Admission Forms

Any student, other than one with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) nonimmigrant visa status (see exception below for students who have been granted T or U visa status), who meets all of the following requirements, shall be exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges, the University of California, and the California State University (all public colleges and universities in California).[1]

Requirements:

• A student is exempt from paying nonresident tuition if the student meets all of the following four requirements:
  1. The student must have:
     • attended a combination of California high school, adult school, and California Community College for the equivalent of three years or more,[2] or
     • attained credits earned in California from a California high school equivalent to three or more years of full-time high school course work and attended a combination of elementary, middle and/or high schools in California for a total of three or more years,[3] and
  2. The student must have:
     • graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent prior to the start of the term (for example, passing the GED or California High School Proficiency exam), or
     • completed an associate degree from a California Community College, or
     • completed the minimum requirements at a California Community College for transfer to the California State University or the University of California, and
  3. The student must register as an entering student at, or current enrollment at, an accredited institution of higher education in California, and
  4. The student must file an affidavit with the college or university stating that if the student is a non-citizen without current or valid immigration status, the student has filed an application to legalize immigration status, or will file an application as soon as the student is eligible to do so.
• Students who are nonimmigrants who are victims of trafficking, domestic violence, and other serious crimes who have been granted T or U visa status, under Title 8 of the United States Code, sections 1101(a)(15)(T) or (U) are eligible for this exemption.[4]
• Students who are nonimmigrants, other than those with T or U visa status as noted above, [for example, those who hold F (student) visas, B (visitor) visas, etc.] are not eligible for this exemption.
• A year's equivalence at a California Community College is a minimum of 24 semester units of credit or 36 quarter units of credit. For noncredit courses, a year's attendance is a minimum of 420 hours, 210 hours for a semester, and 140 hours a quarter.
• The accumulation of credit and/or non-credit in any academic year shall be calculated in reference to a year's equivalence. Partial completion in an academic year is allowed. (Example: 12 units of credit courses in an academic year is equal to a semester for purposes of determining eligibility.)
• Attendance in credit courses at a California Community College towards the attendance requirements shall not exceed two years of full-time attendance.
• The student must file an exemption request including a signed affidavit with the college that indicates the student has met all applicable conditions described above. Student information obtained in this process is strictly confidential unless disclosure is required under law.
• Students eligible for this exemption who are transferring to another California public college or university must submit a new request (and documentation if required) to each college under consideration.
• Nonresident students meeting the criteria will be exempted from the payment of nonresident tuition, but they will not be classified as California residents. They continue to be“nonresidents”.
• • The California Dream Act extends Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, Cal Grant C awards, the California Promise Grant (formerly known as the BOG fee waiver), Chaffee grants, and institutional financial aid to students that meet these criteria as well as the applicable criteria for eligibility for specific types of financial aid.
• AB540 does not provide federal student financial aid eligibility for undocumented students. These students remain ineligible for federal financial aid.
• If you need to submit documentation for AB540, or have questions in regards to AB540, please contact Rafael Centeno at ab540@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

A maximum of 20 units of substandard academic grades (D, F, and NC) taken at Bakersfield College which are not reflective of a student's present demonstrated ability may be disregarded in the computation of the Grade Point Average if all of the following conditions exist:

1. At least two years have elapsed since the course work to be disregarded was recorded.
2. At least 18 units of satisfactory course work (2.5 GPA) have been completed subsequent to the course work to be alleviated.
3. The student petitions in writing stating the reasons for requesting academic renewal.
4. The student states in the petition the specific courses to be considered under the academic renewal policy.
5. Reason statement is required below and will not be processed unless completed.

If approved, the substandard work will be disregarded in the computation of the Grade Point Average and an annotation made on the permanent record. The permanent academic record shall remain a true and complete academic history and the course work disregarded under this policy will remain on the permanent record.

Academic renewal may not be used to raise the GPA in order to qualify for graduation with honors. Academic renewal may not be applied to courses which have been used to meet graduation, certificate, and certification requirements, or classes that have been repeated.

Download the petition for Academic Renewal and email the completed form to BCrecords@kccd.edu. If you have questions on filling out the form, please contact your counselor or advisor at counseling@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

Please allow 6-8 weeks for review. For results, view your unofficial transcripts.

Process:

1. Students must request the Drop Exception Form - Extenuating Withdrawal (EW) no later than the last date of instruction, meaning, before the last week of finals for the course they are requesting an EW for, no exceptions. Students must request the EW by submitting the form.
2. The student will fill out and submit the EW Form
3. Students must contact the Financial Aid Office to learn if the EW(s) will affect their financial aid status for the semester. Information regarding the Office of Financial Aid can be found on the Bakersfield College Financial Aid web-page.
4. After the EW Form is submitted, the student will get an email from the Students of Concern team.
5. A mitigation process initiated by The Office of Student Life will begin.
6. Admissions & Records will then request the faculty member to confirm the student's last date of attendance and confirm that the student has not taken the final exam.
7. Students whose EW(s) are approved can see the changes on their InsideBC through their Schedule/Bill, no later than 5 business days from when the EW Form was submitted.
   • EW(s) will appear on the student's official transcript four days after the end of the semester.
8. If a denial is issued or more information is needed, the student will receive an email sent to their BC-assigned email address.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

1. Students must request the EW by submitting the form no later than the last date of instruction, meaning, before the last week of finals for the course they are requesting an EW for, no exceptions.
2. No refunds will be given for EWs of any kind.
3. Completing the form does not guarantee an EW notation on the student's transcript.
4. If the student has completed a final exam or a course, the EW will not be granted.
5. If the students last date of attendance was prior to the course census date, the EW will not be granted.
6. This form can only be submitted for the current semester.

For inquiries about EWs please contact: The Office of Student Life
Located at Campus Center Building
Email: studentlife@bakersfieldcollege.edu
Phone: (661) 395-4355