Minnesota West Policies

Chapter 3 - Educational

3.4 Admissions

Minnesota West Community & Technical College maintains an open door policy for admissions to the college. Students who have graduated from high school or have obtained a General Education Development (GED) Certificate, have scores on the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) Exam or Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) Exam that would qualify for high school equivalency, are eligible for admission.

Students who do not have a high school diploma or General Education Development Certificate, or do not meet the test score requirements on the HiSET or TASC exams may be admitted at the discretion of the college. Some students may be required to complete certain developmental courses before enrolling.

Admission to Minnesota West does not guarantee admission to college-level courses nor to specific programs. New students are required to take an assessment evaluation in Reading, Writing, and Math.

When applying for admission, an application, application fee, and official transcripts are required.  Official high school, GED, HiSET, or TASC score reports and college transcripts must be submitted to the campus Registration Office. Departments may have additional requirements for admission to their programs.

The campus Registration Office provides services pertaining to application for admissions, reciprocity forms, international students, high school enrollments, applications for programs, transcripts received from previous institutions, information for prospective students and tours of the campus.

Students may apply to programs which lead to:

• Certificates
• Diplomas
• Associate of Arts degree
• Associate of Science degree
• Associate of Applied Science degree

 Students may be classified as non-diploma or non-degree seeking applicants.

• Part-time students
• Concurrent high school students
• English as a Second Language student (ESL)

 If students have attended another college, an official sealed copy of a transcript must be sent directly to the campus Registration Office. Students should submit an unofficial copy of their transcript to use in meetings with counselors, advisors, or instructors.

Application Fee
A one-time $20 non-refundable application fee must be sent with the application form. The application fee is non-refundable except when the college denies enrollment due to college determined program requirements or course size limitations, or when there is a program closure. This fee is required and should be attached to the admissions application form.

The application fee does not pertain to PSEO students or High School Contract for Training programs. 

Application Fee Wavier
Minnesota West employees who take courses from the college will have the application fee waived.

Active Duty Service Members deployed overseas will have the application fee waived.

Admission of Transfer Students
Transfer students must submit the application form, application fee and official transcripts from all institutions previously attended directly to the campus admissions office. Students may also be required to provide a high school transcript or GED test scores. (See section on transfer policy information for additional details.)

Admission of International Students
An international student is defined to be a non-refugee, non-immigrant holding a valid student visa.

International Students:

• Are expected to possess certain standards of proficiency in the use of the English language and provide evidence of that proficiency to the College.
• Must submit completed application form along with the $20 non-refundable application fee in U.S. dollars.
• Must submit a record from the school(s) that were attended for the last four years of education.
• Must submit a notarized copy of diploma.
• Must have a TOEFL scores (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or another indicator of English proficiency. TOEFL score must be 500 or above for admission. TOEFL tests may be secured from the American Consulate in the student’s country or from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey.
• Must provide the college with the name, address, and phone number of a contact person in the student’s home country and in the United States (if possible) for emergency notification.
• Must submit a detailed financial statement giving the following information:
  • How college expenses will be paid.
  • Source of financial assistance. If listing more then one source of assistance, amounts received from each source.
• Must provide the college with a certified statement of financial resources from the student’s bank or the U.S. Embassy.

All required materials and information must be submitted to the campus Student Services Office four months prior to anticipated entrance to Minnesota West.

Minnesota West does not provide financial aid for International students.

Admissions for New Immigrants

Potential students who are new immigrants must be able to demonstrate English language proficiency before enrolling in programs or courses at Minnesota West Community & Technical College. All students must take the placement tests including new immigrants. Results of those tests will determine placement in either the regular English sequence or the developmental English courses. The Accuplacer Placement Assessment or a similar assessment will be used for appropriate course placement. Students with limited English proficiency will have equal opportunity in admissions process.

Admission of Students Suspended for Academic Reasons
Students on academic suspension from a Minnesota State college or university shall not be admitted to Minnesota West Community & Technical College during the term of that suspension unless they complete an appeal and can demonstrate potential for being successful in the particular program to which they apply.

Admission of Students Suspended for Disciplinary Reasons
Students who have been suspended or expelled for disciplinary reasons from any post secondary institution will not be considered for admission to Minnesota West Community & Technical College until the suspension has been lifted by the institutution or until one year has elapsed and that student has successfully appealed to our college.  

Readmission to the College
Students who have left the college for one or more semesters may re-enter Minnesota West as returning students.  Students who have been out of Minnesota West Community & Technical College for five (5) or more years must resubmit an application and any transcripts since enrolled at Minnesota West.