Mar 29, 2024  
2021 - 2022 College Catalog 
    
2021 - 2022 College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Application and Admission Procedures


Admissions Office (203) 285-2010

Gateway Community College is dedicated to providing educational opportunities through an open-door admission policy to graduates of an approved secondary school or those who hold a State Equivalency Diploma (GED). Admission is offered on a first-come, first-served basis by program within budgetary limitations, with the exception of the following selective admissions programs: Nursing, Diagnostic Imaging and Therapy Programs, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor, and General Motors Automotive programs.

Admissions Procedures

The following steps must be taken to ensure a complete application file:

  1. New students are encouraged to apply online for the spring, fall, winter or summer semesters via the Gateway Community College website, GatewayCT.edu. Students may also obtain an application from the Admissions Office at the College Campus, 20 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510, or from the Gateway website.
  2. A copy of a student’s high school transcript showing graduation date or a copy of a high school diploma or GED must be sent to the Admissions Office at 20 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510 or emailed to admissions@gatewayct.edu or faxed to (203) 285-2260. Please note: if you attended high school under another name, please make sure that name is noted on your diploma or transcript. Upon receipt of a college transcript showing Associate Degree or higher has been conferred, the high school diploma requirement will be waived. Verification of high school or college completion is required prior to registration for all students in a degree or certificate program.
  3. All new applicants are required to pay a $20 non-refundable application fee. Attach a $20 check or money order, made payable to Gateway Community College, to your application. If you have attended another Connecticut Community College, this fee is waived. Online applicants can pay the fee with a credit card or e-check. Gateway recognized application fee waivers from College Board, SAT, ACT, NACAC, NEACAC or CONNTACT, Inc.
  4. Students who attended a college outside of the U.S. and desire that coursework be considered for transfer credit must have their credits first evaluated to U.S. standard by WES or CED. An official transcript of the evaluation must be sent from the evaluating company directly to the Admissions Office for review.
  5. After being admitted, all degree or certificate seeking students are required to take placement examinations in reading, English, and mathematics. Students whose first language is not English, may take the LOEP language placement test to determine their ESL course level.  English and mathematics credits earned from a regionally accredited institution of higher education will be reviewed to determine if a student must take the tests. (Students in Business Office Technology may be required to take an additional, specialized proficiency examinations.) If test results indicate deficiencies, students will be expected to take an additional course or courses to increase their capability for success in college level work. In lieu of taking placement tests, students may provide evidence – college transcript(s), *SAT scores, ACT Scores, CLEP, Dantes, or Advanced Placement test results. *If providing SAT or ACT scores, they must be brought to the attention of the Director or Associate Director of Admissions for review.
  6. All new students enrolled in a degree/certificate program will be required to verify immunization status. See policy below.

Measels/Mumps/Rubella/Varicella

Section 10a-155 of the Connecticut general statutes will require that each full time or matriculating student provide proof of adequate immunization against Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) and Varicella as recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). A copy of the statute is available at: http://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap185b.thm#sec10a-155.htm.

Full Time/Matriculating Students

Matriculating students are defined as those enrolled in a degree seeking program. Part time non-matriculating (Non Degree) students are not required to have MMR and Varicella immunizations although they are recommended to have those vaccines by ACIP. Part-time, non-matriculating students are not eligible for Financial Aid consideration.

Exemptions will be granted only:

  • Individuals born in the United States before January 1, 1957 are exempt from supplying MMRV;
  • Individuals born in the U.S. prior to January 1, 1980 are exempt from providing Varicella;
  • Individuals born in the United States between January 1, 1957 and January 1, 1980 are exempt from supplying Varicella only (Need proof of MMR);
  • Laboratory confirmation of immunization to such disease (titer test);
  • Documentation from a physician stating that the student is medically contraindicated from receiving such vaccine;
  • Documentation from the student that the immunization is contrary to his/her religious beliefs. If students claim a religious exemption or medical exemption and there is an outbreak of measles, mumps, rubella or varicella on campus, those students may be excluded from college activities, including classes and exams;
  • Documentation from a physician or director of health that the student has had a confirmed case;
  • For MMRV, two doses are needed. The doses should be separated by at least 30 days with dose number one given on or after the first birthday.

Any student not showing the necessary proof of immunization will not be allowed to register for classes.

Student Types

New Students - A new student is anyone who has never attended another higher education institution and is attending Gateway for the first time with the intention of obtaining a degree, certificate, or transferring to another institution. Please complete the aforementioned Admissions Procedures Steps 1 – 6.

Transfer Students - A transfer student is anyone who has attended another higher education institution prior to Gateway Admission. Please complete the aforementioned Admissions Procedures Steps 1 – 6. 

Transfer applicants must request that the registrar of any college or university previously attended forward official transcripts to the Admissions Office. In addition, an official high school transcript or copy of high school diploma or GED is required. If transfer credit is desired, please notify the Admissions Office. Transfer evaluations will be performed for degree or certificate students only. New students to Gateway Community College who wish to transfer in credits from another college need to complete and submit a “New Student Transfer Evaluation Request Form.” An unofficial copy will suffice for advising purposes only. Evaluations will be completed once a student registers.

At all Community Colleges, degree and certificate credit shall be granted only for credit courses completed at all institutions within the Connecticut state system of higher education and at all other collegiate institutions accredited by an agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as either a Regional Accrediting Organization or a Specialized and Professional Accrediting Organization in accordance with the following:

  1. Degree and certificate credit shall be granted for all credit courses that are applicable to the objectives of, or equivalent to the course requirements of, the curriculum in which the transferring student enrolls. Credit work that is not applicable or equivalent to curriculum requirements shall be accepted for credit at the discretion of the college. Degree and certificate credit shall also be granted on the basis of performance on examinations in accordance with standards and limits approved by the board of trustees.
  2. Degree and certificate credit shall be granted for credit courses completed with a letter grade of “C-minus” or better, or with a grade of “P” (Pass). Such credit courses shall be accepted only for credit, and letter grades assigned by other institutions shall not be recorded or included in computations of student grade point averages.
  3. Notwithstanding the number of degree or certificate credits which shall be granted in accordance with the foregoing, the student must complete at least twenty-five percent of the minimum credit requirements for the degree or certificate through coursework at the college awarding the degree or certificate. That is the Residency Requirement of Gateway Community College.
  4. When a student seeks transfer credit for technical or specialty courses into a program that is also accredited by a national or regional specialized accrediting agency, such credits must be from a comparably accredited program. In the case of a request for transfer credit for technical or specialty courses from a non-specially accredited program, the college shall provide appropriate means for the validation of the student’s competency in the technical specialty course area

International Students - An international student is a student on an F-1 visa or would like to apply for an F-1 (student) visa.

The credentials of an applicant for admission from another country are evaluated in accordance with general admissions requirements. A completed application, official leaving certificates, and detailed transcripts, in English, of the student’s academic record should be sent to the Admissions Office. Applicants who wish to begin undergraduate study must submit all credentials by July 1 for the fall semester and by November 1 for the spring semester. This will allow time for the exchange of official correspondence, and, if the applicant is admitted, will allow time to obtain a passport and/or visa. The I-20 A-B Form, required by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, is issued by the College only to students who have been accepted as full-time degree students.

Evidence of the ability to read, write, and speak English well enough to pursue college courses must be submitted to the College. If the applicant’s primary language is not English, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System scores must be submitted. Information about the test can be obtained at www.ets.org or www.ielts.org. International applicants currently in CT may apply to take the LOEP placement test at Gateway Community College.

The College awards no financial aid (scholarships or loans) to international students, nor does the College make housing available. Applicants must be entirely self-supporting and be able to meet all financial obligations to the College in full and from their own resources. Employment in the United States is not guaranteed, and immigration laws governing employment of international students are very strict. Therefore, a letter or affidavit of support must be submitted from a financial sponsor, who must state his/her name and relationship to the applicant. The sponsor must submit a recent official financial statement in an amount calculated by the Admissions office to demonstrate his/ her willingness and ability to meet any financial obligations that are related to the student’s studies at Gateway Community College.

Readmit Students - A readmit student is defined as any student whose last semester of attendance at Gateway was over two years ago.

Readmit students are former Gateway Community College students who have withdrawn from the college or have been absent from the college for at least two years (excluding summer and winter intersessions). Please contact the Admissions Office. It is not necessary to pay the $20 application fee. However, if students attended another college during their absence, they must submit an official transcript from each college if they wish to receive transfer credit consideration.

Other Special Admissions Groups - The College has special agreements with various groups that fall outside the categories mentioned above. These include High School Partnerships, Home School, TAA/WIA, and Senior Citizens. Please contact the Admissions Office for further information (203) 285-2210.

Admissions OF NEBHE Students

The Board of Trustees adopts the following recommendations of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) for reciprocity among the New England states through the New England regional student program, with the reservation that priorities go to Connecticut students in the event of budget and/or space limitations:

  • Nonresident students whose traveling time would be less if attending a Connecticut community college than if attending a similar instate institution are permitted to attend the Connecticut institution at the NEBHE tuition rate, which is fifty percent above the resident tuition rate, pursuant to section 10a-67 of the general statutes, as amended.
  • Nonresident students who wish to enroll in a Connecticut Community College degree program which does not exist in their home states are permitted to enroll in such program at the NEBHE tuition rate.

High School Partnership Program

Developed by the Board of Trustees of Connecticut Community Colleges, this program provides the opportunity for a junior or senior to experience college while still in high school. In order for a student to participate, his/her high school must have a partnership contract signed and on file with the college. The tuition and fees for students in this program are paid for by the Board of Trustees and apply toward the General Fund credit classes only. See your High School Guidance Counselor for more information.

Home-Schooled Students

Home-schooled students who have completed their high school program of study may be admitted as degree-seeking or non-degree seeking, full or part-time. Home-schooled students, like all new students, will be required to submit an application and required fee, verify graduation, take the College ACCUPLACER academic assessment and per state law, provide documentation that they have been immunized against Measles, Mumps and Rubella and Varicella.

Home-schooled students who do not have a high school diploma may still attend Gateway Community College but only as part-time, non-degree seeking students. All home-schooled students must demonstrate sufficient academic ability and complete the ACCUPLACER academic assessment test. Home-schooled students must meet with the Director of Enrollment Management or Associate Director of Admissions.