A special student is one who is not enrolled in a degree program. Students in this classification desire to take one or more courses in order to gain employment skills, professional growth, or personal enrichment. In order to apply, special students should:

1. Submit a completed application for admission with a $20.00 non-refundable application fee.
2. Students under 21 years of age must be high school graduates or have the GED equivalent. Documents showing graduation or GED must be submitted to the Office of Admissions. One exception to this requirement is students 18 years of age or older who have not earned a high school diploma, are not enrolled in high school, and are seeking admissions only to pursue study in GED preparatory courses.

There is no limit on the number of hours a special student can pursue. Although special students are not required to complete normal assessment procedures, they should realize that the content of college-level courses assumes mastery of fundamental knowledge, skills, and aptitudes required for the course. Special students may not enroll in a college-level English or mathematics course, or in a course, or in a course that has English or mathematics prerequisites, until they have provided adequate preparation for those courses. This evidence may consist of college transcripts or COMPASS/ACT or SAT examination scores.

If a special student decides to pursue an Associate’s degree, the student must meet all admissions requirements for the degree-seeking student. Credit hours accumulated as a special student are not applicable to the final 24 semester hours required for an Associate’s degree.

A regularly enrolled student of another institution who wants to take a limited number of credit hours during a term and who is not presently working towards a degree at NSCC may be admitted as a transient student. Those wishing to enroll as transient students must:

1. Submit an application for admission with a $20.00 non-refundable application fee.
2. Submit official college transcript(s) or take the placement assessment if the student wishes to enroll in college-level English or math.

Students wishing to enroll on a non-credit basis may choose to audit courses at NSCC. To enroll as an audit student:

1. Submit an application for admission with a non-refundable $20.00 application fee.
2. Enroll in classes on a space available basis the first day of late registration. No late registration fee is assessed, and the enrollment in certain classes may be limited or denied based upon space availability.
3. You may NOT change status from credit to audit or audit to credit once officially enrolled.
4. The student is expected to attend class but does not receive a letter grade or credit for the course. “AU” will appear on the student’s record for completion of an audit course. Audit hours are counted in determining a student’s maximum course load.
5. The student may NOT audit college-prep courses.
6. A state employee may NOT use a fee waiver to audit courses.

An applicant who has earned a regular high school diploma or GED may enroll in any course, except college-level math, English, or a course that has college-level math or English prerequisites. Any student who plans to enroll in college-level math or English must have the required ACT/SAT scores. For ACT/SAT requirements, refer to “Degree-Seeking, First-Time Student” above.

To enroll applicants must:

1. Submit an application for admissions with a non-refundable $20 application fee.
2. Submit official high school transcript.
3. Submit official ACT/SAT scores.

An applicant who has earned college credit but does not have a degree may enroll after completing the following:

1. Submit an application for admission and a $20.00 non-refundable application fee.
2. Submit official college transcript(s) or take the COMPASS placement, if the student wishes to enroll in college-level English and/or math.

Applicants who have earned college degrees may enroll in college-level courses provided the applicants have met the prerequisite requirements for the courses in which they intend to enroll. Applicants must:

1. Submit an application for admission with a non-refundable $20 application fee.
2. Submit official college transcript(s).

Students enrolled in technical certificate programs are considered non-degree students. Placement assessment is not required for acceptance into these programs, with the exception of the Surgical Technology, and Computer-Aided Drafting. Please contact the Office of Admissions for details.

For admissions into a technical certificate program, applicants must:

1. Submit an application for admission with a $20.00 non-refundable application fee.
2. Submit an official copy of high school transcript showing graduation with a regular or honors diploma, GED scores, or a college transcript.

These programs of study are eligible for Title IV assistance.