Do Community Colleges Accept Everyone Or Can They Reject You

Many senior high school students dream of going to the Ivy League and other top schools. Unfortunately, not everyone has enough money or high grades needed to be able to those schools.

Those who are on a tight budget, have below-average performance or want to graduate quickly by getting associate degrees or diploma or certificate programs need not worry. That’s because there are community colleges available for them to go to.

So, do community colleges really accept everyone?

In general, just like most other colleges, a community college can deny you. Grounds for not being accepted may differ. They range from not having the necessary documents to not having enough resources due to high enrollment. You may visit the admissions office ahead of application if you feel that you may get denied.

Avoid assuming that anyone who wants to go to a community college will be accepted. Different community colleges have different entrance requirements.

However, most of them have an open admissions policy. Put simply, it means that they will accept anyone who wants to go to them. But they should keep in mind that they must meet the minimum requirements. However, as always, there are exceptions to every rule.

This is why it’s very important for anyone who would like to go to a community college to know what they are so that he or she would cut the chances of being rejected.

Keep on reading to know some of the most important reasons why a community college may not accept you.

Do you have friends who are planning on going to community colleges, and they believe that they will be automatically admitted to those? Then make sure that you share this on your different social media sites after getting to its very end.

Four Reasons Why Community College Can Deny You

1. Not Having the Necessary Documentation

There is one very important thing that you will need to have if you want to go to a community college. It’s none other than a high school diploma.

Without it, it is very much likely for your application to be denied. But then some people know that they can go to a community college even without a high school diploma.

Such is made possible by GED. That’s because passing the GED tests can result in a credential that is equal to a high school diploma. This is why you may get admitted to a community college with GED even with no high school diploma.

Well, that’s what a lot of people believe — no high school diploma or GED, no admission! If truth be told, in some states, you don’t need to have a high school diploma for you to be able to attend one of their community colleges.

As an example, in California, it is possible for you to be accepted to a community college even without a high school diploma or GED. All you have to be is at least 18 years old.

However, it is likely that you will have to take some types of remedial courses or placement tests. Such will help figure out which courses you will be able to complete successfully.

In some community colleges, those without high school diplomas or GED may be asked to write essays or get recommendations. Such is done for them to be able to prove their abilities and achievements.

2. High Enrollment Rate for the Semester or School Year

College tuition fees tend to increase yearly. In some instances, the rates may double or even quadruple! This can cause senior high school students who are from low-income families to go to community colleges.

Some of those who are enrolled in private schools may also transfer to community colleges in order to stay within budget.

Industries are dying left and right. Some of those who lose their jobs look for different jobs. Others go back to school. Many of those who choose to go back to school apply to community colleges.

Their goal is to earn degrees, diplomas, or certificates that can help improve their resumes. As a result of such, they can have better employment opportunities.

Because of these matters, it’s not unlikely for community colleges to get a lot of applicants. Just like other colleges, the resources of community colleges are limited.

For instance, they only have enough classrooms and teachers for a certain number of students per semester or school year.

Even if you have a high school diploma and/or GED, which makes you a qualified applicant, it is possible for a community college to turn you down if the enrollment rate is high. This is why it’s a good idea to apply as early as you can to a community college.

3. Failure to Meet the Minimum Transfer GPA

Earlier, we said that some students who are going to private schools tend to move to community colleges if they or their families can no longer pay for the steep tuition fees that tend to rise every year.

The reason for this is obvious: tuition fees at community colleges are cheaper. In some instances, they are even free of charge.

We also talked about before that a lot of students assume that anyone can get admitted to community colleges. They should also refrain from believing that any student who wants to move to a community college from a private school is going to be admitted without any problem.

One of the reasons that may keep a student from being admitted to a community college is his or her failure to meet the minimum GPA requirement by a community college.

There are some community colleges that require transfer students to have a GPA of not lower than 2.0 or 2.5 if they want to get admitted. Fortunately, for a student with a bad GPA, there are certain steps that he or she may try to get to the community college that he or she prefers.

For instance, the student may visit the admissions office to talk about his or her situation. One of the things that could happen is that the student will be admitted as a freshman student, thus starting college all over again. This is provided that he or she was able to pass a few courses.

4. Suspension or Probation Due to Academic or Behavioral Matters

Aside from the GPA, there is another thing that community colleges look at when figuring out if they should accept or deny transfer students. It’s none other than whether or not they are put on suspension or probation.

Transferring to a community college will not get rid of a current disciplinary action given to a student.

It’s not uncommon for college admissions officers of different schools to share information with each other. One of those is the list of students who are suspended or put on probation.

However, it’s not just the names that they share with one another. They also share the reasons.

Are you suspended by your school due to cheating during an exam or exhibiting inappropriate behavior at the dormitory? Then it is very much likely for other schools to know about it.

You may get a rejection letter from a community college if you try to go to it while you are currently under suspension or probation at another school. There are a couple of possible reasons for this.

First, it’s a form of respect by the community college to your current school.

Second, it’s for the community college to avoid admitting a student who is proven to be a cause of a headache at another school.

Just Before You Go to a Community College

Never think that anyone can go to a community college. Even if it’s true that most community colleges have an open admissions policy, it is still possible for a student to be not accepted at a community college.

This is why before trying to apply to a community college, see to it that you carefully check out all of the requirements. It’s also a good idea to submit all of the important documents completely and on time, too.