Admission to Class

Students must be officially enrolled before attending any class. If students are unable to attend the first class meeting, every effort should be made to contact the instructor(s) or the instructor(s) may drop the student as a “no show”.

For asynchronous online courses, students who do not begin interacting with the course by the first day of the course session are subject to drop. The instructor may require a specific form of interaction (e.g., submitting a discussion post, completing a quiz, etc.) by the student to demonstrate attendance.

Students seeking admission into a “closed” class must attend the first day of class. Instructors may add students depending on seat availability and students’ completion of prerequisites, if applicable.

What are Prerequisites, Corequisites & Recommendations

It is the intent of Cerritos College to guide students into courses in which they will have the greatest academic success. Therefore, students will find courses which have prerequisites, corequisites and/ or recommendations in the course descriptions. This is the case when a specific body of knowledge and/or skill(s) must be learned or demonstrated before the student can be expected to successfully progress to the next level course. For example, English courses must be taken in a sequence: a student must complete ENGL C1000 prior to taking ENGL C1001. Students are encouraged to consult the course descriptions found in the current college catalog for the identification of the prerequisites for a course.

Students currently enrolled in a prerequisite course at Cerritos College will be allowed to enroll in the next sequenced course. However, it is the student’s responsibility to verify they have passed the prerequisite course. If a passing grade is not received, the student will be dropped some time before or during the semester.

Automated prerequisite checking will stop students from enrolling in a class that has a required prerequisite that has not been met. Prerequisites are checked at the time of enrollment (Auto-enroll and Instructor adds). Prerequisites are not checked when classes are added to the shopping cart, but are enforced before completion of enrollment.

To avoid being denied enrollment, students should complete the Cerritos College placement procedures or submit transcripts if prerequisite coursework was completed at another institution. Transcripts are accepted in the Admissions and Records Office. Complete the Requisite Clearance Request form available from Admissions and Records, or download the form at www.cerritos.edu/admissions-and-records/online-forms.

Definitions

Advisories on Recommended Course Preparation - a condition(s) of enrollment that a student is advised, but not required, to meet before or along with enrollment in a course or educational program.

Contract Course - a course which a community college district offers under a contract pursuant to Education Code section 78021 with a public or private agency, corporation, association, or other organization.

Corequisite - a condition of enrollment consisting of a course that a student is required to simultaneously take in order to enroll another course.

Noncredit Basic Skills Courses - those courses in reading, writing, computation, and English as a Second Language which are designated by the community college district as noncredit courses pursuant to subdivision (c) of section 55002.

Nondegree Applicable Basic Skills Courses - those courses in reading, writing, computation, and English as a Second Language which are designated by the community college district as nondegree-applicable credit courses pursuant to subdivision (b) of section 55002.

Prerequisite - a condition of enrollment that a student is required to meet in order to demonstrate current readiness for enrollment in a course or educational program. In other words, “prerequisite” means a course that a student is required to complete, a test score, or other requirement that demonstrates preparedness for enrollment in a course or educational program.

“Passing grade” is at least a grade of “C” (Satisfactory) or “P” (Pass). Requisite clearance credit will not be granted for substandard course work (“D”, “F”, “FW”, or “NP”).

“Satisfactory grade” means that, for the course in question, the student’s academic record has been annotated with the symbol “A”, “B”, “C”, or “P”.

Requisite Challenge

A prerequisite may be challenged by students who have presented the appropriate reasons. It is the student’s responsibility to provide information to support the challenge. The prerequisite challenge must be filed and resolved prior to the student’s enrollment into the course. A Requisite Challenge form can be obtained from the Admissions and Records Office, Counseling Center, or downloaded from www.cerritos.edu/admissions-and-records/online-forms.

Requisite Challenge Procedure

Complete the Requisite Challenge form.
Select one of the following choices listed on the form:
1. Challenging the pre or corequisite on the grounds that it was established in violation of the District-approved process (student documentation required).
2. Challenging the pre or corequisite on the grounds that it was established in violation of Title 5 regulations (student documentation required).
3. The requisite or enrollment limitation is either unlawfully discriminatory or is being applied in an unlawfully discriminatory manner.
4. I will be subject to undue delay in attaining my educational goal because the requisite has not been made reasonably available (must declare educational goal and major).
5. I have the knowledge or ability to succeed in the requested course based on the stated learning outcomes of the requisite course. Contact the department for course content and student learning outcomes. (Documentation must address how you meet the stated learning outcomes of the requisite course.)
6. After careful consideration and against the recommendation of the college, I am requesting placement into the stated course.
Submit the completed form to the Admissions & Records Office for approval or denial of request. Please allow at least ten business days for a response.
Approval of the prerequisite challenge requires the student to enroll in the course in the Admissions and Records Office in person. MyCerritos will not recognize the approved form. Please note: A challenged requisite will not be deemed as a cleared requisite, therefore it will not appear on the transcript nor will it clear a like requisite in the future.
Denial of the prerequisite challenge requires the student to complete the clearance process or course listed as the official requisite. There is no appeal process.

Add Procedures

If you wish to add to your class schedule, please follow the steps below:

Classes may be added via MyCerritos, Student Center (http://my.cerritos.edu).
To add a closed class, go to class on the first day and time that it meets; be on time. Respectfully request of the instructor to be added to the class. If the instructor approves, an electronic enrollment will be submitted on your behalf to Admissions and Records. Please note that prerequisites, holds/service indicators (SI), conflicts, and illegal course repetition will be checked. Fee payment deadlines are published in the current schedule of classes. Please refer to MyCerritos (http://my.cerritos.edu) or the current schedule of classes for information regarding being dropped from all classes and holds (SI) for lack of payment. Please check your student account via MyCerritos or in the Admissions and Records Office. All enrollments must be completed by the published add deadlines.
Adding a class may be prevented due to holds or unauthorized course repetition (see “Repetition of Courses”).

Level/Section Changes

Level/section changes must be processed in person. Program changes which involve level changes in skill and performance classes may be made by the add deadline. Students may also make level changes in Work Experience classes by the add deadline, but only a reduction of hours may be made after the add deadline.

Section changes may not be made between terms or semesters. A student may not drop a first six-/eight-week course and then enroll in a second six-/eight-week course by executing a section change. The student is required to officially drop the first six-/eight-week class and then pay the appropriate fees to be enrolled in the second six-/eight-week class. The money will not transfer from one term to another if the drop is processed outside of the refund date.

Drop Procedures

Pursuant to Title 5, section 58004 and Cerritos College Board Policy, it is the student’s responsibility to participate fully in class(es), once enrollment is complete. However, should it become necessary to drop a class, it is the student’s responsibility to withdraw themselves.

It is strongly advised that students take the initiative to officially drop themselves. Failure to officially drop from class(es) may result in an “F” grade for each class and a delinquent debt and restrictive hold to the student’s account.

Classes may be dropped via MyCerritos, Student Center (http://my.cerritos.edu). Be mindful of deadline dates for refunds and posting of “W’s” to transcripts. See the “Add/Drop Dates” online for specific deadlines. Be sure to verify the drop.

Deadlines: Dropping a class or classes shall be authorized through the last day of the 14th week of an 18-week term or 75% of a shorter than 18-week term, whichever is less. The academic records of a student who remains in a class beyond the date allowed for drop must reflect an authorized symbol, other than a “W.”

“W’s” are considered “honorable withdrawals” and shall not be used in calculating grade point averages. However, excessive “W’s” shall be used as factors for probation and dismissal procedures. Additionally, a student who has a “W” in the same class two or more times, loses the privilege of priority enrollment for that class. Students may submit an A&S Petition, which is subject to approval or denial, to the Academic Records and Standards Committee for exceptions to the excessive “W” policy for course repetition.

Dropping A Class After the Drop Deadline

Withdrawal from a class after the drop deadline (late withdrawal) may be authorized in the event of extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances are verified cases of accidents, illnesses, or other circumstances beyond the control of the student. Should a verified condition require a withdrawal after the final drop deadline, a student may submit an Extenuating Circumstances petition to the Admissions & Records Office. Petitions will be considered based on the submission of the petition, the extenuating circumstances, and the dates of the circumstances must be relevant to the term and date for which a late withdrawal is requested. Petitions must be submitted within one year of the withdrawal.

Military Withdrawal

Pursuant to Education Code 66023, the Board of Trustees of Cerritos College makes provisions for non-punitive withdrawals from class of students who are members of an active or reserve United States military service unit who receive orders compelling withdrawal from courses. Upon verification of such orders, a military withdrawal (MW) symbol may be assigned at any time after the period during which no notation is made for withdrawals. There will be no penalty for military withdrawals. Military withdrawal shall not be counted in progress probation and dismissal calculations.

Auditing Courses

Auditing courses is permitted at Cerritos College. An audit student is a student who attends a course or courses for no credit or notation on an official transcript. Auditing may be available, pending signed permission, for any student who wishes to attend a course for information, review purposes, or skill building. Students wishing to audit should be aware that audited courses will not appear on the official transcript.

Steps to Audit A Course

The student must be officially admitted to the College.
The student must submit the appropriate audit form with the required signatures of the instructor of the course and the division dean. Permission to audit is at the discretion of the instructor and division dean.
The fee to audit a class is $15 per unit (in addition to student fees). Students enrolled in 10 or more units can audit 3 units free (may be 3 one-unit classes). The $15 per unit audit fee will automatically be charged if the student drops below 10 units.
Credit students have priority over auditing students. If a course closes after an auditor has been admitted, the auditor may be asked to withdraw to make room for a credit student.
Students may contact the Admissions and Records Office to request the appropriate audit form and for additional information regarding auditing. (Board Policy 4070).

Wait List

Auto- enroll will automatically enroll students in order from the wait list to the official roster when space becomes available. Each student is limited to a maximum of 10 wait-listed units. Auto-enroll from a wait list will not occur if:

Student has a hold (service indicator) on their account.
The class requisite has not been met.
Unauthorized course repetition would occur.
There is a class time conflict. Students may not be enrolled in two classes that meet at the same time.
If student is enrolled in a class and on a wait list for the same course (e.g., enrolled in SOC 101 and #1 on the wait list for SOC 101 at another time) he/she will lose a seat when “auto-enroll” tries to move from the wait list to the official roster due to “Multiple Enrollment”.

Auto-enrollment will continue through the Sunday before classes begin. Attendance at the first class meeting is required in order to enroll or remain on the wait list. Failure to attend class does not create an automatic drop or refund. If you do not want your wait-listed classes, please drop them to avoid a substandard grade and forfeiture of fees.

Academic Catalog

Admission to Class