Admissions and Registration

Apply for Admission

Southwestern Michigan College is an equal opportunity, equal access college with an open-door admission policy. Individuals are eligible for admission if they have a high school diploma, GED, or have completed a home school program. Individuals with a Certificate of Completion, Alternative Diploma, or an equivalent high school status, are not eligible for enrollment in a degree or certificate program. Final admission decisions rest with the college. SMC also cannot guarantee admission to a specific program of study as certain programs are competitive or have limited capacity.

There is no cost to submit an application for admission to Southwestern Michigan College, and it only takes a few minutes to do so. Prospective students can complete the application online at https://swmich.edu/apply.

After submitting the application for admission, prospective students should submit their final high school or GED transcript and their SAT or ACT scores, if they have taken either of these tests. More information about admission procedures and policies can be found online at https://www.swmich.edu/admissions.

Applicants with a Criminal History or Disciplinary Record

Applicants answering affirmatively to questions about felony or misdemeanor charges on the application may be required to submit a non-refundable $40.00 check or money order in order for SMC officials to conduct a criminal background check. The applicant may also be asked to provide written statements which will provide SMC officials with additional details of the nature of the offense(s). Interviews with college administrators may be scheduled in an effort to determine if the applicant should be granted admittance, receive deferred admittance, or be denied admission. A committee at SMC will make that determination. All information gathered will be kept on file and will be handled in a confidential manner. However, it should be noted that SMC reserves the right to notify the administration, faculty, and/or staff of the college, on a need-to-know basis, of the student’s name and criminal and rehabilitative history. Please direct any questions you may have to the Director of Security and Conduct, David C. Briegel Building, Room 2104, 58900 Cherry Grove Rd., Dowagiac, MI 49047, 269-782-1321, lparrish@swmich.edu.

Applicants with International Credentials

SMC is not currently accepting applications for admission from international students who have or will require an F-1 student visa to enroll. If you are a legal permanent resident of the United States, are undocumented/DACA, or have a different type of visa that permits study in the United States, you may apply for admission.

Applicants who attended high school outside of the U.S. or wish to transfer college credits from international colleges and universities to SMC must have their international transcripts and credentials evaluated by an independent international credential evaluation service. All international credentials must be sent directly from the evaluation service in order to be considered official. Credential evaluation means converting foreign academic credentials into their U.S. equivalents. The service companies listed below produce individualized, written reports describing each certificate, diploma, or degree you have earned, including details of individual courses and credits, specifying the U.S. equivalents. SMC does not perform its own credit evaluations of international transcripts. One of the following services, or another NACES member service, must complete the evaluation. It is important to request a “course-by-course” evaluation rather than a “document-by-document” evaluation. This enables SMC to transfer individual course credits.

Note: If your documents are not issued in English, you are required to send precise and word-by-word translations to WES or ECE. If you do not send a copy of the translation, your records cannot be evaluated. A certified translation agency such as University Language Services is recommended.

Attend a New Student Orientation

All new students must complete New Student Orientation. Online program students will complete orientation virtually. During campus orientation, new students will register for classes, learn about campus resources and how to succeed in their program, meet key staff including program Deans, and finish up last-minute business. Students will have the opportunity to tour campus and connect with other students. From placement tests to class registration and financial aid, a student can complete all necessary steps to get started at SMC. Please see the Online Program Students section to learn more about specific onboarding requirements for online program students.

Send Transcripts and Make Payment

The final steps toward enrollment include sending transcripts from previous colleges directly to SMC and paying the first semester balance. While high school transcripts should be sent to the Admissions Office, 58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac, MI 49047, students should send any prior college transcripts to the SMC Records Office. It is important that prior college transcripts arrive before the start of the semester for evaluation so that any necessary schedule adjustments can be made prior to the start of the term. Transcripts that arrive after the start of the semester will not automatically change a student’s current schedule of courses.

More information about the transfer of credit for coursework completed at regionally accredited post-secondary educational institutions, AP, CLEP, and military credit can be found online at https://swmich.edu/admissions/testing-and-earning-credit/transferring-credit-to-smc/.

To make payment for courses, students should contact or visit the Business Office located on the first floor of the Briegel Building on the Dowagiac campus or in the Student Services Center on the Niles campus. Students can also call 269-782-1298 or email ecashier@swmich.edu. Payment plans are available. Bills are due August 1 for the fall semester, December 1 for the spring semester, and May 1 for the summer semester. For more information about payment options and policies, visit https://swmich.edu/business-office.

Online Program Students

Online program students enroll in one of the fully online programs offered at SMC. All student services offerings are available to online program students in a virtual format, including placement testing, new student orientation, advising, registration, financial aid services, tutoring, and library services. IT Help Desk services are also available for students. Online program students can access all student services and academic programming for their degree without ever physically coming to one of our brick-and-mortar campuses. If the student would rather access services in-person, that is an option as well.

Online program students are afforded all the onboarding and advising opportunities as any student that physically attends SMC. Online orientation and virtual advising are expectations prior to registration. A dedicated academic advisor guides the student from application through graduation, by enrolling the student each semester to ensure a smooth navigation through our online programs. Students receive an individualized degree plan to outline a semester-by-semester guide to their degree completion.

To be officially considered an online program student, the student must declare their major as one of SMC’s online programs. New students should apply to the college and select one of the online programs as their major. Major changes for current students into an online program must be done in consultation with the academic advisor for online programs.

Guest College Students

Guest college students enroll in courses at SMC to transfer credits back to their home college or university for the purpose of degree-completion at the home institution. Guest college students of SMC should be high school graduates with some college-level work previously finished. A student who studies at SMC as a guest college student is not eligible for financial aid. Guest college students should complete an application for admission to SMC and be prepared to provide unofficial or official transcripts from their home institutions to demonstrate satisfaction of SMC prerequisites. An advisor specifically assigned to guest college students will help the student navigate registration and additional onboarding needs. It is the responsibility of the student to investigate the transferability of the SMC course(s) back to the home institution.

Guest college students who consider remaining at SMC for consecutive semesters should speak with their advisor and will need to complete a new application for admission to formally declare the transition from guest to degree-seeking student at SMC. Guest college students should not remain in the “guest” status for more than one semester.

For more information about becoming a guest college student at SMC, contact 269-687-4811.

Student-Athletes

Southwestern Michigan College has nine (9) intercollegiate athletic teams and competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Men’s sports include Basketball, Cross Country, Track and Field, and Wrestling. Women’s sports include Basketball, Cross Country, Track and Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling. Student-athletes are responsible for working with their coaches, instructors, and advisor to become and remain eligible for competition. Student-athletes must adhere to the same academic rules and policies as other SMC students and also be aware of eligibility requirements set forth by the NJCAA.

For more information about becoming a student-athlete at SMC, contact 269-782-1401.

Dual Enrolled Students

Dual enrollment opportunities are available to students ages 14 and older who have not yet achieved a high school credential and who may obtain college credit by taking courses at Southwestern Michigan College. The following rules apply to these students:

High School Sponsored

The Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act (PA 160 of 1996) provides for payment from a school district’s state aid foundation grant for enrollment of certain eligible high school students in postsecondary courses of education. The bill establishes eligibility criteria for students, institutions, and courses; requires eligible charges (tuition, mandatory course or material fees, and registration fees) to be billed to a school district; establishes enrollment and credit requirements; requires school districts to provide counseling and information to eligible students and their parents; and requires intermediate school districts to report to the U.S. Department of Education.

Eligibility

In order to meet eligibility requirements for dual enrollment, a student must:

• Be enrolled in at least one high school class in a school district, public school academy, or state-approved nonpublic school in Michigan,
• Not be a foreign exchange pupil enrolled under a cultural exchange program (J-1 Visa),
• Have at least one parent or legal guardian that is a resident of Michigan (unless the student is experiencing homelessness), and
• Not have been enrolled in high school for more than four school years (unless one of the exceptions provided for an administrative rule has been satisfied).

Eligible Postsecondary Institution-388.513(1)(e)

State universities, community colleges, or independent non-profit degree-granting colleges or universities located in Michigan that choose to comply with the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act are eligible.

Eligible Course-388.513(1)(d)

In order to be eligible for dual enrolled credit, a course must:

• Be offered by an eligible postsecondary institution for postsecondary credit,
• Not be offered by the eligible student’s high school (or is not available to the student due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict),
• Be academic in nature [i.e., it normally applies toward the satisfaction of (postsecondary) degree requirements],
• Not ordinarily be taken as an activity course,
• Not be a hobby, craft, or recreational course, and
• Be in a subject area other than physical education, theology, divinity, or religious education

A district may elect to support a student’s enrollment in a subject area in which the student has not yet achieved a qualifying score if it has been determined to be in the best educational interest of the student.

Course Limits

Up to 10 courses overall can be covered under the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act. The following list describes how many courses may be covered each year depending on the grade in which a student first dual enrolls.

• 9th grade: Not more than two courses per year in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade, and not more than four courses in grade 12.
• 10th grade: Not more than two courses in 10th grade, and not more than four courses in 11th and 12th grade.
• 11th or 12th grade: Not more than six courses per year.

These limits may be waived when a written agreement exists between a school district and a postsecondary institution as discussed in MCL 388.513.

Academies

Academies are occupation-based curricula offered via the Intermediate School District (ISD). Policies and procedures are available through the ISD. Some college courses may not be open to students enrolled in academies. A few of these courses are listed here: ENGL 115 , MATH 114 , MATH 114C .

Homeschooled Students

Students who are not participating in the school district curriculum but are completing their high school credential under the guidance of a parent or guardian may also participate in dual enrollment. The students must be currently enrolled in a curriculum in which the outcome of completing that curriculum is a high school credential. Generally, homeschooled students who are part of a partnership wishing to dual enroll at SMC must successfully place out of developmental reading and English (ENGL 115 ) before taking any courses at SMC. Moreover, prospective students must successfully place out of developmental math (MATH 114  and MATH 114C ) before taking any math or science course.

For students ages 14-17, a Dual Enrollment Approval form must be submitted at the time of registration. Adult students (ages 18 and above) are exempt from this policy. Students under the age of 14 by November 1 are prohibited from taking college courses or enrichment courses at SMC.

Under-Age Students

Students ages 14 to 15 may be admitted to SMC for a specific class or classes only if they have written permission of a responsible school official and their parent or guardian. Students must meet any prerequisites for any course in which they choose to enroll. Parents of students ages 14 to 15 will also sign a permission statement acknowledging the nature of an adult educational environment. Students approved by a school official to participate in a class offered on-site at a high school are exempt from this policy. Students must be 14 by November 1 to be eligible to enroll in classes.

High School Expulsion

Students who have been expelled from high school will not be eligible to take college classes at SMC.

Registration Information

After the first semester, in which students will be registered for courses with the help of an advisor, most students are responsible to register themselves in consultation with their advisor during the appropriate timelines published by the school. Online program students, however, will continue to be registered by an advisor. Below is information to help students better understand the registration process at SMC. Students who have questions concerning registration should contact the Academic Advising and Resource Center at 269-782-1303 or askanadvisor@swmich.edu.

Program Length

SMC offers associate degrees, certificates, and credentials.  Associate degrees are defined as programs two years in length that require a minimum of 60 credits.  Certificates are defined as programs one year in length that require a minimum of 21 credits.  Credentials are a pathway of study of one year or less, requiring fewer than 21 credits, and preparing an individual for a licensing exam or a specific occupational assignment.  Students in credential programs are considered “completers” and not graduates; and therefore, will not receive a diploma from SMC.

Structure of Semesters

The beginning of the new academic year starts with the fall semester in September. Each fall and spring semester consists of 15 weeks and the summer semester consists of ten weeks. All semesters have two sessions embedded within them called Early End and Late Start. An Early End course starts at the beginning of the semester and lasts approximately seven to eight weeks during the fall and spring semesters, and five weeks during the summer semester, concluding at the mid-point of the semester. A Late Start course begins near the middle of the semester, runs for approximately seven to eight weeks during the fall and spring semester and five weeks during the summer semester, and concludes at the end of the semester.

Schedule of Classes

Students will typically find the schedule of classes available within three weeks of registration opening for the upcoming semester. The schedule of classes can be found on SMC Wired. This allows students time to review the classes, meet with their advisor, and prepare for the opening of registration. Students can begin to register for summer and fall semester classes in late March/early April. Students can begin to register for spring semester classes in late October/early November. Registration remains open for students to adjust their schedule until the add/drop period ends in the new semester. Students who have an outstanding balance with the Business Office are not permitted to register for courses until their balance has been paid.

Full-Time Student Definition

The minimum course load required to be considered a full-time student is 12 credits for all semesters. Audited courses do not count toward determining course load. Students who carry 6-11 credits for the fall and spring semester are considered at least half-time status and remain eligible for financial aid. Students who carry a load below half-time status (5 credits or less during the fall and spring semester) may not be eligible for financial aid.

Adding and Dropping Courses

There is a firmly established deadline each semester for students to add a course or drop a course. SMC’s Records Office, Financial Aid Office, and Business Office hold to these deadlines in the processing of grades, financial aid, and tuition charges. Students typically can add and drop courses themselves through SMC Wired through the first week of the semester. After this point, with most semester-length courses, students will assume full academic and financial responsibility for their participation in the course. With Late Start courses, students may only have one or two days from the start of the course to add and drop. Students are asked to pay very close attention to these deadlines to ensure that their registration schedule is accurate.

Lack of Participation Drops

Every instructor will confirm that students are participating in their registered classes. Students who are not participating by the end of the third week of classes may be administratively removed from the course. Students will have an opportunity to appeal this decision, but every effort should be made by students to actively engage in each course for which they are registered.

Withdrawing from Courses

Students who do not drop a course by the drop deadline and who want to officially withdraw from a class will be assigned a final grade of “W” for their participation in the course. The window for withdrawing from a course remains until the published last day to withdraw is announced (typically 90% of the course duration). The last day to withdraw from a course is also published to the student at the time of registration and is listed on the student’s schedule on Dashboard. Students should be alerted to the different dates for different class formats. Students must see an advisor to start the withdrawal process. Once a course withdraw is processed, it cannot be reversed. A medical withdrawal is treated the same as any other type of course withdrawal.

Grading and GPA Calculations

SMC operates on a traditional 4-point grading scale with the following typical letter grades (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, etc.). GPA is calculated by taking the total quality points earned and dividing it by the SMC GPA hours. Letter grades from previous transfer credit, excluded courses through the course repeat process, incompletes, and withdrawal are not factored into a student’s GPA calculation.

To calculate total quality points, you must multiply the point value for the letter grade earned by the number of credits earned. An “A” has a point value of 4. A student who takes a four-credit-hour course and earns a final grade of “A” has earned 16 quality points, while a student who earns an “A” in a three-credit-hour course has earned 12 quality points. Divide the quality points by the credits earned and both students have a 4.0 GPA. See the following example for GPA calculation:

SAMPLE GPA CALCULATION TABLE

Students in the Honors Program at SMC may earn a letter grade followed by a “H” (e.g., AH, A-H, B+H, etc.). The letter “H” will not change the GPA quality points earned for a particular course but will display on the student’s transcript to indicate that the course taken was administered to the student at an honors level.

Students who earn a GPA of 2.0 or above are considered in Good Academic Standing. See the Academic Statuses Policy in the Academic Policies section of this catalog for important information about students who are not in good standing, having cumulative GPAs below 2.0.