Curriculum Program Admissions

Applications

Applications must be submitted electronically at https://www.lenoircc.edu/future/newreturn.

Open Door Policy

The College operates under the “open door” admissions policy of the State Board of Community Colleges. Individuals 18 years old or older and able to profit from further formal education, or a high school graduate under the age of 18, may be admitted to the College. Individuals under 18 years of age who have not attained graduation from high school can attend the College as stipulated by the policies of the State Board of Community Colleges. Admission to the College, however, does not ensure admission to any individual program or course or continued enrollment in the College. The College is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disability. The College may refuse admission to an applicant who poses a safety threat.

When to Apply

Applicants are encouraged to apply once the decision to enroll has been made. High school seniors should apply early in their senior year. The regular academic year begins with the Fall Semester; however, applicants may enter most programs at the beginning of any semester.

Procedures for Applying to Curriculum Programs

1. SUBMIT AN APPLICATION:  Applications must be submitted online at https://www.lenoircc.edu/future/newreturn/. Computers are available in the Office of Admissions in the Administration Building of the College for students that need assistance.
2. TRANSCRIPTS: Applicants are responsible for having official high school transcripts forwarded directly to the Registrar’s Office. Final copies of high school graduating seniors’ transcripts must be provided immediately after the work is completed and the graduation date has been posted. Applicants who possess high school equivalency certificates must present either the certificate or the official scores to the Registrar’s Office. Applicants who have attended other colleges or universities are responsible for having official transcripts from each institution that was previously attended sent directly to the Registrar’s Office. Applicants who attended high school in a country other than the United States are required to have an evaluation of their transcript(s) performed by an outside evaluation service to certify that the applicant has the equivalent of a high school diploma. Applicants should be sure to use an evaluation service not a translation service. Applicants presenting transcripts of a completed bachelor’s degree will not be required to submit high school transcripts, except in the Health Sciences and Nursing programs where all official transcripts are required. All official documents, such as transcripts (both high school and college), become the property of Lenoir Community College and will not be returned, released, or copied.

Acceptance of Transfer Credit

Credit is awarded for freshman and sophomore courses completed at regionally accredited community colleges and universities provided they parallel work offered at Lenoir Community College, are applicable towards the student’s program of study, and carry adequate credit. No grade less than “C” will be acceptable in any program. The Vice President of Instruction and Institutional Effectiveness must approve any credits from institutions that are not regionally accredited. The maximum transferable credit from another institution and the total allowable credit from all outside sources is 75 percent; 25 percent of the credit hours or 9 credit hours (whichever is greater) required for graduation must be earned through instruction offered by Lenoir Community College. Students are advised that transfer credits and grades accepted by Lenoir Community College do not infer acceptance by other educational institutions. Students will receive evaluations of all official records submitted before the end of the first semester of curriculum enrollment.

Developmental Education

Lenoir Community College supports the success of all students.  In order to ensure student success in college-level English and math, certain students may be required to take Developmental Education courses.  For more information, see placement requirements below. 

Placement Requirements:

• Students with an unweighted high school GPA less than a 2.799 (or other approved placement scores such as ACT or SAT) must enroll in developmental courses.
• Students with an unweighted high school GPA of 2.8 or higher may register for any gateway English or math course without mandatory additional supports.

Foreign Credential Evaluation

Students who earned their high school or post-secondary degree(s) in a country other than the United States are required to have a “course by course” credential evaluation performed by an external evaluation service. The foreign credential evaluation must be sent from the external evaluation service directly to Lenoir Community College. Please allow four to six weeks for an official credential assessment to be completed and forwarded to the Registrar’s Office.

High School Students

Beginning January 1, 2012, the Career and College Promise program replaced all previous high school programs at Lenoir Community College. Career and College Promise is a partnership between the North Carolina Community College System and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This program offers four pathways for high school students. A few programs allow freshmen and sophomores to enroll. Refer to the College’s website for specifics.

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathway: Designed for high school juniors and seniors in selected high school career cluster programs, this pathway allows students to enroll in college-level courses that align with their high school career courses.
• Workforce Continuing Education Pathway (WCEP): Designed for high school students to earn a State or industry recognized credential aligned with a high school career cluster.
• College Transfer Pathway: Designed for high school juniors and seniors in college-prep programs, this pathway allows students to enroll in college level courses that will transfer to a college or university.
• Cooperative Innovative High School (Early College) Pathway: Designed for motivated students looking for a non-traditional high school experience, this pathway allows rising ninth graders the opportunity to earn their high school diploma and two years of college credit within five years.

International Students

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a web-based system used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain information on SEVP-certified schools, F-1 and M-1 students attending those schools, U.S. Department of State-designated Exchange Visitor Program sponsors, and J-1 visa Exchange Visitor Program participants.

This institution is not certified by SEVIS and therefore cannot accept students applying for F-1, M-1, or J-1 visas.

Although we are not SEVIS-certified, individuals who hold other types of visas that legally permit enrollment in postsecondary education in the United States may be eligible to attend. These applicants must meet all general admission requirements and provide appropriate documentation confirming their visa status.

Notification of Admission Status

All applicants will receive acknowledgment upon receipt of application. A letter of admittance will be sent upon completion of all admissions requirements. Students providing email addresses may receive electronic notification of admission status.

Readmission

Students applying for readmission to the College who have not attended for one or more years must submit a new application. Readmitted students will be enrolled under the current college catalog.

Special Credit/Visiting Students

Applicants who do not complete all admissions requirements may be admitted as special students. The special student classification is designed for persons who want to enroll in courses without completing admissions requirements or declaring a major. Special students may be permitted to accumulate fifteen (15) semester hours while completing the regular admission requirements. Special students must show evidence through official/unofficial transcripts or assessment scores that they meet the prerequisites for any courses. Visiting students from other colleges are considered special students. When a special student selects a major, appropriate credits earned as a special student are accepted toward meeting the requirements for graduation. Special students are not eligible for financial aid.

Specific Program Admissions Requirements

• College Transfer Programs: Applicants must be high school graduates or possess high school equivalency certificates. Students with a high school GPA below 2.2 from a college-prep curriculum, or placement test scores that do not indicate college-level readiness in English and Math, will be placed into the A10300FY First-Year Cohort until demonstration of a 2.2 LCC GPA.
• Associate in Applied Science Programs: Applicants must be high school graduates or possess high school equivalency certificates.
• Associate in General Education Programs: Applicants must be high school graduates or possess high school equivalency certificates.
• Diploma Programs: Applicants must be high school graduates or possess high school equivalency certificates.
• Certificate Programs:
  • Technical certificate programs: Applicants must be high school graduates or possess high school equivalency certificates.
  • Health Sciences certificate programs: See health sciences admissions section.
  • Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) Certificate program: Applicants must submit an official high school/HSE transcript and official transcripts from any colleges previously attended. Applicants must provide a letter of sponsorship from a law enforcement agency. Applicants will be required to take a placement assessment specified by the BLET program chair.
• Skills Certificate Programs: Applicants must have a minimum of ten units of secondary school work and demonstrate the ability to succeed in the program. Students who earn certificates of attendance from high schools may be admitted to these programs.
• Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology Programs: Students may be required to complete in-flight training hours prior to acceptance to the Career Pilot Technology AAS degree.
• Gunsmithing Programs: The College requires students who request admission to programs that possess a firearm to show proof of eligibility to be enrolled in such program. For the purposes of this Section, “firearms” shall have the same definition as G.S. 14-409.39(2). For the purposes of this Section, proof of eligibility shall include:
  • Any current, valid State-issued permit to purchase a firearm;
  • A current, valid State-issued concealed carry permit from North Carolina;
  • A current, valid State-issued concealed carry permit from a state with a reciprocal concealed carry agreement with North Carolina;
  • Proof of an exemption from permit requirements pursuant to G.S. 14-415.25; or
  • A background check that is determined by the college. The sole purpose of the background check shall be to determine whether an applicant can lawfully possess a firearm in North Carolina pursuant to G.S. 14-269.8, G.S. 14-404(c), G.S. 14-415.1, G.S. 14-415.3, and G.S. 14-415.25.

The College will not admit any individual in the Gunsmithing program until the individual has provided the Director of Admissions a certified criminal record check for local and state records for the time period since the student has become an adult (16 years of age) and from all locations where the student has resided since becoming an adult. An Administrative Office of the Courts criminal record check or a comparable out-of-state criminal record check shall satisfy the requirement. The College will also provide the student with the name of an approved vendor that can provide a background check to the College at the student’s expense.

• Health Science and Nursing Programs: Students needing developmental work in reading, English, and/or math must complete these courses prior to the application deadline in order to be considered for Health Sciences and Nursing programs. Applicants to Health Sciences and Nursing programs must compete for acceptance because of enrollment restrictions. The point system is used for selecting students for most of the programs. Interested students should contact the Office of Admissions to obtain information about the programs and the application and selection process. Each program will have specific published deadlines for receiving applications and related documentation.
  • DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals: According to NCCCS CC13-019, USC 1621(a) and (c)(l)(A), and SBCC Code 1D-SBCC 400.2, neither federal law or NC law permits individuals with DACA classification to receive professional licenses.  The document confirms that federal law prohibits the granting of professional licenses to undocumented individuals.  An undocumented student may not displace a student who is legally in the USA.  Students that are lawfully present in the US shall have priority over any undocumented immigrant in any class or program of study when capacity limitations exist. Student applicants are responsible for presenting documentation to establish that they have DACA classification.
  • The following programs have a specific admissions process:
    • Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, Paramedic to ADN, AAS
    • Dental Assisting Diploma
    • Dental Hygiene, AAS 
    • Licensed Practical Nursing Refresher Certificate
    • Medical Assisting, AAS
    • Polysomnography, AAS
    • Polysomnography - Transition, AAS
    • Practical Nursing Diploma
    • RN Refresher Certificate
    • Radiography, AAS
    • Surgical Technology, AAS
• Continuing Education Programs: refer to the Workforce Development and Continuing Education Division section of the catalog.

Advanced Placement in Health Sciences Programs

Advanced Placement may be requested by an individual who has successfully completed a minimum of one semester of a Health Science program at a regionally accredited institution and seeks entry into LCC’s comparable program beyond the first semester. Before consideration is granted, the student must:

1. Apply to College (Complete College Application).
2. Meet general college admissions requirements.
3. Meet current prerequisite courses for the desired program.
4. Submit a letter to the Dean of Health Sciences and Nursing requesting Advanced Placement including all academic documents in print:
   1. Detailed syllabi and course outlines/modules of successfully completed program core courses,
   2. Clinical evaluation summaries of all core clinical courses, and
   3. Two letters of recommendation: one from the program chair and one from a full-time faculty member where previously enrolled in a Health Science program.
5. Submit Unofficial Transcripts for review.

Decisions for Advanced Placement are made on an individualized basis and provided there is space available in the program. After a careful evaluation of all information provided, the Advanced Placement applicant will be notified in writing by the Dean of Health Sciences and Nursing.

Readmission to Health Sciences Programs

1. Any student who withdraws or is dismissed from a specific health science program may be readmitted only once to the same program subject to program faculty recommendation and available space.
2. A student who wishes to re-enter a health science program must submit a written request to the Dean of Health Sciences and Nursing. This request for reentry must be received by the end of the next semester following the interruption of studies. There is no guarantee of readmission to Health Sciences and Nursing programs.
3. Students who return after an absence of one semester or more (except summer) (a) must meet current admissions requirements, and (b) submit an updated health evaluation.
4. To assure retention of knowledge and skills, students are urged to return to the program at the earliest feasible time. The amount of time which has lapsed between withdrawal from the program and the readmission request must be considered by the program faculty. Auditing or retaking of previously completed program courses may be recommended by the program faculty if the student has been out of the program for an extended period of time.

Any student who after readmission does not receive a grade of “C” or better on all curriculum courses will not be eligible to re-enroll in the respective health science program.

Waivers and Substitutions

Waivers and substitutions of courses, other degree requirements, and academic regulations may be made only with adequate cause. Exemption from or substitutions for requirements established for a program of study must be recommended by the division dean and approved by the Vice President of Instruction and Institutional Effectiveness. These requests must be entered on a waiver and substitution form and submitted to the Registrar.