Academic Policies and Requirements 

Admission to the College

Admission Policy

All applicants must possess a high school diploma or its equivalent or must be at least 18 years old to be considered for admission into curriculum programs and courses offered by the college. Graduates of South Carolina high schools who have received a "certificate," not a diploma, are strongly urged to return to their high school district to complete the diploma or GED. Certificate recipients who meet minimum scores on the college's placement exam will be admitted to the college. Eligible high school students who desire to enroll in one or more college courses concurrently with their high school classes may do so with the written authorization of their parent(s) and high school principal.

All applicants are required to participate in placement testing (assessment) prior to being accepted by the college. Applicants may seek exemptions to this policy according to the criteria stated in college procedures on assessment, admission and placement. Specific requirements have been established for individual program entrance. For applicants who require additional preparation for college-level work, the college offers individual programs to develop strong basic skills in the areas of English, mathematics, reading, science and computer literacy.

Admission Procedures

Candidates for admission who are seeking enrollment in curriculum courses must submit a completed application. The preferred methods for submitting an application is electronically on the Internet. Applications may be requested from the Student Information Center at (803) 738-8324 or found on the Midlands Technical College Home Page at www.midlandstech.com.

All applicants are asked to submit a copy of their high school transcripts. These transcripts are used for financial aid, academic advisement and other purposes. The transcript is required for admission purposes only if the applicant:

1. is less than 18 years old;

2. is applying for entry into a Nursing or a Health Sciences program; or

3. wishes to use the high school transcript to provide evidence of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT) scores (taken within three years of the application date) to satisfy the college's admission requirements; or

4. is specifically required by the Admission Office.

Transcripts should be sent to:
Midlands Technical College
Admissions Office
Post Office Box 2408
Columbia, SC 29202

Applicants possessing a high school equivalency certificate (GED) or a diploma from an adult basic education program must provide the Admissions Office with documentation of successful GED completion.

Transfer students -- applicants who have attended a regionally accredited college or university -- must request that all colleges previously attended send official transcripts directly to the Midlands Technical College Admissions Office. These transcripts will be reviewed to determine if the placement testing requirement will be waived. Applicants requesting transfer credit consideration of post-secondary course(s) from foreign institutions must obtain, at the applicant's expense, a course-by-course evaluation of the foreign course work from a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member evaluation service. Applications to obtain the evaluation are available from the Admissions Office. American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines may also be used to evaluate prior course work. Applicability and time limitations on transfer course work will be determined by the appropriate program's department chair or designee. The following criteria are used to determine acceptability of prior college course work for advanced standing:

1. the final grade for the course(s) must be a "C" or better;

2. the course(s) must have been taken at a regionally accredited institution; if from a nonregionally accredited foreign post-secondary institution, the courses must have been recommended by a NACES-member external evaluation service;

3. the course(s) must be applicable to the program in which the student plans to enroll in order for the course to be considered for graduation;

4. the course(s) must be college-level; no course that is remedial/developmental in nature will be accepted; and

5. credit will be granted only once for a given course.

To ensure the admission application will be processed in time for registration, applications, transcripts and both college admission and placement test scores must be received in the Admissions Office at least three weeks prior to the published application deadline for the term in which the student plans to enroll. Advanced standing cannot be awarded until official transcripts are received and evaluated.