Admission

Eligibility

Admission to Sierra College is open to any person who:

1. Has a high school diploma, GED, or passed the high school proficiency examination, or
2. Is over 18 years of age and capable of profiting from instruction.

Admission Procedures

All new students and students returning to Si­er­ra Col­lege after an absence of one or more se­mes­ters must sub­mit an ap­pli­ca­tion for ad­mis­sion prior to reg­is­ter­ing for class­es. Electronic ap­pli­ca­tions are available online at www.sierracollege.edu. Paper applications, also available in Spanish and Russian, may be obtained at a campus Admissions and Records office. Students are encouraged to submit official high school and col­lege tran­scripts to Ad­mis­sions and Records.

Each semester the college offers registration op­por­tu­ni­ties to those who file an application for ad­mis­sion. For more information regarding registration steps, please visit the Admissions and Records website.

Residency Re­quire­ments

For the purpose of determining tuition and en­roll­ment fees, Si­er­ra College stu­dents are subject to the le­gal res­i­dence re­stric­tions es­tab­lished by the Cal­i­for­nia leg­is­la­ture. Res­i­den­cy is de­ter­mined at the time of ad­mis­sion and re­quires a state­ment of legal res­i­dence. Sup­port­ing doc­u­men­ta­tion may also be re­quired.

Any student who has not established California residency will be clas­si­fied a nonresident. Regulations allow certain students to apply for nonresident tuition waivers. Nonresident stu­dents who wish to request a res­i­den­cy sta­tus change must submit a Residency Reclassification Petition and required documentation by the end of the semester in question to Admissions and Records. Additional residency documentation options are available for active and discharged members of the military. 

For further information on how California residency may be established, or how to apply for a nonresident tuition waiver, please visit the Residency Requirements website or contact Admissions and Records.

International Students

International students attend Sierra College from around the world. Each semester more than 47 different countries are represented at the college. Based on ESL assessment scores and prior coursework, students will be placed in appropriate courses. Assistance with the application and registration process is provided by Enrollment Services. Students can access international student information and application forms on the college website.

In­ter­na­tion­al stu­dents wish­ing to apply for study to the col­lege on an F-1 visa must sub­mit the fol­low­ing to the In­ter­na­tion­al Stu­dents Of­fice:

1. A completed Sierra College International Stu­dent Ap­pli­ca­tion.
2. Meet at least one of the following English Lan­guage Re­quire­ments:
   TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 133 CBT (computer-based test), 450 PBT (paper-based test), 45 iBT (internet-based test), or 5.0 IELTS (International English Language Testing System). This requirement is waived for students from coun­tries that use En­glish as the primary lan­guage in their ed­u­ca­tion­al sys­tems.
3. An of­fi­cial bank statement (in English) dated within three months indicating that there are sufficient funds available to cover tuition ex­pens­es (minimum $18,000.00 U.S. dollars).
4. Official transcripts trans­lat­ed into En­glish in­di­cat­ing successful com­ple­tion at a sec­ond­ary school equiv­a­lent to com­ple­tion of an Amer­i­can high school and tran­scripts from any col­leges or uni­ver­si­ties at­tend­ed.
5. A copy of valid passport (photo page).
6. A non-refundable application processing fee of $100.00 pay­able to Sierra College in the form of a MasterCard or Visa credit card, cashier’s check, or check drawn on a U.S. bank (do not send cash). The $100.00 will be cred­it­ed toward tu­ition at the time of reg­is­tra­tion.

International Student Priority Application Deadlines

(for students transferring from another U.S. college):

International Student Priority Application Deadline

Semester	Date
Fall semester	June 1
Spring semester	November 1
Summer session	May 1

NOTE: Prior to arriving in the United States, prospective students shall submit to Sierra College proof of freedom from tuberculosis dated no more than 90 days before the start of classes. This report must be professionally translated to English.

Mandatory Sierra College Health Insurance

All in­ter­na­tion­al stu­dents at­tend­ing Sierra Col­lege must purchase mandatory health in­sur­ance. There are no ex­cep­tions, even for students who have health insurance through their home coun­tries.

Other Important Health Information

When traveling from coun­try to country, a stu­dent may be ex­posed to different dis­eas­es. Sierra College strong­ly en­cour­ag­es the fol­low­ing im­mu­ni­za­tions: Tet­a­nus, Mea­sles and Ru­bel­la.

Academic En­rich­ment Program

Sierra College provides special part-time ad­mis­sion to stu­dents who:

• have completed the tenth grade;
• are at least 15 years of age;
• have a GPA of 3.0 or above; and
• placed into the appropriate transfer level courses.

Students must attend a high school which has a current Academic Enrichment Compliance form on file in the Admissions and Records office. Home schooled students must have an affidavit indicating they are legally home schooled.

Students must submit a Sierra College ap­pli­ca­tion for admission, an Academic En­rich­ment Permission form, and a high school transcript each semester. En­roll­ment must be recommended by the school principal or counselor, and have the consent of a parent or guardian. Students should be counseled by the high school staff to determine the courses in which they should enroll. Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 7 units per semester; specific courses in which students may not enroll are published online on the Academic Enrichment Restricted Course List. Stu­dents admitted under these provisions are subject to all college rules and regulations and are not eligible for student employment. Contact a campus Admissions and Records office for more in­for­ma­tion.

Reference: Sierra College Board Policies/Administrative Procedures Chapter 5.