The Student Success and Support Program (SSSP) increases student access and success through the provision of core services, including College Terms and Conditions, assessment and placement, counseling, advising, and other education planning services.
Steps to Getting Started
- Apply for admission.
- Submit official transcripts.
- Activate mySierra account.
- Complete College Terms and Condtions.
- Complete assessment-placement.
- Meet with counselor to develop Student Educational Plan (SEP).
- Register for classes.
- Pay fees.
These steps, most of which may be completed online, provide a process that brings the College and the students together in a partnership agreement designed to help students develop and achieve their educational goals.
Agreement
Sierra College will:
- Assess students’ basic educational skills and career goals
- Orient students to the college’s programs, services and policies
- Provide top-quality instruction and services
- Offer a wide variety of courses
- Offer services to support students’ education
- Follow up on students’ progress toward educational goals
Students will:
- Participate in assessment and complete College Terms and Conditions
- Declare an educational goal
- Meet with a counselor to design an educational plan
- Attend classes and complete assigned coursework
- Seek out support services as needed
- Strive to make progress toward goals
Required Steps to Register
Students who are new to Sierra College and returning students who have been away from Sierra College for three years or more must complete College Terms and Conditions, assessment-placement, and new student group counseling prior to registering for classes.
College Terms and Conditions
College Terms and Conditions may be reviewed and completed online through mySierra (the password protected portal that gives users access to secured information on the Sierra College intranet). College Terms and Conditions provides information about programs, student support services, academic expectations and class registration proshy;ceshy;dures.
Assessment-Placement
As part of the process to enhance student success, Sierra College requires assessment testing/placement for reading, mathematics, English and/or English as a Second Language. Course placement services include evaluation of the following documents:
- high school and other college transcripts;
- Early Assessment Program (EAP) results;
- ACT, AP, ELM, IB, and SAT results; and
- other two-year regionally accredited college assessment reports.
Students should use the online placement tool located on the assessment web page to determine if an assessment test is needed.
Counseling
Sierra College provides new student group counseling sessions in which students work with counselors to develop Student Educational Plans (SEP). Counselors may also refer students to support services and answer specific questions and concerns.
Exemptions
Some students are exempt from College Terms and Conditions, assessment-placement, and counseling requirements. Nevertheless, stushy;dents are encouraged to avail themshy;selves of these services. Students are exempt if they meet any of the folshy;lowshy;ing criteria:
- Hold an associate degree or higher;
- Apply with an educational goal of “educational development,” “maintain certificate or license,” or “advance in current job/career.”
Challenges or Appeals
A student may file a challenge or complaint if the stushy;dent believes that the Student Success Act regulations are not being met. All challenges, appeals, complaints, or requests for information should be dishy;rectshy;ed to the counseling office in the Winstead Center on the Rocklin campus.
Enrollment Priorities
Enrollment priority is provided for students enrolling at Sierra College for the purpose of degree or certificate attainment, transfer to a four-year college or university, or career advancement. Students must:
- have completed College Terms and Conditions and assessment;
- attended a counseling appointment and developed a student education plan;
- be in good academic standing, first semester academic or progress probation, or be making satisfactory semester progress with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher;
- have completed less than 100 degree-applicable units at Sierra College (excludes all courses numbered 500 and above, such as non-degree applicable English as a Second Language courses, basic skills courses, or special courses designed to address the educational limitations of students with disabilities).
Registration priority shall be provided to students in order of priority listed below (within each category, priority is assigned by number of units completed at Sierra College).
Priority 1
- Students who are receiving services through CalWORKs; and
- Students who are determined to be eligible for services through Disabled Students Program and Services (DSPS); and
- Students who are receiving services through Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS); and
- Foster youth or former foster youth students up to and including the age of 25 by the first day of the term; and
- Homeless youth; and
- Veterans and Members of Armed Forces or State Military Reserve (have priority for 4 academic years)
- Must be a resident of California;
- Must be honorable, general, or other than honorable discharge;
- Must begin education within 15 years of leaving State or Federal active duty.
Priority 2 Student groups in the following order:
- College-authorized: Intercollegiate Athletes, TRiO students, and RISE students.
- 1st semester Sierra Promise students.
- Continuing, returning, and Ghidotti students.
- New students – must have completed College Terms and Conditions, assessment, counseling/advising and a student education plan.
Priority 3
- Students who have lost enrollment priority.
- All other students (including but not limited to Academic Enrichment students).
Enrollment priority for any student (other than foster youth or former foster youth) shall be lost at the first registration opportunity for either of the following reasons:
- The student is placed on academic and/or progress probation for two consecutive semesters and is subject to dismissal. (An automatic appeal will be granted for any student making satisfactory semester progress by earning a semester GPA of 2.0 or higher.)
- The student has earned 100 or more degree-applicable units at Sierra College.
DSPS students who have been granted an accommodation of registration priority as part of their documented plan are not subject to loss of registration priority.
Reference: Sierra College Board Policy 5055, and Administrative Procedure 5055.
Enrollment Priority Appeals
Students may appeal the loss of priority enrollment status due to extenuating circumstances, or where a student with a disability applied for, but did not receive reasonable accommodation in a timely manner. Extenuating circumstances are verified cases of accidents, illnesses or other circumstances beyond the control of the student. Contact an Admissions and Records office for further information.
Class Registration
Stushy;dents may regshy;isshy;ter at the desshy;igshy;natshy;ed date and time or at any time thereshy;afshy;ter during schedshy;uled hours of regshy;isshy;trashy;tion. Stushy;dents are encouraged to use mySierra web registration at www.sierracollege.edu during their schedshy;uled time to ensure the best posshy;sishy;ble course seshy;lecshy;tion. and registration.
Waitlists
A 20 space wailist may be established for classes offered by Sierra College that have reached maximum enrollment.
- Eligible students who meet the course prerequisite may join the waitlist.
- Students enrolled on a waitlist for a course section will be permitted to enroll in another section of the same course.
- Students are permitted to join multiple waitlists for the same course.
When a seat becomes available in a class, a courtesy notification will be sent to the first student on the waitlist through mySierra email. The student will be given 48 hours from the date and time they become eligible to register in the class, or up to 11:59pm on the day prior to the first day of the class, whichever comes first. If the student does not register, they will be removed from the waitlist and the next student on the waitlist will be sent a courtesy notification of an open seat in the class. This process continues until all available seats are filled. It is recommended that students regularly monitor their mySierra email and waitlist status.
Students remaining on a waitlist once the class begins must attend the class. Students failing to attend the first class meeting ma lose their places on the waitlist. Faculty who add students on the first and/or second day of class will give students on the waitlist first priority in the order in which the students are listed on the waitlist.
For more information, please contact Admissions and Records.
Add/Drop Period
Regshy;isshy;trashy;tion is available during the first two weeks of the fall and spring semesters. Pershy;misshy;sion to add must be obtained from the class professor. The professor supplies each student with a 4-digit add code that allows the student to add the course through mySierra web registration or in person at a campus Adshy;misshy;sions and Records office. All fees must be paid at the time of registration. Reshy;fer to the website for regshy;isshy;trashy;tion details and deadshy;line dates and times.
Late Start and Fast Track classes have class-specific add/drop deadlines. This information is published in the class schedule and may be accessed by clicking on the CRN (course reference number) and reviewing the "Critical Dates for this Course."
Note: Under no circumstances will class registration be processed after the withdrawal deadline.
Payment Information
Fees and tuition are due at the time of registration. Students are given a 10 calendar day grace period, after which they will be dropped from the classes for non-payment. Students registering for classes less than 10 days before the semester begins must have their accounts paid in full before the first day of the term. If there is an outstanding balance owed on the student account after the semester begins, a hold will be placed on the record and the account will be subject to collection.
Fees and Holds
Students owing fees after the start of a semester will have holds placed on their records. Students with holds for unpaid fees, fines, tuition, etc., must clear the holds before any future regshy;isshy;trashy;tion will be permitted or transcripts released. Sierra College reserves the right to use methods permitted by law to collect fees due, including referral to a collection agency. For further information, visit www.sierracollege.edu/payment.
Enshy;rollshy;ment Fee
Sierra College chargshy;es a State-manshy;datshy;ed enshy;rollshy;ment fee of $46.00 per unit each semester. Enrollment fees are established by the California State Legislature and are subject to change.
Recipients of CalWORKs, SSI/SSP, Genshy;ershy;al Asshy;sisshy;tance, or qualshy;ishy;fied deshy;penshy;dents of deshy;ceased or disabled vetshy;ershy;ans may be exshy;empt from the enshy;rollshy;ment fee. Check with the Fishy;nanshy;cial Aid office at least one week prior to regshy;isshy;trashy;tion for fee credshy;its, fee waivshy;ers, grants and other means of fishy;nanshy;cial asshy;sisshy;tance.
Health Fee
The mandatory health fee provides enrolled stushy;dents with a range of medshy;ishy;cal services at the Sierra College Health Centers. The health fee is charged as folshy;lows:
- $20.00 per semester for stushy;dents enrolled in fall or spring seshy;messhy;ter class(es);
- $17.00 for stushy;dents enrolled in summer session class(es)
Exemptions are given for:
- Recipients of Board of Governor’s fee waiver Type “A”;
- Students enrolled exclusively in contract education classes, noncredit classes, or Public Safety In-Service Training classes;
- Students enrolled in the District’s Academic Enrichment Program;
- Students exclusively auditing classes;
- Students who are dependent upon prayer for healshy;ing (contact an Admissions and Records office for the exshy;empshy;tion form prior to registration).
Instructional Materials Fee
Students may be required to provide instructional materials for a credit or noncredit course, or purchase such materials from Sierra College. Approved instructional materials and related fees are published in the class schedule. Instructional materials fees are collected at the time of registration.
Nonresident Student Tuition and Nonresident Capital Outlay Fee
Under state law, all community colleges are reshy;quired to charge nonresident tuition to out-of-state residents and inshy;tershy;nashy;tionshy;al students. The charge for the 2018-2019 catshy;ashy;log year is $211.00 per unit. Nonresident tushy;ition is in adshy;dishy;tion to the enshy;rollshy;ment fee.
State residency determinations for specific students, exceptions to residency determinations, and exemptions shall be determined in accordance with Education Code and Title 5. (Ed. Code Section 68000-68100, 68130.5, 76140 subd. (a)(4) & (a)(5)).
Contact Admissions and Records or visit our Fees and Expenses website for more information.
In addition to the enrollment fee and nonresident student tuition, nonresident students must pay a Nonresident Student Capital Outlay Fee of $21.00 per unit. Students wishing to apply for an economic hardship waiver must submit the completed paperwork to an Admissions and Records office.
Parking Fee
Every vehicle using the Rocklin, Nevada Counshy;ty, or Tahoe-Truckee camshy;pus parkshy;ing fashy;cilshy;ishy;ties must display a valid parkshy;ing permit, clearshy;ly visshy;ishy;ble through the driver-side, front windshy;shield of the veshy;hishy;cle, or a valshy;id DMV disshy;abled pershy;son license plate or placard. Permits may be purshy;chased through mySierra. Stushy;dents reshy;ceivshy;ing fishy;nanshy;cial aid may be elshy;ishy;gishy;ble to purchase a permit for a reshy;duced fee. Conshy;tact a Fishy;nanshy;cial Aid ofshy;fice for deshy;tails.
| Regular Semester Fee | |
| Standard Permit—Rocklin and Nevada County | $53.00 |
| Standard Permit—Tahoe-Truckee | $43.00 |
| Standard Permit—Financial Aid Eligible | $26.50 |
| Carpool Permit | $35.00 |
| Motorcycle Permit | $15.00 |
| Summer Session | |
| Standard Permit—All Campuses | $26.00 |
| Standard Permit—Financial Aid Eligible | $25.00 |
| Carpool Permit | $26.00 |
| Motorcycle Permit | $7.00 |
Daily permits are available for $3.00 per day at pershy;mit disshy;pensshy;ers loshy;catshy;ed in parking lots. There is no charge for parking from 4:00 p.m. Friday to 11:00 p.m. Sunday.
Parking permits are non-transferable. A parkshy;ing pershy;mit does not guarshy;anshy;tee that a parking space will be availshy;able. Citations will be isshy;sued to veshy;hishy;cles withshy;out permits and for violations of district policy and state law. For more information reshy;gardshy;ing parkshy;ing fees, rules, or reshy;funds, contact the Parking and Security Services office at (916) 660-7120, or visit the campus parking web page.
Student Body Photo ID Card/Activity Sticker
Students who have paid all registration fees are eligible for Student Body Photo Identification Cards. The cards are issued at the Rocklin Campus library, Nevada County or Tahoe-Truckee Campus Admissions and Records offices. Students are required to have the photo ID to check out materials at the Sierra College Library and to use the Mathematics Laboratory, Testing Center, and Instructional Laboratories. There is no fee for the ID card.
A student body activity sticker may be purchased each fall and spring semester for $10.00. The sticker, when affixed to the ID card, provides student discounts at campus activities, performances, athletic events, and discounts at local participating businesses. The sticker may be purchased through mySierra. Contact the Rocklin Campus Life Office at (916) 660-7380 for further details on student discounts, including refund information.
Student Center Fee
The mandatory Student Center Fee is designated solely for the purpose of funding and operating a student center. The fee, charged for the fall and spring semesters, is $1.00 per unit, to a maximum of $5.00 per seshy;messhy;ter. Exshy;empshy;tions are given to:
- Recipients of Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver Type A; and
- Students enrolled exclusively in noncredit courses.
Additional Semester Expenses1
The following are approximate costs of other fees and exshy;pensshy;es for a full-time student for one seshy;messhy;ter:
| Room and Board (on campus) | $3,600.00 |
| Books and Supplies | $400.00 |
| Transportation (by car) | $700.00 |
| Personal (clothes, recreation, etc.) | $900.00 |
| 1 | These are estimates and are subject to change. Personal expenses vary with individual needs and tastes. |
Refunds
Enrollment, health and student center fees are refundable to stushy;dents who are dropped or drop themselves from full-term classes within the first two weeks of the fall and spring semesters. For specific short-term class refund deadshy;lines, stushy;dents should refer to their printed student schedule/bill or the published class schedule, check their mySierra account, conshy;tact their proshy;fesshy;sor or contact an Adshy;misshy;sions and Records office. Note: Refunds are not issued to students who drop or are dropped from classes by their professors after the census day.
Nonresident Student Tuition is refundshy;able for reshy;ducshy;tion of unit load if the stushy;dent withshy;draws from full-semester classes during the first two weeks of a semester. Short-term classes have their own deadlines.
One-half of Nonresident Student Tushy;ition is reshy;fundshy;able if the student completely withshy;draws from Sierra College withshy;in the first six weeks of a seshy;messhy;ter, or the first two weeks of a summer session. This is not an automatic refund; students must submit a request to the Bursar's office.
All students receive a Refund Selection Kit after their initial registration in classes. Students may choose from the following disbursement options: direct deposit to an existing bank account, direct deposit to a BankMobile VIBE account, or paper check via U.S. mail. If no option is chosen, the default is a paper check.
Refunds are automatically processed two to three weeks after the semester begins. Allow an additional 14 days for paper check disbursements. For more information, read the Refund Information article on the website.
Parking Permit Refunds
Applications for refunds will be acshy;ceptshy;ed during the first two weeks of a semester or the first three days of a summer session. Apshy;plishy;cants must present their parkshy;ing pershy;mit to a campus Parking and Security Sershy;vicshy;es office along with a comshy;pletshy;ed parkshy;ing reshy;fund reshy;quest form. Alshy;low six weeks for the reshy;fund to be processed.
American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Education Tax Credits
In accordance with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Sierra College mails Tax Form 1098-T at the end of January to each student who paid enrollment fees in the prior calendar year and was officially enrolled as of the course census date. This information is also provided to the IRS. It is the student’s responsibility to provide proof of payment in accordance with IRS regulations. Please check with a tax preparer to determine if you are eligible for either of these tax credits or contact the IRS directly at (800) 829-1040 or at www.irs.gov. The records of students who have chosen an assigned identification number are not reported.
Reference: Sierra College Board Policies/Administrative Procedures Chapter 5.
