This section contains practical information to make sure students have a solid start at CMC, including admission requirements and how to apply for admission.
Regular Admission Requirements
Applicants may be granted regular admission to Colorado Mountain College if they are a high school graduate, awarded the adult high school diploma, or have earned a High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma. If applicants have not graduated from high school, they may also be admitted through the concurrent enrollment or the underage admissions program. Some programs do not require high school completion.
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.
Multiple measures such as high school academic records, prior course work, and national standardized exams are used for advisement and placement. Admissions representatives or advisors can be contacted for additional information.
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 applicants submit their admissions application. If applicants complete all enrollment requirements, are admitted, and register for classes within 18 months of submitting this application, their application fee will be credited back to their student account (after course registration). If applicant do not enroll (for any reason), the application fee is non-refundable.
Selective Admissions Programs
Applicants might be admitted to the college but not accepted to a particular program due to enrollment limits or academic requirements. In this event, the student support network will help students 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 graduated from. 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.
Immunization Requirement
Colorado Mountain College must comply with state immunization law. This law requires all undergraduate students to provide documentation concerning their immunization against measles, mumps, and rubella. Other vaccinations may be required by specific programs, courses, or campuses. Notification of these requirements will be outlined in the CMC Admissions Checklist. Questions may be addressed to CMC Admissions.
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 taught at a high school, or classes taken at a CMC campus, but paid for by the student’s high school as part of the concurrent enrollment program. For more information on concurrent enrollment, please visit the CMC Concurrent Enrollment page.
Students 17 and under who have not graduated high school or earned a high school equivalency must complete the Underage Admissions Acknowledgment within the admissions application, which will require parent and/or guardian approval. Students 17 and under will be required to meet with the student support network for approval to proceed with registration. For more information on underage admissions, please visit our CMC Admissions page.
Concurrent Enrollment Program
High school students may take Colorado Mountain College courses paid by their high school as part of the concurrent enrollment program. 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 may be eligible for the concurrent enrollment program. This program provides high school students with the opportunity to enroll in post-secondary courses and earn college and high school credit at no tuition cost. The following steps must be completed to enter the concurrent enrollment program:
- Obtain necessary school district approvals.
- Submit the online application found on the CMC Concurrent Enrollment page.
- Demonstrate readiness for college-level work by meeting placement scores for college-level English, reading, and math, if required for the course(s). ACT, SAT, P-SAT10, high school transcript(s), or Accuplacer scores can be provided to determine placement. CMC offers the Accuplacer assessment in English, reading, and math for placement purposes. See the CMC Placement Methods page for more information.
High school concurrent student may be responsible for course fees, program fees, or Learning Materials Program fees, as some schools only pay tuition. High school students must adhere to CMC student policies, rules, and regulations as outlined in the CMC Student Handbook.
It is also possible for high school students to use the CMC Underage Admissions process to take classes at CMC, not concurrent with their high school classes, and not part of the tuition-free concurrent enrollment program.
To learn more about concurrent enrollment, see the CMC Concurrent Enrollment FAQ.
Academic Placement Methods and Placement Test Options
Colorado Mountain College uses several academic placement options and works with students to determine which classes best suit their academic abilities and chosen academic pathway. For more information, see the CMC Placement Methods page. Students can check with campus admissions staff to determine if additional information is needed to verify previous placements scores. For students within five years of their high school graduation, CMC can use their final high school transcript in an 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 work history or prior learning experiences. Questions about taking the Accuplacer or about academic pathways, can be directed to the student support network at the student’s 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 students do not meet the minimum competency standards established by the college, they may be required to complete prerequisite courses or take support courses concurrently with college-level courses. These courses help students develop the skills needed to succeed in college-level courses.
Math Support Options
Math classes with supplemental instruction are offered to help prepare students. Students can also opt into developmental math classes such as MAT 0300 Algebraic Literacy to prepare for general education math courses as MA 1340 College Algebra and MAT 1240 Mathematics for the Liberal Arts.
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 the Accuplacer score, students may be placed in an ENG 1000 Academic Literacy & Success Skills class which 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 the Accuplacer score, students may be placed in a co-requisite ENG 1001 Academic Writing skills class, 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 co-requisite courses ENG 1001 and ENG 1021.
Transferring Credits into Colorado Mountain College
Transfer Evaluation and Reporting Process
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 accredited by an approved agency. Students are notified via the email used on their admissions application when their official transcript arrives at CMC.
To evaluate transcripts for transfer, the evaluator will review the course description of the course(s) taken at the previous institution, from the catalog year in which they were completed. The course description will be compared to CMC’s current catalog to determine if there is an equivalent course. 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 equivalence, but transfer level elective credit in the same general discipline may be awarded.
Students should request an appointment with the student support network to discuss their transfer evaluation and create a plan to succeed in their education goals.
Evaluation Guidelines
- Developmental/remedial courses in English, math, reading, and science may be used for placement purposes but are not accepted for transfer credit.
- Any courses not equivalent in content and/or level of Colorado Mountain College courses will be reviewed for consideration for elective credit but may not be accepted.
- In general, credit equivalencies are accepted, but some restrictions apply.
- Graduate-level courses are reviewed by school deans on a course-by-course basis for transfer acceptance.
- Courses that pertain to certain degree programs at CMC are forwarded to the designated program director or school dean for review.
- Credits from an institution not accredited by an approved accreditation agency are not accepted.
- Credits not transferable can be evaluated for Prior Learning Assessment credit by request.
Please see our CMC Transfer page for more detailed information. Please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@coloradomtn.edu with any questions.
Transfer Evaluation Appeals Process
Students may submit a re-evaluation of transfer course(s) form to the Registrar’s Office at registrar@coloradomtn.edu to appeal a course equivalent. The evaluator will review the appeal (consulting faculty and/or academic administration as appropriate) prior to making a final decision. Students should discuss and initiate the appeals process with their academic advisor.
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 international transcripts and copies of course descriptions and/or syllabi from previous courses may be required.
Please see the CMC Transfer page for more detailed information. Please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@coloradomtn.edu with any questions.
Credit for Prior Learning/Prior Learning Assessment - Awarded Credit
Transfer credit or credit awarded through work or prior learning experience is referred to as either Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) or Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and are the same. Two types of credit 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.
- Awarded Credit: When a Prior Learning Assessment or transferred from another college as earned credit 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 CPL/PLA:
- Standardized National Exams
- Industry Certifications
- CMC Challenge Exams
- Credit for Work or Life Experience (Portfolio Review)
- Credit for Military Service and Training
For each program, a minimum number of credits must be earned at CMC:
- Bachelor’s degree: minimum 30 earned credits,
- Associate degree: minimum 15 earned credits,
- Certificate: minimum 9 earned credits (or at least 50% for certificates less than 9 credits total).
The remaining coursework toward the degree can be transferred or awarded credit.
See the CMC Credit for Prior Learning page for more information.
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 the student support network to inquire about the acceptance and the required minimum score of a specific subject matter exam through one of these national testing agencies.
AP and CLEP exams with a qualifying score will be awarded a P for the CMC course equivalent(s). Qualifying AP and CLEP scores are equivalent to earning a C or higher in the relevant CMC course.
See the CMC Standardized National Exams page for more information on how to request scores to be sent to Colorado Mountain College.
Industry Certifications
Students may have earned industry certificates from another institution or organization. CMC has a pre-approved list of industry certificates for which we award credit. The process of having industry certificates reviewed is initiated by the counselor and/or advisor.
See the CMC Industry Certifications page for more information.
CMC Challenge Exams
Challenge Exams are utilized for guaranteed transfer courses or for courses that have no national exam equivalents. Students may take a challenge exam in lieu of taking a course. The student support network can be contacted for details. If students successfully complete a challenge exam with a grade of C- or better, credits for the course will be posted to the student’s transcript with a notation indicating the credit was awarded by examination. Challenge exam grades of D or F will not be posted on the 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.
Requests for challenge exams can be submitted online through the CMC Challenge Exam page. After the request is submitted, an exam proctor and instructor/grader will be secured by the school dean. Then exam registration and payment instructions will be sent to the student. The non-refundable fee is 50% of the CMC in-district tuition rate for the class.
Students may take as many approved challenge exams as they wish, however, they may attempt only one exam per semester for each course.
See the CMC Challenge Exams page for more information.
Portfolio Review if Prior Work/Life Experience
Portfolio development is designed for those individuals who have prior learning or work experience 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 work experience and/or 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 the student support network 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.
Sex Offender Reporting Procedure
Federal law requires registered sex offenders (state and federal) to notify any institution where they work, carry on a vocation, volunteer services, or are students, of their status as a registered sex offender. CMC requires registered sex offenders to Complete a Review Process with the Assistant Vice President of 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 the local Police Department or the County Sheriff’s Department.
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