First-Time Entering Freshmen

A freshman student enrolling in college for the first time (never having attended any regionally-accredited college) may enroll at Nunez if he or she meets one of the criteria below:

1. A high-school graduate of a secondary school approved by a state department of education;
2. A recipient of a state-issued high-school equivalency diploma (GED/HiSET);
3. A home-schooled student who has successfully completed an approved or registered home-schooled program in accordance with Louisiana General Laws or the laws of the student’s home state;
4. A home-schooled student who has not completed an approved program, a non-high school graduate (with no GED/HiSET), or a graduate of a non-accredited high school; such a student must show the ability to benefit from college by completing all necessary developmental courses if placement test or ACT scores indicate a need for them. Those whose test scores indicate that remediation is necessary will be admitted and must complete and show satisfactory progress in all required developmental courses prior to regular admission in a degree or certificate program. Home-schooled students not requiring remediation will be eligible to enroll in college-level courses and may matriculate in a degree or certificate program; or
5. A student who has not completed a high school diploma or earned a GED/HiSET, and is at least 16 years old.

Transfer Students

A transfer student is any student who has been previously enrolled at any other postsecondary school. Transfer students may enroll at Nunez if they are eligible for readmission at the last school attended.

Official transcripts, sent directly by mail or electronic eScript from the Registrar of the previous institution(s) to the Nunez Admissions Office, must be submitted if transfer credit will be applied to a degree or certificate program during the student’s enrollment at the College or if a prerequisite must be fulfilled as outlined in this Catalog. Once received, transfer credits from regionally-accredited institutions of higher education will be recorded on the student’s permanent academic records. The College will compute the grade point average for transfer students in the same manner as is done for a Nunez student.

Upon receipt of each transcript, Admissions Office personnel determine if the institution where the credit was earned is accredited or recognized. All credits earned at regionally-accredited schools are accepted in transfer; however, not all credits earned may apply toward a particular degree or certificate. Acceptance of transfer credits to meet degree/certificate program requirements will be governed by the following guidelines:

1. Acceptance of courses taken more than 8 years before a student transfers to Nunez Community College is determined by the Program Chair in which the student’s program of study resides;
2. Acceptance of courses that are not equivalent to courses taught at Nunez Community College is determined by the student’s Program Chair;
3. Grades for transferred courses will be interpreted according to the Nunez grading scale and will be recorded as follows:
   • Plus (+) or minus (-) symbols will be disregarded.
   • Grades of Satisfactory, Pass, and Credit will be treated alike and will count only in hours earned.
   • Failing grades, including W, will count as hours attempted.
   • Grades in developmental courses are treated the same as grades in other courses.
   • Grades of NC (no credit) will not be recorded.
   • Incomplete (“I”) grades will be treated as “I” grades issued by Nunez and will be converted to “F” if not converted to a passing grade by the Nunez deadline.
4. Transcripts will be evaluated for degree-seeking students during their first semester at Nunez by Admissions Office personnel.
5. A transfer grade of “D” may not meet the course pre-requisites for courses in a sequence. Refer to the “Course Descriptions” and “Program Descriptions” sections of the Catalog to verify minimum grade requirements for specific courses.
6. If the transfer work was earned in quarter hours, the credits will be converted to semester hours. (The number of quarter hours times 2/3 equals the number of semester hours.)
7. The Louisiana Board of Regents Student Transfer Guide and Articulation Matrices (http://regents.la.gov/master-course-articulation/) as well as individual transfer guides from institutions with which Nunez has entered into transfer agreements will be used to determine course equivalencies.

Courses taken at institutions that are not accredited by regional associations recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) are generally not accepted at Nunez Community College. However, students transferring from non-regionally accredited institutions can request credit, provided the college itself can document that faculty qualifications and student competencies in the transferred courses are equivalent to Nunez courses.

Students may pursue one of the following avenues to gain acceptance of this coursework:

1. Use the coursework as a basis to apply for credit by examination;
2. Use the coursework as a basis to apply for LEAP (Life Experience Assessment Program) credit; or
3. Establish that a regionally-accredited institution has accepted the courses in question toward a degree or certificate.

Transfer GPA

A student who transfers to Nunez with an adjusted cumulative/overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 or higher will be admitted in good standing.

A transfer student with less than a 2.00 adjusted cumulative/overall GPA will have an academic status of “not in good standing”. If in the first semester, the student fails to achieve a semester grade point average of 2.00 or higher, the student will be academically suspended for one semester.

Transfer students who were on academic suspension at their previous institution may be admitted to Nunez. However, students who intend to transfer back to the previous institution should get express written consent from the suspending institution granting the student permission to enroll at Nunez while on suspension.

Matriculating Students

A matriculating student is defined as a student taking courses for credit who intends to complete an associate degree or certificate program at Nunez Community College.

Non-Matriculating Students

Students who wish to take credit courses for personal enrichment, job improvement, or reasons other than to pursue a degree or certificate are permitted to enroll as non-matriculating students. Non-matriculating students are not eligible for financial aid.

Workforce Development Students

Students may wish to take courses that include workforce training, leisure, and non-credit courses. For more information, contact the Workforce Development Office at 504-278-6439 or email Workforce@nunez.edu.

Students Currently Enrolled in High School (Dual Enrollment)

Dual enrollment gives high school students the option to earn high school and college credits at the same time. High schools can enter into a dual enrollment agreement with Nunez Community College to expand educational opportunities for their students. The college accepts any high school student who meets the program requirements set forth by the Board of Regents and the institution. For more information, please visit https://www.nunez.edu/admissions/high-school-dual-enrollment or contact the Coordinator of Instruction at 504-278-6286.

International Students

Nunez Community College is currently not issuing student visas for international students to attend college. To be eligible for a student visa, a student must maintain full-time study in an approved program. It is not always possible for the College to guarantee that students will be able to enroll in a full-time course load. Rather than jeopardizing an international student’s eligibility to remain in the country, Nunez recommends contacting one of the larger colleges or universities in the area that offers the program the student wishes to pursue.

Visiting (Summer-Only) Students

Students who plan to enroll for a summer session only while on break from another institution are allowed to enroll. Students taking a course with prerequisites outlined in this Catalog must submit an official transcript or test scores indicating that they are eligible to enroll. Students who decide to continue past the summer will be required to apply for regular admission and meet transfer admission requirements.

Re-Admitted Students

Students who interrupt their studies by failing to register for and attend classes during a fall or spring semester must submit a new admissions application before re-enrolling at Nunez. A student who does not enroll at Nunez for a fall or spring semester must adhere to the Catalog in effect at the time of re-entry in order to meet graduation requirements.

Academic Renewal

Nunez Community College provides students an opportunity to restart their academic record after a break in enrollment and a demonstration of academic maturation upon re-enrollment. Academic renewal provides a student with the opportunity to restart his/her college study in academic good standing by eliminating previously-attempted courses from the student’s current GPA. An application for renewal does not ensure approval; rather, each application will be evaluated on its merits and approved only when the student convincingly demonstrates potential for success.

The following guidelines apply:

1. No less than one semester must elapse between the end of the semester in which the student was last registered for credit at any college or university and enrollment under Academic Renewal.
2. The student must submit an application for academic renewal to the Student Affairs office during the semester the student first registers at Nunez. The application shall include evidence that sufficient academic maturation has been achieved and that there is reasonable expectation of satisfactory performance.
3. Student Affairs will evaluate each application and process the renewal only to those who meet the criteria. Applying does not ensure approval.
4. If Academic Renewal is granted, the only prior academic credit that will carry forward is for courses where a grade of “C” or higher was earned. However, the prior record remains a part of the student’s overall academic record.
5. If Academic Renewal is granted, the date is entered on the transcript. Hours excluded through Academic Renewal will be included in a student’s financial aid status for determination of the timeframe standard.
6. Specific guidelines are outlined on the Request for Academic Renewal form.
7. Official transcripts from all prior institutions must be received by the Admissions Office at the time of the Academic Renewal request.

Academic Renewal granted at/by an institution within LCTCS shall be accepted and honored system-wide. A non-LCTCS institution may choose to not accept, in transfer, Academic Renewal granted by another institution. Students are encouraged to investigate the impact of the Academic Renewal policy if they plan to transfer to another institution outside of LCTCS.