon Springs to assist students in completing the applications.  There is just one standard application, regardless of program or whether the application is paper-based or online, and all applications are processed at the centralized office.  Because of the unique requirements for each Baccalaureate program, the College Registrar has developed a checklist to ensure consistency and accuracy in processing Baccalaureate applications.  The College Registrar ensures consistency among sites through monthly meetings with all admissions personnel to discuss admissions issues such as Baccalaureate updates, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), residency requirements, international students, and the student information system.

Excerpt from Collegewide Admissions and Registration Meeting, 07-11-06

Disseminating admissions policies

Admission requirements stipulated by BOT Rules are published in the College Catalog and are also viewable on the College Web site.

                          Admissions policies on the SPC Web site

References