Admissions

As a member of LCTCS and in compliance with the admission policy established by LCTCS policy #1.004 (effective 06/08/2016) and the Louisiana Board of Regents minimum admissions standards (effective April 2016) and Louisiana Legislature, LDCC has an open admissions policy. As such, anyone who meets admissions requirements may enroll and register for eligible coursework, and will be classified as a student upon admission to the college.

Any person 17 years or older, regardless of prior academic preparation, will be fully admitted as long as the following criteria are satisfied:

1. The person has completed and submitted an application for admission;
2. The person has provided proof of selective service registration as required by Louisiana R.S. 17:3151; and
3. The person has satisfied the requirements of Louisiana R.S. 17:170 related to the immunization of persons entering school.

Some educational programs may have additional requirements for admission into the program in order to achieve program or industry accreditation standards; however, these requirements will not have an impact on full admission to LDCC. This policy applies to the following student types: first-time freshman, transfer, non-matriculating, and returning students. This policy does not apply to dually enrolled high school students and international students. Please refer to LDCC policy ES_101.1 Admissions, Dually Enrolled High School Students and policy ES_101.2 Admissions, International Students.

All eligible persons are assured equal opportunity for admission without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, political belief, sexual orientation, or disability in the admission to participation in, or employment of any of its programs or activities. Certain programs within the college may require additional admission standards in order to achieve program or industry accreditation standards.

The College reserves the right to deny admission in cases that would be detrimental to the student or would interfere with the capacity of other students to benefit from the educational experience.

Students seeking admissions to LDCC must follow these guidelines and requirements:

• Completed an Application for Admission
• Proof of Immunization Compliance
• Proof of Registration with Selective Service for those students required to register

Please note that official ACT scores or Accuplacer Placement Survey results may be needed for program entry and advising and placement purposes. If a student is transferring, official transcripts are not required from all post-secondary schools attended; however, if the student wants to be advised and use any prior credit from any post-secondary institution, the official transcript is required. The College will articulate any transcript received from a post-secondary institution.

Admissions without High School Diploma or Equivalency

Students who have not earned a high school diploma or equivalent may still be admitted to the College. However, students that have not earned a high school diploma or equivalent may be denied entry into a particular program that requires such. The application for admissions, immunizations and if male and 18 years of age, proof of Selective Service registration is required.

First Time Freshman

A First Time Greshman is a high school graduate or recipient of a High School Equivalency (HiSET or GED) or one who has never attended a prior institution of higher education, except as a dual-enrolled or collegiate student. Students are required to complete the Application for admissions, submit immunizations and if male and 18 years of age, proof of Selective Service registration.  

Transfer Student

A Transfer Student is a student who has been enrolled previously at another post-secondary institution. The application for admissions, immunizations and if male and 18 years of age, proof of Selective Service registration is required. Students who have attended another college/university prior to applying for admission to LDCC may provide official college transcripts from all previously attended institutions. Transfer students may be required to provide Official ACT scores or take the Accuplacer Placement Survey to determine if developmental course work will be required as a prerequisite to English 101, Math 110 (College Algebra) or 200 level courses.

For transfer students to be eligible for ENGL 101, they must have:

• Scored an 18+ in English on the ACT or,
• Scored at least a 70 on the Compass Writing Assessment or,
• 86-117 on the Classic Accuplacer Assessment or,
• 250+ on the Next Generation Accuplacer Assessment or,
• Successfully completed ENGL 099 (or its equivalent) or,
• Students who have attempted ENGL 101 at an accredited institution may be required to provide ACT or Accuplacer scores to support placement in this class.

For transfer students to be eligible for College Algebra they must have:

Scored a 19+ in Math on the ACT or,

• Scored at least a 40 on the Algebra section of the COMPASS or,
• 45-98 in the College Level Math section of the Classic Accuplacer or,
• 263+ in the Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra & Statistics section of the Next Generation Accuplacer or,
• 250-275 in the Advanced Algebra and Functions (AAF) section of the Next Generation Accuplacer or,
• Successfully completed MATH 099 (or its equivalent).
• Students who have attempted college level math at an accredited institution may be required to provide ACT or COMPASS scores to support this placement.

Delivery of transcripts will be accepted by the following means; electronically from the prior institution, or delivered in a sealed, unopened envelope to Enrollment Services.

Returning Student

An applicant who previously attended LDCC, but whose enrollment was interrupted for a minimum of one fall or spring semester will be classified as a Returning student.  The student is required to submit a new application for admissions prior to enrollment.

Visiting Student

A student who is enrolled at one post-secondary institution who wishes to enroll concurrently at LDCC, or who intends to enroll at LDCC for only one semester before attending another post-secondary institution.  As long as a Visiting student is concurrently enrolled at another post-secondary institution, s/he can remain a Visiting student at LDCC. Once LDCC becomes this student’s primary or sole institution, the Visiting student will need to reapply to the College as a Transfer student.

High School Student - Dual Enrollment

A currently-enrolled high school student who meets certain requirements may enroll in college-level courses prior to high school graduation by participating in the High School Dual Enrollment Program. The application for admissions, Signature Page completion, copy of high school transcripts, Pre-ACT test or ACT test scores, immunizations if taking classes on the College campus, and if male and 18 years of age, proof of Selective Service registration is required.

Students must be at least 15 years of age by the first day of the semester in which the student participates in Dual Enrollment. Students classified as a Sophomore are eligible to take one Dual Enrollment class per semester. In addition, certain programs, in particular health care professions and industrial technology areas, may be subject to stricter age requirements due to safety and/or regulatory considerations. For all students under 18 years of age, parental consent is required.

Students who earn a composite ACT score of 19 or higher (Pre-ACT or SAT equivalent) and have at least a 2.5 GPA are eligible for general education courses. Students who earn an 18 in English, 19 in Math and 18 Composite score and have at least a 2.5 GPA are eligible for enrollment in college level math and English. The ACT and GPA requirements listed apply to courses for the academic pathway.

The minimum requirements for the technical career pathway are a GPA of 1.75 or ACT of 13 in Math, English, and Reading and to be currently enrolled in high school Math and English classes.

International Students

LDCC has not yet petitioned the United States Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service for approval of the school for attendance by non-immigrant students, and cannot issue the immigration form 1-20.  Therefore, the College does not admit International students.

Fully Admitted

The applicant who has submitted proof of immunizations and Selective Service documentation will be fully admitted.

Provisional Admission

The applicant who has not submitted required documents.

LDCC recognizes and supports the LCTCS recommendation for community and technical colleges to enter into enrollment agreements which are of greatest benefit to the student. This included entry into cross-enrollment and/or dual-enrollment agreements. In such cases the “home institution” shall be defined as the postsecondary institution through which the student is pursuing an approved degree or related credential for the purpose of processing academic records, data collection/reporting, and financial aid.

A currently-enrolled high school student who meets certain requirements may enroll in college-level courses prior to high school graduation by participating in the Dual Enrollment/High School Concurrent Enrollment Program. Students must be at least 15 years of age by the first day of the semester in which the student participates in Dual Enrollment. Students classified as a Sophomore are eligible to take one Dual Enrollment class per semester. In addition, certain programs, in particular health care professions and industrial technology areas, may be subject to stricter age requirements due to safety and/or regulatory considerations.  For all students under 18 years of age, parental consent is required. 

Students enrolling in dual-credit courses must satisfy the eligibility requirements set by the Louisiana Board of Regents (see BOR Academic Affairs Policy 2.22).  Students who earn a composite ACT score of 19 or higher (Pre-ACT or SAT equivalent) with subscores of a 19 in Math and 18 in English and have at least a 2.5 GPA are eligible for general education courses.  Students who have not yet taken the ACT may qualify via Pre-ACT with an 18 in English and a 19 in Math or the Aspire exam with a 433 in English and a 431 in Math. The ACT and GPA requirements listed apply to courses for the academic pathway.

Students who meet other readiness indicators but have less than an 18 in ACT English may be allowed to enroll in mathematics courses for Dual Enrollment if they are concurrently addressing their reading/writing deficiencies, as verified by the high school principal.  Students who meet other readiness indicators but have less than a 19 in ACT Math may be allowed to enroll in English, foreign language, history, or introductory social science, humanities, or arts survey courses for dual enrollment if they are concurrently addressing their mathematics deficiencies, as verified by the high school principal.  Students may concurrently address deficiencies by continuing to complete core classes, participate in online subject area reviews before retaking assessment, or after completing at least three core English/math courses, enrolling in a Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved HS transition or college developmental course for which a grade of a C or better will be equivalent to the required ACT.

The minimum requirements for the technical career pathway are a GPA of 1.75 or ACT of 13 in Math, English, and Reading and currently enrolled in high school Math and English classes.

Board of Regents Interim Policy for Dual Enrollment states students wishing to initiate or continue their participation in dual enrollment for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years may be eligible to enroll in academic courses on the Master Articulation Matrix if they meet the following criteria:

▪ A minimum 2.5 cumulative high school GPA, as determined by the high school,

AND

▪ Subject-specific demonstration of readiness in Mathematics (for mathematics and science courses) or English (for English, foreign language, history, social science, humanities, or arts survey courses) through either:

1. Subject-specific minimum scores on any assessment listed in Academic Affairs Policy 2.22 (see table page 2).

OR

2.) Counselor recommendation based on overall student performance and grade trends in the subject (see table page 3).

LDCC reserves the right to deny admission in cases which would be detrimental to the student or would interfere with the capacity of other students to benefit from the educational experience.

LDCC was established as a member of the Board of Regents General Education Articulation Matrix Committee in 2001. The Course Articulation Matrix is a guide for determining course equivalencies among Louisiana’s public institutions of higher education. While most courses will transfer for credit between and among Louisiana’s institutions, students must remember that these courses may or may not be applied to a particular degree program. Students should note that this matrix is limited to those general education courses for which full credit would likely be granted by most other Louisiana colleges and universities. The URL for the Matrix is http:// www.regents.la.gov/ (under Academic Affairs/Master Course Articulation Matrix).

Numerous course transfer equivalency agreements exist among Louisiana’s public postsecondary institutions. The prerogative for accepting a course for degree, general education, or elective credit belongs to the institution to which a student intends to transfer (the “receiving institution”). Students are therefore urged to contact the receiving institution for definitive answers to the following questions:

• Whether the course will count toward a particular major, and under what conditions (e.g., if a letter grade of “C” or better is required for degree credit)
• Whether and under what category the course will satisfy the receiving institution’s general education requirements
• Any other articulation agreements that may exist between campuses.

LDCC has a crosswalk listing transferable courses to local universities. LDCC will continue to work to secure articulation agreements that allow students maximum transferability of coursework. Students are advised to check with the admissions office of the receiving institution to confirm transferability of credit.

LDCC hosts Knights Orientation, our new student orientation program, each summer in preparation for the fall semester or as a part of the curriculum in some programs. The purpose of orientation is to make students aware of their personal and academic responsibilities, to promote an understanding of LDCC policies and procedures, and to introduce the programs and services that are available.

LDCC affirms the rights of students to fair and judicial resolution of problems which may accompany conditions of their enrollment. Toward this end, the College maintains informal and open access to instructors and administrators as an avenue by which grievances may be discussed.