ADMISSIONS
General Admission Requirements (for Curriculum Programs)
Gaston College subscribes to the open-door admission policy. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and possess a high school diploma or equivalent to enroll.
Associate Degree, Diploma, and Certificate Programs
For most programs of study, the following steps should be completed prior to registration.
- Complete the North Carolina Residency Determination Service (RDS). Upon completion, you will be assigned a Residency Certification Number (RCN). The RCN is required to submit an application to Gaston College.
- Complete an online application.
- Submit official transcripts and/or test scores for placement if you:
- Graduated from a valid US high school, or
- Took the ACT or SAT less than 10 years ago, or
- Took the GED® since 2014 and scored 145 or higher on all four GED® test subjects, or
- Took the HiSET and scored a 15 on all five HiSET subtests and a 4 on the essay.
In accordance with the new Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-74), Gaston College has eliminated the College Placement Test Ability-to-Benefit (ATB) alternative for students planning to first enroll in a program of study on or after July 1, 2012 and who have NOT earned a valid high school diploma from a regionally accredited institution or a recognized equivalent (e.g., GED®). As noted in the law, neither ATB testing nor earning six credits applicable to a degree or certificate will satisfy the academic qualifications for receiving financial aid. Students who fall in this category and who wish to receive financial aid may establish eligibility by completing an approved GED® or Adult High School program. Additionally, some employers, licensing boards, and credentialing agencies may not recognize credentials from non-regionally accredited high schools, even after a student has received course credit or completed a program of study at Gaston College. In order to qualify for federal financial student aid, students will need to submit both a valid US high school official transcript and official transcripts from all colleges previously attended.
Placement Policy*
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English Placement |
Math Placement |
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Unweighted GPA = or > 2.8
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Student is college ready for any gateway English course and any course that has a developmental English or math prerequisite.
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Student is college ready for any gateway math course and any course that has a developmental math prerequisite. |
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Unweighted GPA between 2.2 and 2.799
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Student is college ready for any gateway English course with a required co-requisite course.
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Student is college ready for MAT-121 or MAT-171 courses with a required co-requisite course.
For all other gateway math courses student will be required to complete a developmental transition course in math. |
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Unweighted GPA < 2.2
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The College will evaluate subject-area ACT or SAT scores to determine if student is college ready in English using the following scores (based on national and state validation studies):
English: ACT Reading 22 or
ACT English 18
SAT Writing 480 or
SAT Critical Reading 480
Student with ACT scores within 2 points of the national and state validation scores are college ready for any gateway English course with a required co-requisite course.
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The College will evaluate subject-area ACT or SAT scores to determine if student is college ready in math using the following scores (based on national and state validation studies):
Math: ACT Math 22
SAT Math 530
Student with ACT scores within 2 points of the national and state validation scores are college ready for MAT-121 or MAT-171 courses with a required co-requisite course. |
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Unweighted GPA < 2.2 and subject-area score(s) below college ready
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Student will be required to complete a developmental transition course in English
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Student will be required to complete a developmental transition course in math. |
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Students who have an international high school transcript.
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Student will take the State Board approved RISE placement diagnostic to determine placement.
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Student will take the State Board approved RISE placement diagnostic to determine placement. |
*This policy applies to an individual who has an official transcript grade point average (GPA) from a high school that is legally authorized to operate in the United States. Students who are placed from a high school grade point average (GPA) may take the State Board approved RISE placement diagnostic.
- Submit a valid US official high school transcript to the Office of Registration and Records at Gaston College, 201 Highway 321 South, Dallas, NC 28034-1499. In lieu of a valid US high school official transcript, the following official documents will be accepted:
a. Adult high school transcript
b. GED® scores
c. Official transcript from an approved correspondence high school* (see statement below regarding non-regionally accredited high schools)
d. Official transcript from Home School along with Home School Record(s) (must be accompanied by a letter or card issued from the NC Division of Non-public Education)
e. Transcript from a nationally accredited college or university reflecting attainment of an Associate degree or higher.
5. Submit official college and/or university transcripts, if applicable. College transcripts are not required for admissions; however, official documents are required for consideration of transfer credit.
6. Complete the online New Student Orientation.
PLEASE NOTE:
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Gaston College Application for admission at least four weeks prior to start of the semester. This ensures the applicant ample time to complete the entire admission and enrollment process. Applicants transferring to Gaston College from another college or university must submit an application and meet the admission requirements for the program of study they intend to pursue at Gaston College. Students who have not registered for a one-year period are required to re-apply and meet current admissions requirements.
Programs of Study with Competitive Admission Requirements
General admission to the College does not guarantee admission into certain programs of study. Several academic programs at Gaston College are limited enrollment programs, meaning that these programs can only accept a certain number of students per year, making the academic program competitive to pursue. This requires the admissions specialists in the Health and Human Services division to determine the most qualified candidates for these limited enrollment programs through a competitive admissions process. A student will need to make an appointment with his or her academic advisor in order to review admissions requirements for their program of interest and to verify if the student has met the competitive admissions criteria in order to submit a program application by the deadline. The decision on entry is made by an applicants ranking software, which selects the students based off the admissions criteria and points through the applicant ratings sheets (points sheets). Admissions is competitive and applicants can achieve points from the following criteria:
- Attend Information Session
- Grades in prerequisite courses (C or better)
- Number of completed prerequisite courses (C or better)
- Overall Grade Point Average (GPA) 2.0 in college level coursework taken
- ATI TEAS Composite Score
- Volunteer/Work Experience
- Current certifications/licensures
- Current CPR certification
- High School Medical Career/Health Occupations classes or Pathway completion
The admission specialist will send notification of acceptance or denial to all candidates on a specified notification date.
The programs of study that participate in limited enrollment include Associate Degree Nursing, Practical Nursing, Cosmetology, EMT, Esthetics, Medical Assisting, and Veterinary Technology. Additional information related to selective admissions programs and their applicant rating sheets can be found on the College website.
Opportunities for Students without a High School Diploma or GED® (18 years or older)
Applicants not having attained a high school diploma but who are 18 years of age may apply for and enroll in certain certificate and diploma programs. These programs of study include Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology; Welding Technology. In addition to completing the general Gaston College admissions application, these applicants must take the College Placement Test and complete the online New Student Orientation prior to registration. Non-high school graduates may also register for courses as a Special Credit student (see statement below regarding Special Credit students). However, students must meet any course prerequisites prior to registration. Please note: Students not possessing a high school diploma or its equivalent are not eligible for financial aid.
Admission for Special Credit or Visiting Students (Non-degree Applicants)
Students wishing to register for credit courses but have no intention of completing a program of study will be classified as Special Credit or Visiting students and may be admitted to credit classes with an advisor’s approval. Students registered as Special Credit or Visiting Students may earn a maximum of 15 credit hours before having to declare a curriculum major or program of study. Tuition and fees are the same as for regular curriculum students. Students listed in the Special Credit or Visiting major code cannot receive financial aid. Credits earned may be applied to a degree, diploma, or certificate program by completing a Petition for Major Change form in the Advising Center.
Residency
The state of North Carolina partially subsidizes the cost of North Carolina public college and university tuition for all students whose domicile, or permanent legal residence, is in North Carolina. Residency determination establishes if students should have in-state or out-of-state tuition. Because North Carolina residency status is governed solely by North Carolina statute, lack of eligibility for in-state status in another state does not guarantee in-state status in North Carolina. The residency statute mandates only those who can demonstrate a minimum of twelve months of uninterrupted domicile (legal residence) in North Carolina are eligible for in-state tuition. The statute also places the burden of proof on students to establish, by a preponderance of evidence, that they are a bona fide domiciliary rather than mere residents of North Carolina.
The Residency Determination Service (RDS) was established in coordination with the University of North Carolina (UNC), the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), and the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) as the centralized service for determining residency for students. This service enables a student to use one residency determination for admissions applications to multiple North Carolina public colleges and universities and to demonstrate residency for state aid programs consideration at all (public and private) North Carolina colleges and universities.
Visit Residency Determination Service for more information.
International Students
International students seeking admission to Gaston College must submit, along with an admissions application, an official or certified copy of their high school transcript and an official/certified copy of any college work completed. If the original copies of these transcripts are in a language other than English, an official English translation is required. Students whose foreign transcripts cannot be evaluated by college personnel are responsible for providing a transcript evaluation from a recognized American transcript evaluation agency. Proof of English proficiency is required. Before entering a full-time academic (college) program, a student is required to have a minimum Testing of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL IBT) score of Reading: 17, Speaking: 16, and Writing 16 or Academic International English Language Testing System (Academic IELTS) score of Reading: 6.5, Listening: 6.5, Speaking: 6.5, and Writing: 6.5.
Once an international student is admitted to the U.S. with F-1 status, certain obligations must be met in order to maintain that status. The international student must continue to carry a full course of study. This is defined as undergraduate study at a college or university which consists of at least 12 credit hours per semester. In addition to not accepting employment off campus, the international student must keep his or her passport valid for at least six months. An extension of status must be applied if the student wishes to remain in the U.S. beyond the period of time for which he or she was admitted. F-1 students are required to disclose fully and truthfully all information requested by INS regardless of whether the information requested is material.
Gaston College is a commuter institution and does not have residence halls or student housing for rent. Students are responsible for finding their own housing. Transportation to the College must be arranged by the student.
ALL APPLICANTS MUST HAVE COMPLETED THESE REQUIREMENTS AT LEAST SIX WEEKS PRIOR TO THE SEMESTER FOR WHICH THEY PLAN TO ENROLL.
Policies and procedures for International students are subject to change in accordance with federal requirements and guidelines.
Requirements for Workforce Development/Continuing Education Programs
Requirements for admission to courses in Workforce Development/Continuing Education/HRD vary by program. For information regarding registration for these courses, please call the Records and Registration Office at 704.922.6232 or email gcregistrar@gaston.edu.
Persons under the age of 16 are permitted to register only for specific summer enrichment programs. Some classes are restricted to persons age 18 and older.
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