Anoka Ramsey Community College

See MnSCU Policy 3.4

Admission to the College

Anoka-Ramsey Community College follows an open-door admission policy.  Any resident who has graduated from an accredited high school or who has successfully completed a General Education Development Examination (GED) is eligible for college admission.  A person with neither a high school diploma nor a GED may be admitted if s/he demonstrates potential for college success.  In order to receive Title IV financial aid funds, a student must have a high school diploma, GED, or its equivalent. English language proficiency is not a barrier to admission.  Placement testing determines student readiness for college courses and places students into appropriate courses to facilitate student academic success in English composition and mathematics.

Persons applying to enroll at the college must submit the following to the college Admissions Office:

• Completed admission application
• High school or college transcripts, GED certificate or proof of ability to benefit

Additional or other admission requirements may apply to Minnesota non-resident, international, Amity International Scholars, Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), Nursing, and Physical Therapist Assistant applicants.

Admission to the college does not automatically qualify a student for all courses and curricula of the college; some course offerings have special prerequisites and requirements.

Students on academic suspension from another college or university will not be admitted to Anoka- Ramsey unless an appeal is approved by Anoka-Ramsey.

Students with a financial hold at another college or university may be admitted to Anoka-Ramsey, but will not be allowed to register until the financial hold has been removed.

Students with a disciplinary suspension or expulsion from any postsecondary institution will be denied admission.

Visiting Students

Students who are not currently admitted as a student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, but are currently admitted at another Minnesota State institution, will be allowed to enroll for up to eight credits as a visiting student.  A visiting student’s total number of enrolled credits at all system colleges and universities shall not exceed 22 in any semester. Students not admitted to Anoka-Ramsey or another Minnesota State institution must submit an application before registering for classes

Visiting students must satisfy course prerequisites for Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

State Residency (see Minnesota State Board Policy 2.2)

Per Minnesota statute (M.S. 135A.031, subd. 2) and Minnesota State Board Policy 2.2 Minnesota resident status is determined at the time of application.

Classification as State Residents

1. Students who resided in the state for at least one calendar year prior to applying for admission or dependent students whose parent or legal guardian resides in Minnesota at the time the student applies.
2. Minnesota residents who can demonstrate that they were temporarily absent from the state without establishing residency elsewhere.
3. Persons who moved to the state for employment purposes and, before moving and before applying for admission to a public postsecondary institution, accepted a full-time job in the state, or students who are spouses or dependents of such persons.

Non-Resident Students Allowed to Pay the Resident Tuition Rate

1. Active Duty Military. U.S. military personnel serving on active duty assignment in Minnesota, veterans, and their spouses and dependent children.
2. Migrant Farmworkers. Students who have been in Minnesota as migrant farmworkers, as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, section 633.104, over a period of at least two years immediately before admission or readmission to a Minnesota public postsecondary institution, or students who are dependents of such migrant farmworkers.
3. Minnesota High School Graduates. A student who graduated from a Minnesota high school, if the student was a resident of Minnesota during the student's period of attendance at the Minnesota high school and the student physically attends a Minnesota State College or University.
4. Employment-related Relocation. Persons who were employed and were relocated to the state by the person's current employer.
5. Refugees and Asylees. Students who are recognized as refugees or asylees by the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Non-Resident Admission

In addition to general admission requirements, residents of states other than Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota are required to meet one of the following requirements:

• Have a high school diploma or GED and based on high school rank, place in the upper two-thirds of the graduating class.
• Have a high school diploma or GED and achieve a composite score on the ACT test or the SAT test, which results in placement at or above the 34th percentile on a national comparison.
• Have been out of high school for at least three years or high school graduating class graduated three or more years ago and be able to prove ability to benefit from college attendance.
• Have completed at least ten semester credits or fifteen quarter credits with an overall GPA of at least 2.0 at an accredited postsecondary institution.

International Student Admission

An international student is a non-U.S. citizen or non-U.S. immigrant who has been granted F-1 visa status from the U.S. Department of State through a U.S. consulate based on the I-20 document issued by a college in order to pursue full-time study.  A person enrolling at the college as an international student must submit the following to the Admissions Office:

• Completed International Student Admission Application
• Proof of academic achievement as documented by official high school or college transcripts (English or English translation)
• Proof of financial resources equivalent to one year’s cost of attendance documented by a notarized Affidavit of Support and notarized bank statements
• Proof of English proficiency based on one of the following tests:
  • TOEFL – minimum score of 500 on the Paper-Based Test (PBT) or 61 on the internet-Based Test (iBT)
  • Michigan Test – minimum score of 75
  • ELS – Academic level 109 completed
• Proof of visa status if currently residing in U.S, or copy of Form I-20 for F-1 visa holders
• Annual fee for the mandatory college-sponsored health insurance plan
• Documentation of immunization
• Declaration of a major
  

Amity International Scholars

International students who come to the college through the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 partnership with Amity International Scholars may enroll in one the college course each semester during their teaching term(s) with the school district.  The following criteria apply to a scholar’s enrollment at the college:

• The scholar must complete assessment testing prior to registration for a course.
• The scholar may register for one class based on the results of the assessment testing.
• Registration is on an audit and space-available basis after the semester begins.
• Tuition and per credit fees for the course will be waived; however, the scholar is responsible for special course fees, books, and supplies.
• No admission application is required.

PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options) Admission

PSEO is a state program for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, which offers the opportunity to enroll in college-level courses and apply earned credits toward high school graduation requirements and a college degree. State funding covers the cost of tuition, fees, and required books for eligible courses.

To qualify, high school juniors must be in the top 1/3 of their class and seniors must be in the top 1/2.  Juniors and seniors may also qualify for PSEO with their high school GPA. Juniors must earn a 3.0 or higher cumulative, unweighted GPA, and seniors must earn a 2.5 or higher cumulative, unweighted GPA. Students who do not qualify with high school class rank or GPA, or students enrolled in a home school or an area learning center may submit commensurate test results from a nationally-normed, standardized, norm-referenced test such as the ITED, PreACT, ACT, PSAT, SAT, or CAT (timed version). To qualify using test results, juniors must score at the 70^th percentile or above and seniors must score at the 50^th percentile or above.

Anyone interested in applying to the college as a PSEO student must submit the following to the Admissions Office:

• Completed PSEO Student Admission Application
• Completed Notice of Student Registration Form
• Documentation of qualifying class rank, GPA, or nationally standardized test
• High school transcript

Applicants to the college’s PSEO program who do not meet the required class rank, high school GPA, or corresponding test results may appeal the admissions criteria to the Admissions Office.

Career and Technical Education

High school sophomores may qualify to take courses with Anoka-Ramsey Community College if they meet the eligibility criteria set by the Post Secondary Enrollment Options Act (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/124D.09) and Minnesota State system policy and procedure (https://www.minnstate.edu/board/procedure/305p1.html). Anoka-Ramsey’s 10^th grade Career and Technical (CTE) website will reflect the current MDE guidance on program eligibility and course options.  Sophomores will have limited CTE options during their first semester and should visit the 10^th grade Career and Technical website for more information.

Special High School Admission

Secondary students who are not enrolled at the college through the PSEO program may be admitted to enroll in courses outside of the PSEO program for any term, including summer session. Students are responsible for payment of tuition, fees and books. Interested students must complete the college’s general application, submit secondary transcript and the Financial Responsibility Agreement, and meet the college level placement for English, Reading and Math. Students will also be expected to meet the pre-requisites of any courses they wish to enroll in.

Minnesota Senior Citizen Admission

MN Statutes 2004, section 135A.51 provides for senior citizens who are legal residents of Minnesota to enroll in audit credit courses on a space-available basis without payment of tuition and activity fees.  “Senior citizen” means a person who has reached 62 years of age before the beginning of any term, semester or quarter in which a course of study is pursued, or a person receiving a railroad retirement annuity who has reached 60 years of age before the beginning of the term. There shall be no administrative fee charged to a Minnesota senior citizen auditing a course. The request to audit a course must be made at the time of registration for the course.   Registration for Minnesota senior citizens who enroll on an audit basis begins the first business day after the first class session.  An administrative fee of $20 per credit for credit courses will be charged to a Minnesota senior citizen who enrolls for credit the first business day after the first class session.  Minnesota senior citizens who wish to guarantee their enrollment in a course may register earlier, but they will be required to pay full tuition and fees.  The Minnesota senior citizen student is responsible for purchasing books and class materials, whether enrolled for credit, audit, or in non-credit courses.  Minnesota seniors enrolled for credit or audit will also be charged technology, LeadMN and parking fees.

Minnesota senior citizens may also enroll without payment of tuition and activity fees in noncredit courses, except in those courses designed and offered specifically and exclusively for senior citizens.  Minnesota senior citizens enrolled in any noncredit course are responsible for purchasing any materials needed for the noncredit course.  A Minnesota senior citizen enrolled in closed enrollment contract training or professional continuing education program is not eligible for benefits under MN Statutes 2004, section 135A.52, subdivision 2. 

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