Admission Requirements
Age: Applicants for admission must be at least 16 years old or dually/jointly enrolled high school students in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grades who seek access to quality instruction designed to develop or improve occupational competencies are eligible for admissions. Applicants for Cosmetology and Health Occupation programs must be 17 years old.
Education: A high school diploma or GED (verified by an official transcript including graduation date) is required for applicants in all associate-degree, diploma and certificate programs. Students who do not hold the requisite high school diploma or GED may seek enrollment into an approved basic workforce certificate that does not require a high school diploma or GED for admission. High school diplomas from unaccredited institutions, Certificates of Attendance, Special Education Diplomas, or other certificates, credentials or other documents where the student did not complete all required coursework or testing required for a high school diploma in that state are not recognized for admission purposes. Service members of the US Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, or Navy may submit an official copy of their DD Form 214 indicating high school graduate or equivalent. Applicants who received a diploma from a country outside the United States must have an approved evaluation service evaluate the transcript and send that evaluation directly to Columbus Technical College.
Home-schooled applicants must present an official transcript with a graduation date from an accredited home-school program as proof of high school completion.
Applicants of home schools located in Georgia who did not receive their diploma from a recognized accredited home-study program must adhere to the following alternative path for admissions:
- Submit a Certificate of Attendance form from the local superintendent’s office or a Declaration of Intent to utilize a Home Study Program from the Georgia Department of Education verifying that the parent or legal guardian complied with the requirements of home study programs as referenced in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.
- Submit annual progress reports or a final transcript for the equivalent of the home-schooled student’s junior and senior years. The final progress report should include the graduation date.
Applicants of home schools located outside the state of Georgia who did not attend a recognized accredited program must adhere to the following alternative path for admission:
- Submit annual progress reports or a final transcript for the equivalent of the home-schooled student’s junior and senior years. The final progress report should include the graduation date.
- Submit one of the following: PSAT, ACT, SAT or ACCUPLACER scores that meet or exceed the TCSG system minimum score requirements for program readiness.
Students who are currently attending or have previously attended one or more regionally accredited colleges or universities must submit an official transcript from each institution attended. Students who have earned an associate degree or higher from a regionally-accredited institution or successfully completed (C or better) a minimum of 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours at the degree level from a regionally accredited institution, may be exempt from the requirement of submitting high school, homeschool, GED or approved high school equivalency assessment documentation.
Note: The College President may waive the high school diploma/high school equivalency requirement for those secondary students or those pursuing a high school equivalency, who are otherwise eligible to enroll in a specific program of study. The exception must be approved by completion of a Presidential Waiver Form. The Presidential Waiver Form is available in the Office of Admissions.
Assessment of Program Readiness: Applicants for all degree, diploma and certificate programs must be evaluated for program readiness. The College will accept a student's official entrance score on the following validated assessment instruments if the scores meet the required minimums:
- ACCUPLACER or other nationally recognized college placement-test scores
- PSAT
- TABE 9-10 scores of 461 or higher in reading and 442 or higher in math for placement into entry level workforce certificate programs
- Completion of GED with a score of 145 or higher on each section for placement into any certificate, diploma, or degree program
- Georgia Milestones Literature & Composition or Georgia Milestones American Literature & Composition (English admission requirement only)
- HOPE GPA after completion of 10th grade of 2.6 or higher or high school GPA of 2.0 for approved Entry Level Workforce Certificates
- Completed TCSG form documenting two years of work/career related experience for approved Entry Level Workforce Certificates
Official documentation of course grades of "C" or better in college-level English and mathematics taken at an regionally or nationally accredited postsecondary institution recognized by the United States Department of Education or completion of an Associate's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution may be used in lieu of placement exams.
Subjective criteria such as, but not limited to, written or oral interviews, personality assessments, and letters of reference shall not be utilized as part of the evaluation for program readiness or admissions to a college or a program. All criteria should be published and applied consistently to all applicants for a program.
Special testing accommodations for students with disabilities are available upon request. Individuals must contact the Office of Disability Services and provide documentation of the disability to request accommodation.
Applicants for Early Childhood are required to apply for a criminal record check, and present official documentation of a TB test.