ADMISSIONS

General Information
College Costs
Financial Aid

ADMISSIONS

Sitting Bull College maintains an "open" door admissions policy.  Any person who is a graduate of an accredited high school or has their GED certificate may be admitted to SBC.

EXCEPTIONS:

If an applicant for admission is 18 years of age or older and is NOT a graduate of an accredited high school or has not received a GED certificate the applicant is eligible to enroll for one semester.  However, the applicant will be required to work with the GED Instructor on obtaining a GED by the end of the semester.  Students are not eligible to enroll a second semester until proof of GED completion is submitted to the Registrar's office.

DUAL ENROLLMENT:

High school juniors and seniors may apply for admission to take 100 and 200 level classes.  These students are not seeking dual credit.

DUAL CREDIT:

The fifty-fifth legislative assembly of the State of North Dakota passed senate bill number 2033 at the 1997 session.  The bill allows juniors and seniors in North Dakota's public schools to take courses offered by an approved post-secondary institution for both high school and post-secondary credit.  The program provides students with a greater variety of class offerings and the opportunity to pursue more challenging course work.

ENROLLMENT POLICY FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT AND CREDIT:

1.         Students must complete an application for enrollment at SBC.
2.         Students must take the COMPASS and score at the 12th grade level in order to enroll in classes.
3.         The program will allow students to enroll in only 100 and 200 level courses.
4.         The students will only be allowed to enroll in a maximum of two courses or six credit hours per semester.
5.         The students will pay the same fees as a regular student.
6.         Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the college.
7.         Enrollment of a high school student cannot displace regular student enrollment.  Example:  The Building Trades program has limited enrollment in some courses.
8.         Each high school must appoint a liaison to work with SBC.

Under Exceptions and Special Conditions, credits do not become official college credits until the student has submitted proof of graduation from high school or completion of GED.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

Students applying for admission to SBC must submit the following documentation to the Registrar:

• Application for Admissions.
• Official high school transcripts or GED certificate.
• If a student is non-degree seeking, the student can submit either official high school transcripts, GED certificate, or official transcripts of the last degree received. 
• All Indian students must submit an official verification of tribal enrollment to the Registrar.
• Transfer students must have an official copy of their transcript(s) from previously attended college(s) sent directly to the registrar’s office at Sitting Bull College.
• SBC Medical Questionnaire.

• A hold will be placed on a student’s academic record if all documentation is not in their file at the end of the first semester of enrollment.

SPECIAL ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENT
The following programs of study have special admissions requirements:

• Criminal Justice/Peace Officer Training – criminal history check (no domestic violence convictions) and current driver’s license
• Early Childhood Education – criminal history check (no convictions involving children)
• Practical Nursing – criminal history check, physical, and current immunization
• Teacher Education/Elementary Education – criminal history check (no convictions involving children)

NO SHOW POLICY
A student who does not attend any classes within the first three weeks of the fall/spring semester or the first week of the summer session shall be considered a “no show” and a 100% tuition and fees refund will be issued
                                               
The student will be billed a “no show” fee of $10.00 per course, a $10.00 registration fee, and the total cost of purchases made at the SBC Bookstore.   Students may return books up to six weeks from the start of classes if the books have not been written in or if the books are still enclosed in the shrink wrap in which they were shipped.

OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR

The Registrar's Office maintains the following records:
1.         Registration/admission forms:  SBC application, degree of Indian blood, high school/college transcripts, release of information, transcript requests, documents relating to deferments, VA documents, medical questionnaire, and certificate of achievements.
2.         Degree plan.
3.         Graduation forms:  application for graduation, letters of recommendation, and resume.
4.         Permanent Academic Records:  semester grade reports, official transcript, and completed add/drop forms.

FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS & PRIVACY ACT OF 1974

Sitting Bull College adheres to a policy of compliances with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment).  The definition of this Amendment is as follows:

"A federal law designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate and misleading data through informal and formal hearings."

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school/college beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students”.

Sitting Bull College has designated the following information as "Directory Information":
Students’ name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, dates of attendance, major field of study, and recent schools/colleges attended.
                                               
This information is generally considered not harmful and may be released to anyone unless the student requests otherwise.    If there is any information above a student does not want released, he/she may indicate so on the Disclosure of Student Records/Information Release Form which is a part of the Application for Admissions.
Generally, schools/colleges must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools/colleges to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions:

• College officials with legitimate educational interest (Faculty/Staff of SBC);
• Other colleges to which a student intends to transfer to;
• Auditors or Evaluators of college programs;
• Funding sources such as Higher Education, WIA, JPTP, VA, Scholarship Programs, etc;
• Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the college;
• Accrediting organizations;
• Local, State, and Federal judicial orders or lawfully issued subpoena; and,
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies.

Each student has the right to inspect or access their educational record and may:

• be provided a list of personal educational records, files, and documents maintained at Sitting Bull College (attached to the Disclosure of Student Records/Information Release Form which all students are required to sign at the beginning of their first term of attendance at SBC);
• inspect and review the content of such records (contact Registrar to do so);
• receive a response from the college to a reasonable request for explanation or interpretation of records; and,
• have a hearing to challenge the content of the records.

Any student wishing to inspect his/her file must contact the Registrar.

ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT

Each student is assigned a faculty advisor upon enrollment at SBC.  In most cases, the advisor will be an instructor in the student's specific area of study.

The advisor assists in proper course selection to meet curricular requirements and helps students avoid errors in scheduling.  However, students have the final responsibility for satisfying the degree requirements for the curriculum chosen and the college’s general education requirements.
                                                                             

REGISTRATION PROCEDURES

During registration week, representatives from the Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid Office, Business Office, Counseling Office, and all academic/vocational departments are available for consultation.  With the assistance of these individuals, students must complete the following steps in order to register for classes:

RETURNING OR CONTINUING STUDENTS:
1.         Obtain registration materials from the Registrar’s Office.
2.         See Financial Aid Office to finalize financial aid paperwork.
3.         Meet with Academic/Vocational Advisor for scheduling assistance and approval.
4.         Obtain Student ID Card/E-Mail Address.  Replacement cards will cost $5.00 payable at the time of the request.
5.         Complete library information form.
6.         Return all registration material to the Registrar’s Office.
7.         Contact the Bookstore and acquire the necessary texts and materials. 

NEW STUDENTS:
1.         Check in at registration table to start registration process.
2.         See Financial Aid Office to arrange for financial assistance.  Students are encouraged to complete their financial aid applications prior to enrolling or as soon as possible thereafter.
3.         See the Office of Student Support Services to arrange for completion of the COMPASS test if not done previously.
4.         Consult with Academic/Vocational Advisor in their field of interest or major scholastic area for scheduling assistance and approval.
5.         Obtain Student ID Card/E-Mail Address.  Replacement cards will cost $5.00 payable at the time of the request.

• Complete library information form.
• Return all registration materials to the Registrar’s Officer.
• Contact the Bookstore and acquire the necessary texts and materials.

The Office of Student Support Services will test all new degree seeking students. 

Students will be administered the COMPASS test in English, writing, reading, and math proficiency to determine the proper placement of students in math and English courses. The information derived from the test will be used to assess which courses will be mandatory for the students to assure academic success.  Students will not be denied admission to the college on the basis of COMPASS score results.

Students who score less than the 12th grade skill level on the COMPASS will be required to enroll in the respective 010 Foundation course(s). 

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

Orientation is completed in the PSY 100 Psychology of Student Success course that is mandatory for all new students and should be taken during their first semester at SBC. Orientation is designed to make the adjustment to college life a pleasant experience. An interactive web orientation will acquaint new students with various offices and services, policies and procedures, and introduce students to the SBC Bulletin.  Students will be asked to answer questions throughout the orientation and will complete a survey to help the college refine the orientation process.  The instructor for the PSY 100 Psychology of Student success will facilitate dialogues regarding student questions and help the students navigate though the e-mail process. 

CHANGES IN REGISTRATION
First Week

Adding or dropping a course must be completed during the first week of classes.  Students who make any changes in their class schedule during the first week of classes need to first consult with his/her advisor.   After the first week, the process for withdrawing from or adding a course has further requirements (see Withdrawal Policy). 

EXCEPTION:  Throughout the semester, specialized courses may be offered.  Students will be allowed to register for these classes with the approval of their advisor and they must also meet with the Financial Aid Director for billing purposes.  However, a student who drops a course and falls below the 12 credits required to keep their educational funding may not register for a specialized course unless it is part of their degree plan. 

CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS  

Full-time - A student must enroll in at least 12 credits. Full-time is 6 credits for Summer enrollment.

Part-time - A student enrolled in 11 or less credits. Part-time summer enrollment consists of 5 or less credits.

Freshman - Students who have accumulated less than 30 credits.

Sophomore - Students who have accumulated between 31 to 60 credits.

Junior - Students who have accumulated between 61 to 90 credits.

Senior - Students who have accumulated over 90 credits.

Non-Degree - Students who are taking classes but are not intending to complete a degree at SBC.

First Time Freshman – Students who have never before attended college.

First Generation – Students whose parents have not graduated from a four-year college.