Applicants

As an open admission institution, Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology will attempt to admit all persons who complete admission requirements. The college reserves the right to deny or conditionally admit, readmit, or cancel the enrollment of any individual, who in the judgment of the college presents an unreasonable risk to the safety and welfare of the college community, or who has failed to maintain satisfactory academic progress. Applicants/current students may be asked to complete either an Inquiry into Student Disclosure form or an Admissions Academic Appeal form before an admissions decision is made or changed.

Notification of an admission decision will be mailed to the applicant. Admission to the college does not guarantee admission into a specific program. Students must contact the program advisor for individual program admission requirements. For students choosing to apply for financial aid, documentation may be required. Admission decisions may be appealed, in writing, to the Dean of the College.

In the case of programs with limited enrollment, acceptance of individuals will be based on the criteria described in the program’s information packet or timely completion of the admission requirements for each program.

All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, age, gender, disability, or disadvantage in accordance with the following guidelines:

Degree Seeking

A degree seeking applicant is one who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent, and will enroll in a specific program to earn a certificate or degree .

Non-Degree Seeking

A non-degree seeking applicant is one who will not enroll in a specific program to earn a certificate or degree. If status changes at a future date to degree seeking, then additional admission requirements will have to be met. Non-degree seeking applicants are not eligible for Financial Aid.

Undeclared Applicant

An undeclared applicant is one who is degree/certificate seeking, but has not declared a specific field of study. Undeclared applicants are not eligible for Financial Aid.

Full-time Student

A full time student is one who is enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per term. Students who do not meet the criterion for full-time classification are part-time students.

Program Requirements

Some licensing or certification boards have varied restrictions, which may affect persons with a history of felony conviction. The College assumes no responsibility for the denial of licensure or certification by such boards. Prospective students are responsible for contacting the appropriate boards concerning any questions regarding their eligibility for licensure or certification.

Program Directors may deny admission to a specific program based upon individual program's admission criteria. In addition, Program Directors may dismiss a student from a specific program and withdraw that student from applicable courses in the case of student misconduct as defined by program and/or standards.

Residency Requirements

Under policies established by the Board of Regents, in accordance with Montana statutes regarding residency, all applicants for admission and all students at the units of the Montana University System shall be classified as in state or out-of-state for fee purposes:

A person may be classified as in-state following a 12-month continuous period of domicile in Montana with a documented and dated intent to become a resident of Montana as outlined in the Montana University System Guide to Montana's Residency Policy , provided that the person is not registered for more than one-half of a full-time credit load at any post-secondary institution during the 12 month waiting period. Members of the United States Armed Forces assigned to active duty in Montana, their spouses, and dependent children during the member's tour of duty may be granted in-state residency for fee purposes.

Questions regarding residency status should be addressed to the Admissions & Records Office.

Early Admission

High school students may be admitted and allowed to register for college-level courses provided they are academically prepared. This process shall be confined to students who present evidence of the ability and maturity to do college work. This admission requires that the high school principal or counselor approve participation of a student in the college level courses. High school students may earn college-level credit to be applied to a degree at Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology or to transfer to another college or university once they graduate from high school. Course records for students will be entered and maintained on MSU-Great Falls College of Technology transcript.

Special Admission

A special admission committee reviews applications from students who do not meet the regular admission standards.

Home School Admission

Home school students must submit the admissions application and application fee, a notarized copy of the home school curriculum, two letters of recommendation from people other than family members, a parental approval form if the student is under 18, and immunization records if the student is degree seeking and taking more than six credits. Home school students must complete the ACT, SAT, or COMPASS test before enrolling at the College.

Nonimmigrant Foreign Students

Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology is authorized under Federal law to enroll nonimmigrant foreign students. Each nonimmigrant foreign student is required to furnish the following documents in order to be considered for admission:

• Completed Application for Admission accompanied by a $30 non-refundable application fee;

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores from an accredited testing service. A minimum score of 500 is the acceptable standard on the paper-based test and 173 on the computer-based test and 61 on the internet-based test. More information about TOEFL may be obtained from the Education Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08540 or on the featuring websites, www.ets.org and www.toefl.org;

• Proof of completion of the equivalent of an American high school education with satisfactory grades. Transcripts must be evaluated by a credential evaluation service to make this determination. Please contact Admissions & Records for a list of credential evaluation services;

• A Declaration of Finances or other present evidence of funds necessary to pay all living expenses and travel to and from the College;

• All nonimmigrant foreign students must show a physician-validated immunization record for measles, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, and skin testing for tuberculosis. The evidence must be presented before a student will be permitted to register;

• Evidence of an accident and sickness insurance policy or one of equal coverage for each semester in attendance at the College.

New Student Registration and Orientation

Degree seeking students will attend a STAR (STudent Advising and Registration) session with an advisor or counselor to register for their first semester of courses. These sessions are scheduled at various times for the student’s convenience. Distance learning students can complete these sessions with an advisor over the phone. After the student is accepted to the College they will receive a letter directing them to call to schedule their STAR session. If The student should have completed placement testing (ACT/SAT or COMPASS) prior to their STAR session.

Students can call the college to sign up to take the COMPASS test if they do not have ACT or SAT scores, or transfer work in English and Math. An Orientation Day will be held before each fall and spring semester. More information on the activities of this day will be given to the students during their STAR session.

Student Identification Card

Each student may obtain a nontransferable identification card. The identification card may be necessary when purchasing books, cashing checks in the bookstore and using the library. Lost identification cards may be replaced by purchasing them through the Business Office for $5.

Credit by Examination

College credit earned by currently enrolled students who successfully complete approved advanced placement examinations, CLEP examinations, and Tech Prep articulations will have credits recorded on their academic records without an additional fee. Credit will not be awarded for courses that are prerequisites to subsequent courses that have been completed, or for courses that have been failed or previously audited.

College Advanced Placement (High School Students)

Applicants who have taken advanced placement courses in high school should request that the official scores be sent to the College's Admissions & Records Office. Grades of 3, 4, or 5 on an advanced placement examination will be granted college credit for the appropriate courses.

Challenge

The College offers challenge examinations for some of the courses described in this catalog. If an applicant or student feels he/she has knowledge about a particular subject area and wishes to take an examination to demonstrate that knowledge, the student may, with the approval of faculty, take a comprehensive examination. If a student’s performance is sufficient to merit the awarding of credit, a grade of “P” (generally equivalent to a “C” or above) will be recorded on the student’s academic record. There is a $20.00 fee associated with each challenge exam regardless of the outcome of the exam. A challenge exam for a course must be completed before the student begins attending the course being challenged. A course that has been failed or previously audited may not be challenged.

Policy on Experiential Learning

Approved by Leadership Team, May 2007
Directly affects the challenge testing on page 6 of the 2007-2008 catalog

MSU-Great Falls College of Technology (MSUGF) recognizes that learning occurs outside of the college setting. The outcome of this learning is often the acquisition of skills and/or knowledge which may be equivalent to learning at MSUGF and other institutions of Higher Education. MSUGF may award credit for this learning through the MSUGF Experiential Learning Policy.  This policy is based on the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Policy 2.2.

1. Credit may be granted only for documented learning which ties the prior experience to the theories and data of the relevant academic fields.
2. Credit may be granted only for documented learning which falls within the regular curricular offerings of the institution.
3. Credit for prior experiential learning may be granted only at the undergraduate level.
4. The applicability of Experiential Learning Credit toward specific degree program requirements is subject to departmental/institutional approval.
5. Experiential Learning Credit will be based on the following evaluation methods.
6. Portfolio
7. Challenge Exams
8. Proof of Competency

NOTE: The department chair or faculty, delegated by the department chair, will develop the criteria of the portfolio, challenge exams, and/or proof of competency.

1. Credit for prior experiential learning should not constitute more than 25% of the credits needed for a degree or certificate.
2. No assurances are made as to the number of credits to be awarded prior to the completion of the institution's review process.
3. Credit may be granted only to enrolled students and is to be identified on the student's transcript as credit for prior experiential learning.
4. Credit for prior experiential learning cannot duplicate other credit awarded.
5. Experiential Credit will be treated in the same way as transfer credit.  A “P” (pass) will be assigned, and it will not count toward the students’ GPA.
6. Materials and documents submitted for consideration of credit for experiential learning
7. must comply with all MSU-Great Falls and Montana University System Policies.  No experiential learning credit is guaranteed.
8. Credits granted for experiential learning at MSU-GF COT may transfer to other institutions.  Students should check with the transfer institution regarding transferability.
9. All submitted materials and documents become part of the students’ academic record and will not be returned. 
10. Credit awarded for experiential learning will become part of the students’ academic transcript.
11. The student is responsible for providing the appropriate documentation as required by the guidelines and/or criteria established by the faculty member, program director, or department chair for the award of credit of experiential learning.
12. Students will be assessed an experiential learning fee for each course substituted through the award of Experiential Learning Credit.  This fee will be 1/3 of the cost for the tuition of the course had the student enrolled in it through traditional means.
13. Experiential learning credits do not count towards enrollments in evaluating financial aid status. 

Contact instructor, program director or department chair for help with the process & to obtain the correct paperwork.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DANTES

Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology awards credit toward graduation for successful performance in certain subject examinations of the CLEP and DANTES programs. Students may arrange to take these examinations at designated centers. Passing grades and the awarding of credit is determined by the American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations .

Tech Prep Credit

Tech Prep provides high school students an opportunity to earn credits toward one-year or two-year certificates or degrees at Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology while still in high school. It is a cooperative program carried out under articulation agreements between secondary and postsecondary institutions that have made a commitment to the program. Counselors and instructors at participating high schools have information available for interested students. Courses that have been approved for Tech Prep credit with at least one high school are identified with the Tech Prep logo in the course descriptions section of the catalog.

Transfer From Other Institutions

Credits from other regionally accredited postsecondary institutions may be accepted as they apply to the established course requirements of Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology under the following guidelines:

• The transferring student must initiate the request for evaluation of credit during the admission procedure by furnishing an official transcript from the transferring institution(s) and the necessary materials, including copies of the appropriate catalog descriptions or course syllabi, to the Admissions & Records Office. Official transcripts must be sent directly by the issuing institution to the following address:

Admissions & Records Office
MSU-Great Falls COT
2100 16th Ave S
Great Falls , MT 59405

• Grades less than a “C-” for previous course work will not be considered for transfer credit. Course work taken more than 5 years prior to transfer request may not be accepted. If transfer credit cannot be granted, the student has the option of challenging a course or courses.
• Transfer credit will be accepted only as it applies to the student's declared program of study.
• Students will be awarded a certificate/degree upon satisfactory completion of all program requirements, provided 25% of the credits required in the degree related program has been completed at MSU – Great Falls College of Technology.
• Transfer credit will be posted on the transcript for accepted transferred course work.
• Transfer grades are not figured in the grade point average (GPA).

Transfer to Other Institutions

Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology is accredited by Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. A listing of websites providing transfer equivalencies within Montana may be found at the following website: http://mus.montana.edu/transfer/CourseEquivGuide.htm. For more information regarding the transferability of courses to other institutions, students should contact the institution they are planning to attend.

For transfer to another Montana school, a student may complete a Request for Transmittal of Application Materials form in order to have the contents of his/her admission file forwarded to the transfer school. There is an $8 fee for this service.

The college offers a number of transfer options including the Montana University System Transferable Core and the Associate of Science and Associate of Arts degrees. In addition, students may choose from a variety of recommended and articulated Associate of Science degree programs with emphasis in various academic areas.

Readmission to the College

Students who have previously attended Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology must reapply when they have been absent for 1 semester, excluding summer. Readmit applications are available at the Information Desk, the Admissions & Records office, or on the college website (www.msugf.edu).

Readmitted students must follow the graduation requirements for the catalog in which they are readmitted. Previously earned credits will be evaluated on the basis of the current degree or certificate requirements. Credits earned 5 or more calendar years earlier will be reviewed by the appropriate department chair, lead faculty, and/or registrar, who may require repetition of any course in which the content has substantially changed.

Advisors

Students will be assigned academic advisors. Advisors are generally faculty members who will assist in course scheduling each term, and be available to provide information regarding courses and/or academic progress as needed. Students must meet with their advisor each semester to plan and register for the upcoming semester.

Deferred Payment Plan

The deferred fee payment plan is an installment loan available, for the fall and spring terms, for qualified applicants who are unable to make full payment of current semester tuition, fees, and other charges on the regular fee payment day. This plan is available to all qualifying students through the Business Office Cashiers. Installment payments and applicable fees are collected and processed by the Business Office.

Late Fee

A $40.00 late fee will be assessed if fees are not paid by fee payment deadline and there is not financial aid or a third party contract confirmed.

Withdrawal From the College

Unless otherwise required by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, students withdrawing from Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology are refunded the fees paid in accordance with the following schedule established by the Board of Regents. In order for a student to receive a refund under the Board of Regents policy, an official withdrawal form must be on file in the Registrar's Office:

Fall & Spring Semester:
Days of Instruction* Percent Refunded

Registration day ............................................................... 100
1-5 .................................................................................... 90
6-10 .................................................................................. 75
11-15 ................................................................................ 50
16-on ................................................................................ 0

Changes in Credit Load After Payment of Fees

Students adding courses after payment of fees are required to pay additional fees created by the change in credit load.

Students dropping classes (but not withdrawing) will receive a 100 percent refund on courses dropped before the end of the 15th class day. Refunds will not be made after the 15th class day. This schedule applies only to fall and spring semesters. For the summer withdrawal schedule, please see the academic calendar for that term.

Fee refunds are processed approximately 5 weeks after the start of a semester and mailed to the student’s permanent address.

Returned Check Policy

Individuals presenting checks to the College of Technology, which the bank subsequently refuses to honor, are required to reimburse the college for the amount of the check plus any fee charged by the bank for processing the dishonored check. Individuals (faculty, staff, and students) will be notified in writing of the dishonored check(s) and the amount needed to clear the item(s). Personal checks may not be used to clear dishonored checks.

Dishonored checks presented by students will be added to their account balance. Unpaid balances may result in a ‘Hold’ being placed on the student’s account. This ‘Hold’ will prevent the student from registering for further semesters at this or any other Montana State University campus.

Individuals presenting two dishonored checks within a calendar year to the college will be prohibited from writing further checks payable to the college during that calendar year even after clearing the two dishonored items.

This applies to all checks payable to the college or a college entity including the library, bookstore, cafeteria and dental clinic.

Seminars

A modified refund policy is in place for seminars. Please contact the Business Office regarding seminar fee refunds - 406-771-4315.

Students Owing Debts

The college reserves the right to deny registration access to a student who has an overdue debt to any Montana State University unit. Transcripts, certificates, and degrees will be withheld from any student owing tuition, fees, or charges to a Montana State University unit. In the event a student has not returned books and/or materials belonging to this college or any other Montana University System unit, transcripts, certificates, and degrees may be withheld.

Billing

The college will be moving to paperless billing, as well as online bill payment by credit card or bank account.