Admissions - Getting Started

Admission Eligibility

www.sanjuancollege.edu/admissions
(505) 566-3320

San Juan College has an open-door policy for admission of students who have graduated from an accredited high school, earned a GED certificate, or who through age and experience, qualify for admission as a non-high school graduate (non-degree seeking). Note: Admission to the College does not ensure admission to a particular course or program of study.

Each student is encouraged to consult with a professional academic advisor at San Juan College in the selection of a program consistent with the student’s interests and abilities. Regular degree-seeking students will be assigned an advisor from the Advising and Counseling Center who will assist the student in successfully transitioning to San Juan College.

How to Apply

Interested parties may apply for admission online at https://sanjuancollege.edu/apply. Applications will be processed within 1-3 business days. When an application is processed and the student is admitted, they will receive email correspondence indicating their admittance and next steps at San Juan College.

Degree-Seeking Student Admission

• Graduate from a regionally accredited high school or home school/private program and submit official transcripts; OR
• Earn a GED; OR
• Petition for admission through Alternative Admission.

This allows three different pathways to degree admission:

1. Be at least 16 years of age by the first day of the semester of attendance and have graduated from an accredited high school.
2. Earn the GED and be at least 16 years of age by the first day of the semester of attendance.
3. Through age and experience be granted Alternative Admission.

Official Transcript Requirement for Degree Seeking Students

• Official High School Transcripts or GED are required of all degree seeking students and must be received within the first semester of a student’s enrollment.
  • Official High School Transcripts or GED may be waived if a student meets any of the following guidelines: 
    • Student is not applying for Financial Aid & student has over 15 college-level credits, or
    • Student has earned an Associate’s degree or higher, or
    • Student has earned 18 college-level credits before the summer semester of 2012 with >2.0 GPA or higher

NOTE:  High school transcripts are used for placement purposes, as well as Financial Aid consideration.

• Official College Transcripts
  • Are required from all regionally accredited institutions.  College transcripts are required for transfer credit and confirmation that students are in good standing with previously attended institutions.

Non-Degree Student Admission

Non-degree admission is intended for the student not seeking a degree or certificate at San Juan College or for students who do not meet the requirements for regular degree-seeking admission. A student who has not graduated from high school or completed a GED program may be admitted as a non-degree student, provided the student is at least 18 years of age on the first day of the term the student is enrolling in and his/her class has graduated from high school. Courses taken as a non-degree student may be transferred to another college, taken for job improvement, or personal enrichment. No college or high school transcripts are required to be admitted as a non-degree student, unless the student has completed courses at another institution that may be pre-requisites for a course they wish to take at SJC. Non-degree seeking students may register for up to 18 credits per semester. Those students wishing to change from Non-degree status to Degree-seeking, please see Readmission section of this catalog.

High School Student Admission

http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/dualcredit

Dual Credit Student Admission

(505) 566-3320

Dual credit is for high school students who wish to earn both high school elective credit and college credit at the same time. The dual credit option is available for New Mexico high school students whose district has a signed Dual Credit Master Agreement with San Juan College as well as home school students who are under the age of 18. To be considered for dual credit, high school students must:

• Be at least 14 years old on the first day of classes, unless an exception is made by the Dean of Students
• Be enrolled at least part time in a home school program or a high school in which the school district has an approved Statewide Dual Credit Master Agreement with San Juan College.
• Meet with their high school counselor to determine eligibility and available courses
• Submit a SJC admission application requesting dual credit admission
• Submit unofficial high school transcript to demonstrate college readiness for the course in which they intend to enroll by meeting the course pre/co requisites. 
• Submit High School Admission to San Juan College form to the Office of Admissions.  This is a one-time form that is mandatory to complete the admissions process.
  • MUST include the STARS ID number (Home School students may request this from the state).

Some classes are not eligible for Dual Credit Enrollment.  To determine what classes may be excluded, please contact the Dual Credit Coordinator.

Early Admission

(505) 566-3320

Early admission is for high school students who are currently enrolled in high school or home school and wish to take college classes. College classes taken under early admission count for college credits, however, it is up to the respective high school to determine whether those credits will count as credit at the high school. Early admit students are admitted as non-degree seeking and therefore are eligible to register for up to 18 credits per semester. 

The requirements for early admission are outlined below:

• Must be at least 14 years of age on the first day of classes unless an exception is made by the Dean of Students
• Submission of a completed application requesting early admit admission
• A completed High School Admission to San Juan College Form
• Submit unofficial high school transcript to demonstrate college readiness for the course in which they intend to enroll by meeting the course pre/corequisites. 

Early admit students may take any course. Early admission status is allowed during each term including Spring, Summer, and Fall.

International Student Admission

https://www.sanjuancollege.edu/admitted/international/
(505) 566-3320

San Juan College is pleased to have a program authorized to admit F-1 international students for degree seeking status. Below you will find detailed information regarding admission requirements and general notes about SJC’s international student admission policies.

Regular Degree-Seeking On Campus International Student Admission

The following requirements must be met and the proper accompanying documents (translated in English) must be on file with Office of Admissions. Once it is determined that a student meets all the necessary requirements, an I-20 will be issued whereby a student may obtain an F-1 visa.

Deadlines:

General Information for Regular Degree-Seeking On Campus Admission

• International students are responsible for locating suitable housing. Campus housing may available.  Please refer to the Student Housing website for more information.
• International students should be prepared to provide their own local transportation. Public transportation services are minimal.
• Students already attending college in the United States must follow the international student admission procedures in addition to working with their current institution to transfer their SEVIS record to SJC. Additionally, transferring students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale and must not be on academic or disciplinary probation or suspension.
• In compliance with F-1 visa requirements, San Juan College will only award Associate of Arts, and Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees to Regular Degree- Seeking On Campus international students.
• Financial aid is not available to international students. This includes grants, loans, and work-study.
• International students must enroll in at least 12 credit hours in their program of study each semester and maintain a 2.0 or above cumulative GPA.
• San Juan College policy does not allow international students to work on campus.
• Credits earned at colleges outside of the United States may be eligible for transfer. To be considered for transfer credit, the credits must be translated and equated by any NACES member: http://www.naces.org and sent directly to San Juan College. The student is responsible for payment of the required fee and for providing all required documentation.
• International students pay non-resident tuition, general fees, plus a $200 per credit hour international student fee. Please refer to the current Tuition and Payment webpage: https://www.sanjuancollege.edu/paymentoptions/ for tuition and fee rates.

Required Documents

• A San Juan College application must be submitted. The application must have the prospective student’s name on it exactly as it is stated on their passport.
• An official copy of TOEFL or IELTS score results must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 500 on the paper test or 61 on the internet-based version or an Academic IELTS overall band score of 6.0. Students from the following countries do NOT have to submit English Proficiency score results:

• All international students must have completed a secondary school and been awarded a diploma. Official secondary school transcripts of all coursework, translated to U.S. equivalencies, must be provided. If the student has completed 15 college level credits with a minimum 2.0 GPA the requirement of official high school transcripts is waived. All transcripts must be sent directly to San Juan College from the translation and evaluation service. San Juan College will accept evaluations from any NACES member: http://www.naces.org. Credits earned at colleges outside of the United States may be eligible for transfer. To be considered as transfer credits, the credits must be translated and equated by any NACES member and sent directly from the member to San Juan College. The student is responsible for payment of the required fee and for providing all required documentation to the evaluation service used.
• A SJC financial statement must be filled out indicating sufficient funds are available for the student’s education and living expenses for the first 12 months. The signed and verified financial statement must show an account balance of no less than $25,000 USD per academic year - Fall/Spring. If courses are taken during the summer semester, an additional $8,000 USD must be added. Note: Financial amount subject to change. 
• Proof of current health and accident insurance must be provided. This can be foreign insurance but the student must have coverage while in the US.

After all items have been received, and the student is admitted, an I-20 will be sent to the student in preparation for obtaining an F-1 visa.

Online Degree-Seeking International Student Admission

International students living outside the United States may enroll in online coursework toward a degree or certificate as part-time or full-time students as long as the following requirements are met. Note: Admission to San Juan College does not guarantee admission into an entirely online program.  Online programs may have their own admission criteria that must be met in addition to the Office of Admissions criteria. Admission into the online program is not guaranteed. Students are responsible for contacting the online program for admission criteria. Students do NOT need to be in F-1 visa status to qualify for degree seeking status into an entirely online program as long as the student is not living in the United States. The following requirements must be met and the proper accompanying documents (translated in English) must be on file with the Office of Admissions prior to the first semester of enrollment.

• Apply to San Juan College as a non-U.S. citizen.
• An official copy of TOEFL or IELTS score results must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 on the paper test or 75 on the internet-based version or an Academic IELTS overall band score of 6.0. Students from the following countries do NOT have to submit English Proficiency score results:

Online International students must meet all academic eligibility requirements as mandated by the SJC academic catalog, including:

• All international students must have completed a secondary school and been awarded a diploma. Official secondary school transcripts of all coursework, translated to U.S. equivalencies, must be provided. If the student has completed 15 college level credits with a minimum 2.0 GPA the requirement of official high school transcripts is waived. San Juan College will accept evaluations from any NACES member: http://www.naces.org. Credits earned at colleges outside of the United States may be eligible for transfer. To be considered as transfer credits, the credits must be translated and equated by any NACES member and sent directly from the member to San Juan College. The student is responsible for payment of the required fee and for providing all required documentation to the evaluation service used.
• All new students must complete an online New Student Orientation session before registering for class.
• Students will work with their online advisor for class advisement and registration.

Online international students pay non-resident tuition and general fees. Please refer to the Tuition & Payment webpage for current rates: https://www.sanjuancollege.edu/paymentoptions/. If at any point online international students wish to change to “regular” admission status (attending face to face classes toward a degree), they will need to satisfy all the “regular degree-seeking international student” admission requirements.  Note: online programs are not eligible for student visa application.

Non-Degree Seeking On Campus International Student Admission

International students are welcome to apply to San Juan College as a non-degree seeking student. Non-degree admission is intended for the student not seeking a degree or certificate at San Juan College or for students who do not meet the requirements for either Regular degree seeking on-campus admission or online program admission. A student who has not graduated from high school (or the international equivalent of a United States high school) may be admitted as a non-degree student, provided the student is at least 18 years of age on the first day of the term the student is enrolling in and his/her class has graduated from high school.

Courses taken as a non-degree student may be transferred to another college (check with the college you are transferring to for complete listing of transferrable classes), taken for job improvement, or personal enrichment. International students do NOT need to be in an F-1 or M-1 status to be non-degree seeking and no college or high school transcripts are required to be admitted as a non-degree seeking student. San Juan College is not able to provide an I 20 for non-degree seeking students.  NOTE: If a student wishes to change their admit status from non-degree seeking to regular degree seeking on-campus admission or online program admission, they must meet all the criteria as stated above for each respective admission type.

Non-degree seeking students who wish to enroll in English, mathematics, or reading courses at San Juan College are required to satisfy the prerequisite and co-requisite course requirements for all courses.

Non-degree seeking international students pay non-resident tuition and general fees. Please refer to the Tuition & Payment webpage for current rates: https://www.sanjuancollege.edu/paymentoptions/.

Transfer Student Admission

Any transfer student applying to San Juan College who intends to work toward a degree or certificate from San Juan College should apply for regular degree seeking admission. Transfer students are treated as first-time students for satisfactory academic progress. Applicants under disciplinary suspension from another institution will not be considered for admission during the period of suspension. Students who conceal prior attendance at other institutions or who falsify information will be subject to immediate suspension.

It is the responsibility of the student to provide course descriptions from their previous college or universities to aid in proper evaluation of credit. Applicants are required to submit official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges or universities. If the student attended a non-accredited college or university, transcripts are not required as credits from non-accredited institutions are not accepted; however, high school transcripts are required. Students who attended an international high school or college must have their transcripts translated and equated by any NACES member www.naces.org.  Facsimile transcripts, or those marked “issued to student” are not acceptable as official transcripts.

An official high school transcript or GED report as well as all official transcripts from regionally accredited colleges and universities must be sent directly to San Juan College for consideration.

Transfer Credit Procedure:

Important note for students:

Careful review of these policies is very important before enrolling in any coursework outside of San Juan College.

San Juan College requires an official transcript to consider credits for transfer.  (We do not evaluate transcripts before an application has been submitted.)

Once the transcript is evaluated, students will receive an evaluation of transferrable credit in the mail.

Course work will be considered for transfer if successfully completed at other college and universities accredited by the following accrediting organizations:

Middles States Association of Colleges and Schools

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Southern Association of College and Schools

Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Distance Education Accrediting Commission

Transfer Credit General Procedures:

A grade of “C” or better must be earned in all courses transferred to San Juan College; this coursework does not alter the San Juan College grade point average.

Any course considered developmental by the institution it was taken at will not be considered for transfer to San Juan College.

A course taken at another college will not be considered for transfer in to San Juan College as a developmental education course.

Courses taken pass/fail may be eligible for transfer if the institution defines “pass” as a “C” or better.

Readmission

Returning students who have attended San Juan College within one calendar year of their return are not required to reapply for admission to the College.

Students who must reapply include:

• Those who have not attended San Juan College for three consecutive terms (Fall/Spring/Summer, Spring/Summer/Fall, or Summer/Fall/Spring); OR
• Those students changing from Dual Credit to Undergraduate upon completion of high school graduation; OR
• Those who have only taken non-credit courses in the past; OR
• Those wanting to change from non-degree seeking to degree seeking.

Students may reapply online at www.sanjuancollege.edu/apply.

Active Military and Veterans

San Juan College does not provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollments or federal financial aid (including Tuition Assistance funds) to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance.

San Juan College does not use high-pressure recruitment tactics such as making multiple unsolicited contacts (3 or more), including contacts by phone, email, or in person, and engaging in same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments.

Active military will receive the following:

• Application Fee Waived: Currently, there is no application fee for electronic application submission and a $10.00 application fee for paper based application submission. Active military and/or veterans, spouses/dependents will have this fee waived.
• Guaranteed 2 Physical Education Credits (PHED-ELEC) based on submission of military transcript showing Basic Training requirements and/or showing a minimum of one year of service.
• Priority Registration  New active military and veterans can register the first week of open registration.
• In-State Tuition:

1. San Juan College will grant in-state tuition for all active duty armed forces members and veterans regardless of current state of residency. The following conditions apply: 1. Active Armed forces members must self-Identify themselves when applying to San Juan College and submit a San Juan College Military waiver form for verification.
2. Veterans must self-identify themselves when applying to San Juan College and provide copy of or discharge papers for verification. Spouses of Veterans may receive in-state tuition with proof of marriage and copy of the Veteran’s DD-214. Tuition Adjustment will only occur after verification of veteran or military status.
3. In accordance with New Mexico State Law Any person, their spouse or dependent child, not otherwise entitled to claim residence, who is a member of the armed forces of the United States or armed forces of a foreign country assigned to active duty in the state of New Mexico, will be assessed in-state tuition rates.

In accordance with SB 136 (2009), in order for a veteran who is not a resident of New Mexico to receive in-state tuition rates, the veteran shall use the veteran’s federal educational benefits at a state public post-secondary institution. Conditions apply - work with the San Juan College Veteran Center to determine benefit eligibility.

Guidelines for Placement into College Level Courses

San Juan College takes a multiple measures approach to eligibility for direct placement into college level courses.  The primary placement measure is cumulative high school GPA (unweighted), but other measures such as HiSet and GED test scores, ACT, SAT, PARCC scores, or other evidence of achievement can be used to determine what courses a student may take.  All students must take the Smarter Measures inventory as part of the enrollment process.  This inventory helps advisors understand non-academic factors that may influence student success. 

Most students with a qualifying high school GPA can enroll directly into college level courses without a placement exam and without repeating courses they successfully completed as high school students.  When students meet with advisors they will review high school achievements with a focus on the cumulative GPA and the highest level of English and Math courses completed, along with the grades earned in those courses.  If it’s been a while since a student has been in high school, other information will also be considered to make sure the student has a successful start.  Students should arrange to have transcripts and test scores sent to San Juan College or bring that information with them to their advising session.

The qualifying GPA for English courses is 2.6. 

Enrollment in most Math courses depends on the highest high school math course passed with a grade of “C” or better. 

Students without the above GPAs can still enroll in college courses, but must also enroll at the same time in a co-requisite support class designed to help them be successful.

FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE

All degree-seeking students in degree or certificate programs requiring more than 30 credits must enroll in the college’s student success course: FYEX-1110  (First Year Experience).  This is a course for students of all ages and backgrounds that focuses on life skills and college success strategies.

READING

Most college-level courses require college level reading skills.  If a student is required to take Reading, we recommend taking it in the first semester.

Students with HS GPA lower than 2.6 will generally take RDNG-099 . 

Students with HS GPA lower than 2.6 may be placed directly into college level courses without Reading if their Smarter Measures assessment indicates a readiness for those courses.

ENGLISH

All programs and certificates recommend that students take English in their first year. Some courses may require that students be eligible to take ENGL-1110  or have completed ENGL-1110  before enrolling.

• Students with HS GPA lower than 2.0 first complete FYEX-1110  with ENGL-095  as co-requisite support and may then enroll in ENGL-1110  or ENGL-1210  the next semester.
  • Students requiring additional support after FYEX-1110 /ENGL-095  may take ENGL-1110  and ENGL-099  as co-requisite support as recommended by their instructor.
• Students with HS GPA between 2.0 and 2.59 may enroll in ENGL-1110  or ENGL-1210  without co-requisite support if their Smarter Measures scores indicate readiness.  If support is required, students will enroll in ENGL-099 .
• Students with HS GPA 2.6 or higher place into ENGL-1110  or ENGL-1210 .

HiSET English Placement

MATH 

It is important to know what Math class is required for each student’s program (see the catalog listing for your program).  Some programs require a specific math course and some allow options.  All programs and certificates recommend that students take Math in their first year. Some courses may require that students have completed their math requirement before enrolling.

Students who did not take Algebra I in high school should start in either MATH-096  or MATH-1130 /MATH-1131  CoReq.

Students without high school math should start in MATH-095 .

This table explains math placement decisions.

HiSET Math Placement

New Student Orientation

This series helps students: clearly identify their career pathway, identify the associated major pathway, and prepare for academic success.  Student will have the opportunity to meet other students, assess interests, and be connected with a student success coach. Sessions are offered both during the day, evening, and online all through a remote environment. You will sign up for an orientation once you have completed the Smarter Measure Learning Readiness Indicator.