Iowa Western Community College will admit all individuals who are high school graduates, or the equivalent, or who have successfully completed a high school equivalency diploma. In order to complete the process for admission, students must submit or complete the following:
Application for Admission. Students must submit a completed Application for Admission to the Office of Admissions or apply online at www.iwcc.edu. There is no application fee.
High School Transcript. Degree-seeking students must submit official high school or high school equivalency transcripts. An official transcript includes the graduation or completion date of the high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma. The student should contact the high school from which they graduated, or the institution which they earned their high school equivalency diploma, to request that transcripts be sent. Students may register for their first semester of classes without official high school or high school equivalency transcripts on file. However, Iowa Western Community College requires official transcripts to be eligible for potential financial aid disbursement and registration of future semesters.
College Transcripts. Students must submit an official transcript from each college or university they attended, even if they do not wish to have credit evaluated or transferred. In order to be official, transcripts must be sent directly from the institution where credit was earned to the Iowa Western Community College Records and Registration Office.
Placement Test Scores. Test scores are not required for admission to the College. However students who have taken a standardized college aptitude test, like the ACT, should have their most recent scores sent to the Office of Admissions. Test scores, in addition to previous coursework and non-cognitive assessment results, are utilized by advisors to help determine placement into appropriate math and English courses.
Additional Program Requirements. Program-specific requirements and/or prerequisites may need to be met prior to admittance to a program. In addition, program-specific requirements and/or prerequisites may need to be met prior to enrollment in a program, including, but not limited to, a health history/physician’s certificate. Programs may require drug screening and a criminal records check to comply with clinical site mandates. Conviction of certain criminal activities may prohibit students from being eligible to sit for licensure/certification exams.
Additional Requirements for Applicants for Whom English is Not the First Language. College applicants for whom English is not the first or native language must provide one of the following forms of English language assessment for admission: standardized college test scores (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE Academic, SEPT) or academic achievement/proficiency in English as evidenced by secondary or post-secondary transcripts. Alternatively, students may provide documentation proving they originate from or have completed education in one of the Waiver Countries.
Additional Requirements for International Applicants. International students must submit copies of their original secondary school transcripts and completion certificates. Any transcript or document issued in a language other than English must also include an English translation. When a translation is necessary, IWCC requires a literal translation, signed by a certified translator. In order for secondary school transcripts to be considered Official, the original documents must be taken to the Registrar’s office, or copies of original documents must be received directly from the secondary school or issuing authority within a student’s first semester of attendance.
Issuance of Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility. Students who need an F-1 visa to study in the U.S. must first receive a Form I-20. Only a DSO of an SEVP-certified school may issue and sign a Form I-20 to a prospective student and his or her dependents, and only after the following conditions are met:
(1) The prospective student has made a written application to the school.
(2) The written application, the student’s transcripts or other records of courses taken, proof of financial responsibility for the student, and other supporting documents have been received, reviewed, and evaluated at the school’s location in the United States.
(3) The appropriate school authority has determined that the prospective student’s qualifications meet all standards for admission.
(4) The official responsible for admission at the school has accepted the prospective student for enrollment in a full course of study.
International students wanting to attend Iowa Western must apply to the College, send all required documentation, receive a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20), and obtain an F-1 Student Visa. Details on completing the admissions and Form I-20 process are listed on the International Student webpage: www.iwcc.edu/admissions/international. Please note: students must complete the application and submit all documents prior to the acceptance deadline for the term they wish to begin. Iowa Western has the right not to accept applications or documentation that are suspected of forgery or fraud.
Readmission
A student who previously attended Iowa Western Community College and has been absent for at least one semester, excluding the summer term, may be required to apply for readmission. Students who wish to be readmitted will be expected to complete all applicable requirements, including submitting transcripts for other colleges attended since the last attendance at Iowa Western Community College. Readmission to Career and Technical programs will be subject to the availability of space and an evaluation of previous progress.
Location of the Office of Admissions
Although the Office of Admissions is located at the Council Bluffs campus, you may obtain information about the College and submit applications at the main campus or at any of the four centers.
Office of Admissions
Iowa Western Community College
Box 4-C, 2700 College Road
Council Bluffs, IA 51502
(712) 325-3277 or (800) 432-5852 (toll-free nationwide)
Student Classification
Upon admittance to the College, students are classified according to their academic intentions as indicated on their Application for Admission.
Degree-seeking Student
A student who is seeking a degree must select an academic program of study. Degree-seeking students are classified under either Arts and Sciences or Career and Technical areas of education.
Visiting Student
If you are a college student regularly enrolled at another college or university and want to take a course or courses to immediately transfer back to that institution, you may be accepted to Iowa Western Community College as a visiting student. Please note that transcripts may be required for registration. Visiting students are not eligible to receive financial aid from Iowa Western.
Non-Degree/Adjunct Student
If you are a student seeking personal or professional development with no intention of earning a degree, you may be accepted to Iowa Western Community College as an adjunct student. Adjunct students may not be full-time. Please note that transcripts may be required for registration. Non-Degree/Adjunct students are not eligible for financial aid.
High School Student
A high school student in grades 9-12, who is deemed proficient by his or her high school, may be accepted to the College to take a course or courses through a variety of joint enrollment options including but not limited to those afforded through Senior Year Plus legislation, as written in Iowa Code 281.21. High school students are required to submit a high school application signed by an official at the high school, and may be required to submit a copy of their high school transcript.
Resident/Non-Resident Classification
A student enrolling at Iowa Western Community College shall be classified as resident or non-resident of the State of Iowa for purposes of tuition assessment. This classification is determined by the Director of Admissions at the time of application and admission to the College. This classification shall be based upon information furnished by the student and all other relevant information available about the student.
Non-Resident Exemptions
A veteran of military service or the National Guard, or his or her spouse or dependent child, shall be classified as a resident if one of the following conditions is met: 1.) the veteran has separated from a uniformed service with an honorable discharge or a general discharge, is eligible for benefits, or has exhausted benefits, under the federal Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or any other federal authorizing veteran educational benefits program, or 2.) the individual is an active duty military person, or activated or temporarily mobilized National Guard member, or 3.) the individual is a covered person under Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 or subsequent legislation. Students may be required to submit a DD214, current military orders, birth certificate, tax return, marriage certificate, and/ or Affidavit of Domestic Partner Relationship in order to qualify for the exemption. Additionally, a person, or his or her spouse or dependent child, who has moved to the state of Iowa as the result of military or civil orders from the federal government, and the minor children of such persons, are entitled to immediate Iowa residency status.
Change of Residency Status
The student shall remain a non-resident for tuition purposes unless the student changes his or her permanent residence to the state of Iowa and submits a Request to Change Residency Status to the Registrar. In order for the Request to Change Residency Status to be considered, an address change must be on file with the Records and Registration Office. The Request to Change Residency Status must be submitted within the first week of the term for which the change is sought. In order for the request to be granted, the student must also submit a brief statement explaining his or her main purpose in moving to the state of Iowa, as well as three supporting documents that include a date 90 days prior to the start of the term for which the change is sought. A student who is in the state of Iowa primarily for educational purposes cannot be granted residency status.
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