Oct 06, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Catalog

Getting Started at CMC


 


This section contains practical information to make sure you get off to a solid start at CMC, including admission requirements and how to apply for admission.

Regular Admission Requirements

You may be granted regular admission to Colorado Mountain College if you are a high school graduate or have earned a High School Equivalency Diploma. If you are not a high school graduate, you may also be admitted if you are 17 years of age or older.

Colorado Mountain College is an open enrollment institution. Certain programs may have limited enrollments due to staffing and facility constraints. Students are admitted based upon program admission criteria, and as staffing and facilities permit.

When you apply, providing your ACT or SAT scores is recommended but not required. These scores are used for advisement and placement. If you are seeking a degree and have not completed ACT or SAT exams prior to enrollment, you may be required to take a placement test.

Other measures, such as evaluation of your high school academic record, may be used for placement. Please contact the front desk staff at the campus you plan on attending for further information.

Immunization Requirement

Colorado Mountain College must comply with state immunization law. This law requires all credit students to provide documentation concerning their immunization against measles, mumps and rubella. Other vaccinations may be required by your program, a course or by campus. Notification of these requirements will be sent to your CMC email. Questions may be addressed to the registration staff at your campus.

Selective Service Registration

Colorado law requires all males between the ages of 18-25 to certify their registration with the Selective Service. If a student is required to be registered and has not, they should visit the Selective Services System website to submit their selective service registration.

Process for Underage Admissions

These guidelines DO NOT apply to the concurrent enrollment classes that are taught at a high school or classes taken at a CMC campus but paid for by your high school as part of the concurrent enrollment program. For information on concurrent enrollment, please visit the CMC Concurrent Enrollment page.

Students wishing to secure a waiver of the minimum age for admissions must meet the following criteria:

  1. Students must demonstrate readiness for college-level work by meeting placement scores for college-level English, reading and math if required for the course(s). The student should bring all placement test scores, such as SAT or ACT, to their meeting with their Student Success Team. If the student does not have placement test scores, they will need to schedule an appointment to take the Accuplacer Placement Test prior to their meeting.
  2. Students and their parent or guardian are required to meet with their Student Success Team or designated staff member to determine eligibility for admission, appropriateness of course selection, review college expectations and complete the Underage Admissions form. The Student Success Team will consult with the course instructor and provide a recommendation on enrollment. Final approval rests with a dean of student affairs or assistant dean of instruction.
  3. If admission is approved, a responsible parent or guardian must sign the Underage Admissions form, indicating that both the student and the parent have been advised regarding the expectations of the College. Students will also be required to sign a FERPA Release of Information Waiver. The Underage Admissions form is required each semester with updated courses and approvals. 
  4. If admission is approved, the campus registration staff will remove the registration hold to allow the student to enroll. The student will be notified by email regarding the approval status.

Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act (CEPA)

High school students may take Colorado Mountain College courses. Any high school student who is less than 21 years of age, is enrolled in the 9th grade of high school or higher, and meets the course prerequisites is eligible for the Concurrent Enrollment program. This program provides high school students with the opportunity to enroll in postsecondary courses and earn college and high school credit at no tuition cost. Be sure to complete the following steps so you can enter the Concurrent Enrollment program:

  1. Obtain approval from your high school counselor.
  2. Obtain necessary approvals from your school district.
  3. Submit the online application found on the CMC Concurrent Enrollment page.
  4. Take a placement test. You may provide ACT, SAT or Accuplacer scores prior to registration. CMC offers the Accuplacer assessment in English, reading and mathematics for placement purposes. See the CMC Placement Methods page for more information. 
  5. Adhere to CMC student rules and regulations as outlined in the Student Handbook.
  6. Create an academic plan of study with your Student Success Team that will help you satisfy your graduation requirements.
  7. Basic skills courses may be offered at some partnering high schools.
  8. Some schools pay tuition only, and you may be responsible for course fees, program fees or Learning Materials Program fees.

To learn more, see the CMC Concurrent Enrollment FAQ.

It is also possible for high school students to use the Underage Admissions process to take classes at CMC that are not concurrent with their high school classes and not part of the tuition-free CEPA program.

Academic Placement Methods and Placement Test Options

Colorado Mountain College will work with you to determine which classes best suit your academic abilities and chosen academic pathway. CMC uses several academic placement options. For more information, see the Placement Methods page. If you are transferring credit to CMC or have previous placement scores, check with the Central Admissions Office or your campus admissions staff to determine whether you need to provide additional information. For students within five years of their high school graduation, CMC can use your final high school transcript to attempt to determine placement. If insufficient information is available, CMC will use the Accuplacer Placement Test by College Board to determine placement. In some cases, other placement measures may be used, such as evaluation of your work history or prior learning experiences. If you have questions about taking the Accuplacer or your academic pathway, please work with the Student Success Team at your campus.

If an Accuplacer test is needed, students are encouraged to prepare before taking placement tests by utilizing a study guide, practice tests, or the free study app available on the College Board website. Students needing accommodations for testing must first contact the Access Coordinator at their campus to request accommodations for the Accuplacer Placement Test.

For complete information, including how to register for the Accuplacer, test prep resources, and exemptions from placement testing, go to the CMC Placement Methods page. 

If you do not meet the minimum competency standards established by the College, you may be required to complete prerequisite courses or take support courses concurrently with college-level courses. These courses will help you to develop the skills you need to succeed in college-level courses.

Math Support Options 

Developmental math classes are offered to help prepare you for a college major. The developmental math classes will help you build the knowledge and skills needed to successfully achieve your academic and career goals. 

English Support Options 

Supplemental English courses may be taken concurrently with courses that require a student to be at college level for reading and writing. Based on your Accuplacer score, you may be placed in an ENG 1000 Academic Literacy & Success Skills class that can be taken concurrently with a college-level course such as Communications, Science, Social Science, Arts and Humanities, or Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses. Additionally, based on your Accuplacer score, you may be placed in a corequisite ENG 1001 Academic Writing Skills class that is taken concurrently with an ENG 1021 English Composition course. The supplemental English classes prepare students to succeed in college-level courses. See the CMC Classes page to find class descriptions for corequisite courses ENG 1001 and ENG 1021. 

Transferring Credits into Colorado Mountain College

Transfer Evaluation and Reporting Process

Students must send official transcripts directly from their previous institution to the Registrar’s Office at CMC.

Official transcripts can be directly emailed by the previous institution to registrar@coloradomtn.edu, or mailed to:

Colorado Mountain College
Registrar’s Office - Transcripts
802 Grand Avenue
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

Once received, CMC processes the transcript to determine whether it is official and whether the originating institution is regionally accredited by an approved agency. You are notified via the email used on your application when your evaluation is in process and again when completed.

To evaluate your transcripts for transfer, the evaluator will look up the course description of the courses you have taken at your previous institution from the catalog year you took them. The content description will then be compared to CMC’s current catalog course descriptions to see if the content matches to determine if there is an equivalent course. A Transfer Evaluation Report will be prepared. Regular academic courses completed with a grade of C- or better are generally accepted in transfer. CMC does not evaluate courses in which a grade of D+ or less was received (or a P grade, where P can be equal to D+ or less level work). Equivalent courses are awarded where possible. Not all courses have an exact equivalent, but transfer level elective credit in the same general area may be allowed. See below for courses not accepted. Once the report is completed, the equivalent credits are posted to your student record, and you are notified via email.

Please make an appointment with your Student Success Team to discuss how your courses transferred and create a plan to succeed in your educational goals. If you wish to have a copy of the Transfer Evaluation Report, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@coloradomtn.edu

Credits Not Accepted Into Colorado Mountain College

Certain courses are not accepted or will have no equivalent at CMC. For example:

  • Developmental/remedial courses in English, math, reading and science; however, they may be used for placement purposes.
  • Vocational, career and technical courses not equivalent in content and/or level of Colorado Mountain College courses.
  • No more than 20 quarter or 13 semester credits completed by correspondence at another institution.
  • Religious courses which are not secular in content.
  • Technology courses over 10 years old.
  • Health courses (CPR, First Aid, etc.) over three years old.
  • Graduate-level work.

Courses that pertain to certain degree programs at CMC are forwarded to the designated program director for review:

  • Nursing
  • Vet Tech
  • CLETA
  • Early Childhood/Education

Upper-level courses taken over 10 years ago may be forwarded to the relevant Department Dean and reviewed on a course-by-course basis.

If your college was accredited by a nationally recognized agency and is not a member of the Association of Schools and Colleges, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@coloradomtn.edu to confirm whether your credits are transferrable. If it is determined that the credits are not transferrable, you may attempt to have the learning recognized through Prior Learning Assessment.

Transfer Evaluation Appeals Process

If you are not satisfied with the completed Transfer Evaluation Report, you may submit a Re-evaluation of Transfer Course form to the Registrar’s Office at registrar@coloradomtn.edu. The evaluator will review the appeal (consulting faculty and/or academic administration as appropriate) prior to making a final decision. 

International Transcript Evaluation Process

International transcripts are evaluated for Colorado Mountain College by a service agency. The fee for this service is paid by the student directly to the service agency. Translations of your transcript and copies of course descriptions and/or syllabi from your previous courses may be required. For more information, please visit the Transfer to CMC page or contact the Registrar’s Office at Colorado Mountain College at registrar@coloradomtn.edu

Prior Learning Assessment - Awarded Credit

There are two types of credit that can be applied toward completing a degree program at Colorado Mountain College:

  • Earned Credit: The result of a student’s successful completion of a class at Colorado Mountain College, or transferred from another college as earned credit.
  • Awarded Credit: When a Prior Learning Assessment corresponds to equivalent courses at CMC.

Colorado Mountain College recognizes that learning can take place in environments outside the traditional classroom. To recognize this learning and to equate it with traditional classroom learning, we utilize the following methods of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA):

  • Standardized National Exams
  • CMC Challenge Exams
  • Credit for Life Experience (Portfolio)
  • Credit for Military Service and Training

For each program, a minimum number of credits must be earned at CMC (for a bachelor’s degree 30 credits, an associate 15 credits and a certificate nine credits). The remaining coursework toward the degree can be transfer, PLA or awarded credit. For those certificates requiring a total of nine credits or less, 50% of the credits must be taken at Colorado Mountain College. For more information, see the CMC Credit for Prior Learning page.

Standardized National Exams

Certain courses have nationally recognized examinations that satisfy certain course and program requirements. Colorado Mountain College recognizes and accepts exam results for CLEP, AP, DSST, Excelsior College Exam and IB to award credit. Please contact your Student Success Team to inquire about the acceptance and the required minimum score of a specific subject matter exam through one of these national testing agencies. 

See the CMC Standardized National Exams page for more information on how to request your scores to be sent to Colorado Mountain College. 

CMC Challenge Exams

Challenge Exams are utilized for guaranteed transfer courses or for courses that have no national exam equivalents. You may take a challenge exam in lieu of taking a course. Contact your Student Success Team for details. If you successfully complete a challenge exam with a grade of C- or better, credits for the course will be posted to your transcript with a notation indicating the credit was awarded by examination. Challenge exam grades of D or F will not be posted to your transcript. Students must be currently enrolled in other classes at Colorado Mountain College to qualify for a challenge exam. All exams must be requested and completed the semester prior to graduation. Current high school students may be granted an exception to the enrollment requirement when testing as part of a high school class.

After meeting with your Student Success Team, they will coordinate with Academic Affairs to secure an approved method for the exam. After the examination has been established, you must make payment for the exam to registration staff. The non-refundable fee is either 50% of your normal tuition rate for the class, or 50% of the in-state tuition rate, whichever is lower. You must be currently enrolled in other classes at Colorado Mountain College to qualify for a challenge exam. 

You may take as many approved challenge exams as you wish. However, you may attempt only one exam per semester for each course. 

See the CMC Challenge Exams page for more information.

Portfolio

Portfolio development is designed for those individuals who have prior learning that cannot be measured by testing such as standardized or other competency exams. However, credits will not be awarded simply for a student’s years of experience. Rather, the student will be required to document and/or demonstrate what important knowledge, skills, or competencies they have attained as a result of these experiences and align these with student learning outcomes for particular courses. Before the start of a semester, interested students should meet with their Student Success Team to discuss credit for prior learning options. See the CMC Portfolios page for more information. 

Credit for Military Service and Training

Credit may be awarded for certain types of military service and schools. The training/schooling must be approved and listed in the current Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experience in the Armed Services, prepared by the American Council on Education (ACE). The recommendations provided by ACE are used by CMC for the transcript evaluation process. These credit recommendations appear on the service member’s Joint Services Transcript (JST).

Request transcripts for Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Card via the Joint Services Transcript website.

Request transcripts for Air Force via the Community College of the Air Force or Air University websites.

Application Process

Applying for admission to Colorado Mountain College is easy, and there is no application fee*! Students who wish to take credit classes may be required to demonstrate proficiency in college-level English, reading and mathematics prior to enrolling in college-level courses. For additional detailed information, please visit the CMC Apply - Get Started or the CMC Concurrent Enrollment pages for more details.
*An application fee of $100 USD is required for all international applications. This can be paid by any major credit card when you submit your admissions application. If you complete all enrollment requirements,are admitted and register for classes within 18 months of submitting this application, your application fee will be credited back to your student account (after you register for classes). If you do not enroll (for any reason), the application fee is non-refundable.

Selective Admissions Programs

You might be admitted to the College but not accepted to a particular program due to enrollment limits or academic requirements. In this event, your Student Success Team will help you plan a schedule for overcoming scholastic deficiencies or will suggest alternative courses or programs.

In programs where enrollment is limited due to academic requirements, meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Admission to these programs is based upon academic and personal qualifications considered necessary for successful practice in the occupation. For further details about programs with limited enrollments and specialized admission requirements, please contact the Central Admissions Office at joinus@coloradomtn.edu.

Evaluating the Validity of High School Completion and Diploma

Colorado Mountain College does not require a high school diploma for admissions purposes to the College. Students can self-report their high school diploma for purposes of placement or potential scholarship opportunities. If there is reason to believe a student’s high school completion is not valid, the Registrar’s Office will contact the Department of Education in the state the student has claimed to have graduated. If the secondary school is not a valid institution, the Registrar’s Office will remove the high school information from the student record and notify the Office of Financial Aid.

Sex Offender Reporting Procedure

Federal law requires sex offenders registered with the State to notify any institution where they work, carry on a vocation, volunteer services or are students. CMC requires registered sex offenders to complete a review process with the assistant vice president for student services or designee prior to enrollment. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation maintains a system for making certain registry information on sex offenders publicly available online on the State of Colorado Convicted Sex Offender Search page. 

Information concerning persons who are required by Colorado law to register as sex offenders, including registered sex offenders who are enrolled, employed, or volunteering at Colorado Mountain College, may be obtained from your local Police Department or the County Sheriff’s Department.