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Allegany College of Maryland strives to make admissions and registration as uncomplicated to the prospective student as possible.

The people in our Admissions Office are interested in helping you make the right decisions in reaching your goals. Even though a personal interview is not required, we welcome the chance to meet with you and exchange information. We are proud to tell you about all of the various career opportunities for which we can help you prepare and we want to learn more about you and your interests.

The College also provides a number of services that will be of interest to you. It is our job to keep you informed of services such as career counseling, tutoring, financial aid needs and scholarship availability. We also provide information regarding housing needs and transportation to and from the campus.

Generally, students are admitted who have been graduated from a high school accredited either by its own state department of education or by a regional accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Office of Education, or who have received a high school equivalency certificate or high school equivalency diploma issued by the state.

Persons beyond normal high school age who are not high school graduates but who present evidence through testing or other means of ability to benefit from the instruction the College offers are also admitted to college level courses and programs.

Admissions categories may include:

Once you have been accepted to our College, we will make sure that you have an academic advisor, someone who is able to answer your questions about the program of your choice and someone who is available and willing to help you reach your goals. We also provide academic advising in the Admissions Office throughout the year.

When you are ready to register for classes, you may be sure that our help is available to you and contrary to popular belief, this is a quick and painless process. If you choose to register early and know the classes you wish to take, you should be able to secure the kind of schedule you desire and complete the process in less than fifteen minutes. However, be assured, if you need to contemplate your choice of classes, we are here to see that your needs are met.

Full-time and Part-time Students

• Full-time -- Students taking 12 or more credit hours (or non-credit equivalency) per semester are full-time students.
• Part-time -- Students taking 11 or fewer credit hours (or non-credit equivalency) in a semester are part-time students.

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Expanded Versions (more information on above topics)

Early Placement Status (Early College)

A high school student (age 16 or older) may be permitted to enroll at Allegany College of Maryland either as a full-time or part-time early college student, under the following conditions:

1. To be a part-time student, one must have (1) the written approval of the high school principal, and (2) completed all normal college admission requirements, including the Placement Test.
2. To be a full-time student, one must have met the above conditions and have completed all high school graduation requirements, except fourth-year English.

As a reward for their interest in furthering themselves through education, early college students receive a 50 percent tuition discount. The discount applies to any student from any county or state -- whatever tuition rate applies.

Early college students are either high school students who are enrolled in one or more Allegany College of Maryland courses, or students who have waived their senior year in high school to enroll early in college.

Other Special Situations

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Admission with Advanced Standing (Transfer Credit)

Applicants for admission with advanced standing must satisfy the requirements as listed in the section on "Admission to Degree Curriculum." College credits completed at other accredited institutions recognized by the American Council on Education will be accepted for transfer if the course content is equivalent to that offered at Allegany College of Maryland.

A maximum of 12 semester hours of credit may be granted for nonequivalent courses. College-level work completed at an accredited agency such as the Armed Services, or recognition of prior learning through nationally recognized tests including CLEP, ACT-PEP and Advanced Placement, with minimum allowable scores, will be evaluated if appropriately documented and certified.

Transfer credits from accredited institutions will be accepted subject to the following guidelines:

1. A student whose grade point average is at the 2.00 level or higher at a sending institution will receive credit for all transferable course work in which a grade of "D" or better was achieved.
2. A student whose grade point average is below 2.00 level at a sending institution will receive credit for all transferable course work in which a grade of "C" or better was achieved.

In all cases, only the course credit is transferred, not the hours attempted or the quality points earned. Transfer students enter Allegany College of Maryland without a grade point average.

The maximum number of credit hours allowable in transfer or credit by examination to Allegany College of Maryland is one half the total number of semester hours required in the curriculum/program in which the student is enrolled and under which he/she intends to graduate with an associate degree or certificate.

More than the maximum number of transfer credits may be accepted only with the written approval of the Vice President of Instructional Affairs and the Director of Admissions and Registration.

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Admission to a Degree Curriculum (Associate Degree or Certificate)

A student who wishes to complete his/her chosen program of study may be admitted as a degree-seeking student. All applicants must file an application for admission to the College.

Those seeking admission to a degree or certificate program must furnish official transcripts covering all previous high school and college work. The transcripts must be mailed directly to the Admissions Office from the institution(s) previously attended.

In addition, applicants wishing to pursue a degree or certificate program must take the Placement Test. An appointment date to take this test will be included in the letter of acknowledgment from the Instructional Assistance Center.

Applicants for direct admission to the career fields of Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Radiologic Technology, and Respiratory Therapist must submit scores from the American College Test (ACT) prior to being evaluated for admission.

Such students must take the Placement Test prior to acceptance in the program or registration of classes. Transfer students from other accredited colleges who have 12 or more semester hours of transferable credit including college-level English and mathematics are not required to take these tests.

All students should have application materials on file as early as possible before the registration period. Those filing as late as one month before the semester begins may have difficulty in obtaining a desireable class schedule. Those seeking admission to curricula with an enrollment limit should contact the Admissions Office to determine filing deadlines.

Those planning to enter the College in January may apply as early as October. Veterans should contact the Veteran's Coordinator for information regarding veteran's educational benefits and assistance.

Program options are designed to accommodate specializations within a state-approved certificate or degree program of study.

Generally the option includes at least 75% of the coursework in the state-approved program. The state-approved program title will be recorded on the graduate's transcript and diploma.

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Admission as a Non-Degree Student

A person may be admitted as a non-degree student to take courses to fit his/her individual needs or interests. In such cases, the Placement Test may not be required. A non-degree student is not a candidate for either a degree or certificate.

An applicant for admission as a non-degree student must complete the appropriate application for admission. A non-degree student may change degree status at any time by following the procedures established under Admission to a Degree Curriculum (Associate Degree or Certificate).

All credits earned as a non-degree student will be included in the graduation evaluation if the student changes his/her status to that of a degree or certificate candidate.

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Allied Health Programs - "Pre" Category

Selective admission programs (see below in parentheses) have clinical phases of coursework that must be completed to earn a degree or certificate. The courses in the clinical phases are open only to those students who have completed the selective admission process and are admitted to the clinical phase.

In some cases, where class sizes permit, eligible students are admitted directly to the clinical phase upon completion of requirements for admission to the College.

The majority of students interested in allied health programs, however, spend one or more semesters or terms taking preparatory courses to become eligible for admission to the clinical phase of the program of their choice.

All Respiratory Therapy students must spend at least one semester taking preparatory courses. Physical Therapist Assistant students must complete all 28 general education credits before attempting the clinical phase of the program.

Students interested in a selective admission program who are not admitted to the clinical phase are enrolled in a "pre" phase of the designated program such as "Pre-Dental Hygiene" or "Pre-Nursing." This permits the student to take general education courses (such as English 101), developmental courses, and other courses recommended to prepare for the clinical phase of the program of their choice.

Students in a "pre" phase who meet the minimum requirements for admission to the clinical phase of the program of their choice are admitted as space is available, often competing for limited spaces on the basis of grades or test scores.

(Selective admissions programs are Culinary Arts, Dental Hygiene, Human Service Associate, Massage Therapist, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology and Respiratory Therapist.)

Some programs at Allegany College of Maryland are open admission programs and are non-competitive. Others require certain prerequisites and are competitive. Please consult the College catalog curriculum description of the department.