This is an archived copy of the 2020-2021 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.sierracollege.edu.

Sierra College provides core services, including counseling, advising, and other education and career planning services to ensure students have a successful transition to college. 

Steps to Getting Started

  1. Apply for admission.
  2. Attend Career and Academic Planning (CAP) session.
  3. Register for classes. 

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:

  • 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 and Career and Academic Planning (CAP) 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 pro­ce­dures.

Placement and Testing Services

As part of the process to enhance student success, Sierra College provides students with an initial recommended placement in transfer level math and English. English as a Second language students take an assessment for placement in ESL courses. Recommended course placement in math and English is based on the following:

  • information provided by student on the college application

Counseling

Sierra College provides Career and Academic Planning (CAP) 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 and counseling requirements. Nevertheless, stu­dents are encouraged to avail them­selves of these services. Students are exempt if they meet any of the fol­low­ing 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 stu­dent believes that the Student Success Act regulations are not being met. All challenges, appeals, complaints, or requests for information should be di­rect­ed 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;
  • 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;
  • Students who are determined to be eligible for services through Disabled Students Program and Services (DSPS);
  • Students who are receiving services through Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS);
  • Students who are Tribal TANF recipients;
  • Foster youth or former foster youth students up to and including the age of 25 by the first day of the term;
  • Homeless youth;
  • Veterans and Members of Armed Forces or State Military Reserve (have priority for 4 academic years). See Veterans Success Center for more information. 

Priority 2 Student groups in the following order:

  1. College-authorized: Intercollegiate Athletes, TRiO students, and RISE students.
  2. 1st semester Sierra Promise students.
  3. Continuing, returning, and Ghidotti students.
  4. New students – must have completed College Terms and Conditions, 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:

  1. 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.)
  2. 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

Stu­dents may reg­is­ter at the des­ig­nat­ed date and time or at any time there­af­ter during sched­uled hours of reg­is­tra­tion. Stu­dents are encouraged to use mySierra web registration at www.sierracollege.edu during their sched­uled time to ensure the best pos­si­ble course se­lec­tion.

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 may 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

Reg­is­tra­tion is available during the first two weeks of the fall and spring semesters. Per­mis­sion to add must be obtained from the class professor. The professor supplies each student with an add code that allows the student to add the course through mySierra web registration or in person at a campus Ad­mis­sions and Records office. All fees must be paid at the time of registration. Re­fer to the website for reg­is­tra­tion details and dead­line 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. It is the student's responsibility to drop from courses they are no longer intending to take. 

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 reg­is­tra­tion will be permitted. Sierra College reserves the right to use methods permitted by law to collect fees due, including referral to a collection agency. For further information, please click here. 

En­roll­ment Fee

Sierra College charg­es a State-man­dat­ed en­roll­ment 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, Gen­er­al As­sis­tance, or qual­i­fied de­pen­dents of de­ceased or disabled vet­er­ans may be ex­empt from the en­roll­ment fee. Check with the Fi­nan­cial Aid office prior to reg­is­tra­tion for fee cred­its, fee waiv­ers, grants and other means of fi­nan­cial as­sis­tance.

Health Fee

The mandatory health fee provides enrolled stu­dents with a range of med­i­cal services at the Sierra College Health Centers. The health fee is charged as fol­lows:

  • $21.00 per semester for stu­dents enrolled in fall or spring se­mes­ter class(es);
  • $18.00 for stu­dents enrolled in summer session class(es)

Exemptions are given for:

  • Recipients of California College Promise Grant fee waiver Type “A”;
  • Students enrolled exclusively in contract education classes, noncredit classes, or Public Safety In-Service Training classes;
  • Students enrolled in the special admittance/concurrently enrolled high school students ;
  • Students enrolled in the Ghidotti Early College High School Program;
  • High school students enrolled in Career and College Access Pathways (CCAP) and Partnership for Advanced College Enrollment (PACE) courses; 
  • Students enrolled at the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District;  
  • Students exclusively auditing classes;
  • Students who are dependent upon prayer for heal­ing (contact an Admissions and Records office for the ex­emp­tion 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 re­quired to charge nonresident tuition to out-of-state residents and in­ter­na­tion­al students. The charge for the 2020-2021 cat­a­log year is $290.00 per unit. Nonresident tu­ition is in ad­di­tion to the en­roll­ment 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 $19.00 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 Coun­ty, or Tahoe-Truckee cam­pus park­ing fa­cil­i­ties must display a valid park­ing permit, clear­ly vis­i­ble through the driver-side, front wind­shield of the ve­hi­cle, or a val­id DMV dis­abled per­son license plate or placard. Permits may be pur­chased through mySierra. Stu­dents re­ceiv­ing fi­nan­cial aid may be el­i­gi­ble to purchase a permit for a re­duced fee. Con­tact a Fi­nan­cial Aid of­fice for de­tails.

Regular Semester Fee
Standard Permit—Rocklin and Nevada County $58.00
Standard Permit—Tahoe-Truckee $43.00
Standard Permit—Financial Aid Eligible $29.00
Carpool Permit $35.00
Motorcycle Permit $15.00
Summer Session
Standard Permit—All Campuses $29.00
Standard Permit—Financial Aid Eligible $29.00
Carpool Permit $26.00
Motorcycle Permit $7.00

Daily permits are available for $3.00 per day at per­mit dis­pens­ers lo­cat­ed 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 park­ing per­mit does not guar­an­tee that a parking space will be avail­able. Citations will be is­sued to ve­hi­cles with­out permits and for violations of district policy and state law. For more information re­gard­ing park­ing fees, rules, or re­funds, 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.

All students are automatically opted in, and pay $10 for the Student Body Activity Sticker each Fall and Spring semester. Students have the option to opt out of the Student Body Activity Sticker during online class registration. The sticker, when affixed to the Student Body ID Card, provides several student discounts and access to certain campus programs. 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 se­mes­ter. Ex­emp­tions are given to:

  • Recipients of California College Promise Grant fee waiver Type A; and
  • Students enrolled exclusively in noncredit courses.

Student Representation Fee

In accordance with Assembly Bill 1504 – Student Representation Fee, all students are automatically opted in, and pay $2.00 at the time of registration for each semester and summer term. All students are offered an option to opt-out of paying the fee, without providing a reason, prior to being charged the fee.  The money collected shall be used to provide support for governmental affairs representatives of local or statewide student body organizations who may be stating their positions and viewpoints before city, county, and district governments, and before offices and agencies of state government.  For this fee, $1.00 of every $2.00 collected will be used to support the Student Senate of the California Community Colleges (SSCCC), the statewide community college student organization recognized by the Board of Governors (BOG) of the California Community Colleges.

The SSCCC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization that provides students with opportunities to take an active role in higher education advocacy, policy development, and participatory governance. Title 5 §51023.7 grants students the right to participate in the development of those policies and procedures that significantly impact them and the SSCCC is the mechanism for students to participate statewide in policy development. The SSCCC is guided by the delegates from all California community colleges and is recognized as the official voice of the over 2.1 million students by the Board of Governors, legislature, governor, and other education stakeholders. The new funding source will provide the SSCCC with resources to provide greater sustainability, institutional memory, and transparency, as well as funds for student leadership and advocacy training.

Additional Semester Expenses1

The following are approximate costs of other fees and ex­pens­es for a full-time student for one se­mes­ter:

Room and Board (on campus) $3,700.00
Books and Supplies $896.00
Transportation (by car) $1,300.00
Personal (clothes, recreation, etc.) $1,548.00

Refunds

Enrollment, health and student center fees are refundable to stu­dents 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 dead­lines, stu­dents should refer to their printed student schedule/bill or the published class schedule, check their mySierra account, con­tact their pro­fes­sor or contact an Ad­mis­sions 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 refund­able for re­duc­tion of unit load if the stu­dent with­draws from full-semester classes during the first two weeks of a semester. Short-term classes have their own deadlines.

One-half of Nonresident Student Tu­ition is re­fund­able if the student completely with­draws from Sierra College with­in the first six weeks of a se­mes­ter, 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. For more information about BankMobile, click here.

Refunds are automatically processed two to three weeks after the semester begins. For more information, read the Refund Information article on the website.

Parking Permit Refunds

Applications for refunds will be ac­cept­ed during the first two weeks of a semester or the first three days of a summer session. Ap­pli­cants must present their park­ing per­mit to a campus Parking and Security Ser­vic­es office along with a com­plet­ed park­ing re­fund re­quest form. Al­low six weeks for the re­fund 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.