Skip to Main Content

General Policy on Admission

Greenfield Community College maintains a policy of open access admission to all but a few selective degree and certificate programs. Matriculation happens after a student is admitted to a particular degree or certificate program, registers for classes, and may be eligible to receive federal financial aid. Students who have earned a high school diploma or its equivalent from an appropriately accredited institution are eligible to matriculate into a degree or certificate program. Students who have earned a High School Equivalency Credential or completed an approved home-school plan are also eligible to matriculate. Prospective students who do not have a high school diploma, High School Equivalency Credential, or a completed approved home-school plan may take courses, but are not eligible to matriculate and do not qualify for the reduced tuition rate through the New England Board of Higher Education Regional Student Program (NEBHE).

Students may be eligible to take GCC courses while also completing their high school or home-school education as a dual enrollment student. Please refer to the General Policy on Dual Enrollment below.

The College reserves the right to limit or deny enrollment of any student in a course or program based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: the student’s maturity, life experience, placement test scores, prior education, course content, instructional methodology, and risks associated with a particular course or program.

Certain courses may not be suitable for all students. Specific courses or programs may require students and/or their parents or guardians to acknowledge this in writing, and may require additional approval by the appropriate faculty and/or the vice president of academic affairs.

How to Apply

  • Submit an Application for Admission or Guest Student Admission by visiting the College’s website. Contact the Office of Admission for assistance with the application.

  • Students are required to submit an official copy of their high school transcript or an official copy of their High School Equivalency Credential to the Office of Admission for admission to any program. Students who have completed a home-school curriculum are required to submit evidence that an approved homeschool plan was completed. Please refer to the home-schooling policy below for further details.

  • Students who have completed secondary school outside of the United States must submit documentation of completion of this work and it must be translated and certified to U.S. standards through a credential evaluating agency or approved translation center. Agencies can be found online at naces.org.

  • Students who have permanent resident, asylee, refugee, or parolee status must provide the Office of Admission with appropriate documentation as outlined in their admission portal. Documentation should be uploaded to the student admission portal.

  • International students studying on an F-1 Visa are required to provide the College with all documentation outlined on the International Students Admission Page. Students who hold other non-immigrant statuses and who intend to study at GCC may be required to provide documentation. Contact the Office of Admission to determine these documentation requirements.

  • Students who are under the age of 18 at the time of submitting an application must obtain a parent’s or legal guardian’s consent to apply and complete the Parent/Guardian Consent form.  The consent form will be sent electronically to the parent or legal guardian listed on the admission application.

Homeschool/HiSET/GED

All home-schooled students without a high school diploma or High School Equivalency Credential may apply for admission to a degree or certificate program provided they have successfully completed an approved homeschool program in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws or the laws of their home state. This includes submission of an official letter from their school district’s superintendent’s office confirming that home-school plans through grade 12 are completed.

Dual Enrollment

Greenfield Community College defines dual enrollment students as those who seek to enroll in credit-bearing courses at the college prior to their secondary schooling completion date. These students maintain a non-matriculated student status and are not able to apply to a degree or certificate program or receive federal financial aid while still in high school or home-school status. Dual-enrolled students from New England states pay the NEBHE rate for their GCC courses.  In order to be accepted as a dual enrollment student one must:

  • Submit an online application. Students who are under the age of 18 at the time an application is submitted must obtain a parent’s or legal guardian’s consent to apply and complete the Parent/Guardian Consent Form. The consent form will be sent electronically to the parent or legal guardian listed on the admission application; and,

  • Demonstrate their readiness for coursework at GCC by scoring satisfactorily on placement tests in reading, writing, and mathematics, by submitting AP Test Scores or college transcripts, or by submitting high school transcripts for multiple measures review.

Dual enrollment students who wish to continue their college studies upon completion/graduation from their secondary institution must complete an application for admission as a new student and submit all required documentation for admission as a new student. 

Guest Students

Non-matriculated or guest students are not enrolled in a degree or certificate program but are taking GCC classes. Guest students are not eligible to receive financial aid from GCC and cannot complete a degree or certificate program.

Examples of non-matriculated students include students who:

  • Are enrolled in degree programs at other colleges or universities and take classes at GCC over January Intersession or during the summer sessions;

  • Take college classes while still in high school (note: these students must enroll through the dual enrollment process);

  • Take classes for on-the-job professional development;

  • Take credit courses for personal enrichment

To enroll as a guest student, complete a Guest Student Application. The Academic Advising Center will review the application and approve the course registration. If there are issues or concerns the Academic Advising Center will contact the guest student using the email addresses provided on the application. Guest student registrations typically take 2-3 business days to be reviewed.

International Admission

Greenfield Community College welcomes international students and accepts students who either have already obtained the appropriate visa to take college courses or who are eligible to obtain such a visa. International students should submit their completed application to the Office of Admission at least six months prior to the time they plan to attend. Exceptions may be made for F1 students transferring from other institutions in the United States. All documents must be submitted in English and uploaded to their admission portal. If the credentials must be translated, the original copy (or certified copy of the original) must be submitted with the translation. Transcripts must be officially certified and sent directly by the awarding educational institution or certified by credential certifying agency. Photocopies will not be accepted for transfer credit. Contact the Office of Admission as soon as possible to ensure that all necessary requirements have been met.

International students who wish to transfer credit to GCC from a previously attended college or university outside of the U.S. must provide a course-by-course evaluation from an approved credential evaluation service. The course-by-course evaluation must be sent directly from the credential service. Photocopies will not be accepted for the award of transfer credit.

Financial assistance (financial aid) through Greenfield Community College is not available under any federally-funded financial aid program for students with visas. Therefore, international students must arrange for their own housing and have ample financial resources to meet their college expenses. The full cost of tuition and fees are payable upon registration each semester.

Readmission

Students who have had a break in their attendance are required to reapply to the College before registering for courses. If a student has attended another college or university prior to readmission and is seeking transfer credit, an official copy of the student’s transcript should be sent to the Office of Admission for transfer credit evaluation.

Selective Programs

Additional admission applications and processes are required for the Associate Degree in Nursing, Associate in Applied Science in Surgical Technology, Practical Nursing Certificate, and the Paramedic Certificate programs. In order to be considered for these programs, a student must apply and be accepted to the College prior to applying to the health occupation program of their choice. Detailed information about the additional requirements for eligibility to each health occupation program may be obtained from the College website or from the Office of Admission.

Immunization/Health Records

Massachusetts law (Chapter 76, Section 15C) requires that all full time undergraduate students under 30 years of age, and all full and part time health occupations student must submit proof (within 30 days of registering for classes) of immunization against all communicable diseases as specified under Massachusetts law–including, but not limited to:

  • Measles, mumps, and rubella

  • Pertussis

  • Hepatitis B

  • Varicella

  • Meningitis

Massachusetts Law requires compliance within 30 days of starting classes; however, final enrollment into some programs may require students to follow different deadlines and meet additional/higher health-related standards than the general student population.  Students accepted into these programs should refer to the program-specific information they receive upon acceptance.

Failure to comply with these requirements will result in a hold being placed on your record, which will prevent you from registering for further classes, adding or dropping classes, or receiving grades or transcripts. Properly documented medical and religious exemptions are allowed.

All college students must also be assessed for their risk of exposure to tuberculosis (TB). A simple three question Tuberculosis Risk Survey is assigned to new students in their MyGCC account to complete online.

For questions or assistance in meeting immunization requirements, contact the Health Records Office at (413) 775-1807.

Transfer Credit

Students applying for admission to Greenfield Community College who have attended other post-secondary institutions must submit official transcripts from those institutions to the Office of Admission.

Transfer credit is generally awarded for courses that are similar in content, level, and scope to courses offered at Greenfield Community College, was completed at a regionally-accredited institution, and in which at least a C- grade has been earned. Any student who has earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited college or university (or equivalent) shall be eligible to receive six transfer credits for ENG 101 and ENG 112, upon submission of an official transcript from said institution. 

Credit for Prior Learning

Greenfield Community College recognizes that not all learning occurs within the walls of a traditional classroom setting.  GCC students may be eligible for Credit For Prior Learning (CPL) based on knowledge gained through academically-related employment, nontraditional online learning, training, military service, or other relevant life experience.

Examples of CPL that GCC will consider awarding credit for include (but are not limited to):

  • Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations

  • College Level Exam Program (CLEP) Examinations

  • DANTES/DSST Examinations

  • GCC Challenge Examinations

  • Industry-Recognized Credentials in Health Sciences

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Examinations

  • Joint Services Transcripts (JST)

  • Portfolio Review Assessments

Please visit the Registrar’s office page for more information about these options.

CORI/SORI

Students interested in participating in an academic program that involves working directly with children, the disabled, or the elderly, or includes a clinical affiliation with a private or public health care provider will be required to undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check prior to registering for courses. Programs that require CORI checks include: Addiction Studies, Adventure Education, Education, Human Services, Justice Studies, Medical Assistant, Nursing, Outdoor Leadership, Paramedic, Practical Nursing, and Surgical Technology, as well as some Workforce Development programs. Depending on the contents of a student’s CORI report, participation in an academic program, or clinical affiliation related thereto, may be denied. CORI checks may be performed pursuant to Mass. General Laws, Chapter 6, Sections 167-178B, and consistent with guidelines of the Executive Office for Health and Human Services, and/or the Commonwealth’s Department of Public Health. For more information, please contact the Admissions office at admissions@gcc.mass.edu.