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 or prerequisites may be needed before admission or enrollment, such as a health history or physician’s certificate. Some programs may also require drug screening or a criminal record check to meet clinical site requirements. Certain criminal convictions may prevent students from being eligible for license or certification exams.
Additional Requirements for Applicants for Whom English is Not the First Language. Applicants whose first or native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency. This may be demonstrated in one of the following ways: • Standardized test scores (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, PTE Academic. SEPT, or Eiken). • Academic records (secondary or postsecondary transcripts) showing achievement in English-language course work. • Documentation showing the applicant is from, or 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. If any documents are issued in a language other than English, an accompanying English translation is required. Translations must be literal (word-for-word) and signed by a translator. Unofficial copies may be accepted for admission purposes if they are certified true copies authenticated by the issuing school or Ministry of Education. To be considered official, secondary school transcripts must be received within the student’s first semester of attendance and meet one of the following conditions:
• Sent directly from the issuing school or Ministry of Education.
• Submitted in person in a sealed, signed, and/or stamped envelope from the issuing institution (unopened).
• Emailed by a verified school official from an official school email address to international@iwcc.edu.
Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility. Students who need an F-1 visa must first receive a Form I-20 from the College. Only a Designated School Official (DSO) at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified school may issue this document after the following conditions are met:
1. The student has completed an international student application.
2. All required documents - including transcripts, proof of financial support, and other supporting materials - have been received and reviewed by the College.
3. The College has verified that the student meets all admission standards.
4. The student has been accepted into a full course of study by the official responsible for admission.
To attend the College as an international student, applicants must:
• Submit an application and all required documentation.
• Receive a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20).
• Obtain an F-1 Student Visa.
For step-by-step instructions, visit: www.iwcc.edu/admissions/international
Important: All application materials must be submitted before the acceptance deadline for the term the student wishes to begin. The College reserves the right to deny applications or documents 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 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. High school students are required to submit a high school application online at www.iwcc.edu.
Resident/Non-Resident Classification
A student enrolling at the College shall be classified as resident or non-resident in the State of Iowa for the purpose of tuition assessment. This classification shall be based upon information furnished by the student and all other relevant information available about the student. The burden of establishing that they are exempt from paying the non-resident tuition rate rests with 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
A student who moved to the State of Iowa primarily for educational purposes will not be granted residency status. A student remains a non-resident for tuition purpose unless the student changes his or her permanent residence to 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 & 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 granted, the student must also submit a brief statement explaining their main purpose for 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. If a student is reclassified as a resident for tuition purposes, such classification will be effective for the current term so long as the student submits the Request to Change Residency Status, as well as required documentation, within the first week of the term. In no case shall reclassification to residency status be made retroactive for tuition and fee purposes, even though the student could have previously qualified for residency status had the student applied.
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