Admissions
Wenatchee Valley College has an open door admissions policy, practices equal opportunity, and does not discriminate in its educational programs. Wenatchee Valley College admits students based on the provisions of RCW 28B.50.090(3)(b): “Each college district shall maintain an open-door policy, to the end that no student will be denied admission because of the location of the student’s residence or because of the student’s educational background or ability.”
Wenatchee Valley College admits anyone
- who is competent to profit from the curricular offerings of the college and
- would not by presence or conduct create a disruptive atmosphere inconsistent with the purposes of the college and
- is 18 years of age or older or
- whose high school class has graduated or
- is a high school graduate or
- has earned a GED or
- has qualified for admission through the Running Start program or
- is a participant in other approved programs designed for age-specific groups
All new students must complete an application for general admission to Wenatchee Valley College. Applicants who will be 17 years of age or younger on the first day of instruction in the term of enrollment who do not meet the admissions standards must obtain written permission each term from the school district in which they reside before enrolling in classes. Applicants who will be 15 years of age or younger on the first day of instruction in the term of enrollment who do not meet the admissions standards must petition for underage admission.
Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to any specific program, course, or class. Generally, admitted Wenatchee Valley College students may enroll in instructional programs offered by any campus, as long as the student meets the requirements for enrollment. Wenatchee Valley College reserves the right to determine admission to the college and/or the ability of students to enroll in certain classes.
Athletic Admission: If a student is participating in intercollegiate athletics, they must submit an official high school transcript.
Placement is required if a student is seeking a college degree or certificate or if they are taking math or English in college for the first time. Contact the testing center to sign up for assessment at 509-682-6830 (Wenatchee) or 509- 422-7800 (Omak). Once your placement is set, make an appointment for an advising and registration session. The educational planning team will help you understand your placement and discuss your academic goals. They will teach you how to register for classes and will clear you to sign up for classes. For more information, call (509) 682-6830 or go to wvc.edu/Plan. Faculty advisors will be assigned for the following quarters.
NOTE: Some instructional programs, including allied health, Running Start, and international programs, have special application procedures which must be met before a student can be accepted into those specific programs. View the Apply tab on our website at www.wvc.edu for more details, or contact the admission/registration office at 509-682-6806 (Wenatchee) or 509-422-7803 (Omak). For allied health admission information, see our website or call 509-682-6844 (Wenatchee) or 509-422-7952 (Omak).
Former Students
Students returning to WVC after an absence of four quarters or more (excluding summer) are required to submit a student information update form in order to be able to register for classes.
International Students
The following information is intended for people who:
- don't have U.S. citizenship
- want to come to the US on a temporary F-1 or M-1 non-immigrant student visa (F-1 is most common)
- will study full time (at least 12 credits a quarter)
To get a student visa, apply to WVC through the international education coordinator. International students need to provide additional documents, so please don't apply online. After sending the international coordinator all the necessary documents, they will submit your application to WVC, and after you are accepted, they will create an I-20 for you . When you have your I-20, make an appointment at your nearest embassy or consulate for a visa interview. You will need to show that you are intending to study full time, have enough funding and the required English proficiency, and that you plan to return to your home country. If this interview is successful, you will receive your F-1 or M-1 student visa.
Running Start Students
Running Start is a statewide college program for junior and senior high school students. Students receive both high school and college credit for these classes, which accelerates their progress through the education system. College tuition for eligible classes is covered through Running Start program. For more information go to www.wvc.edu/rs or call 509-682-6920.
Transfer Students
Students transferring to Wenatchee Valley College from another college or university must complete an admissions application.
Transferring Credits to Wenatchee Valley College
Credits earned at colleges and universities that are recognized by a regional accreditation association are generally accepted by Wenatchee Valley College. Students with credits from other colleges or universities need to follow these steps to ensure their credits are transferred to WVC:
- Submit an admissions application to the college.
- Contact the former school(s) and request that official transcripts be sent to the Wenatchee Valley College admissions office at 1300 Fifth Street, Wenatchee, WA 98801. Hand-carried transcripts are accepted only when sealed in official letterhead envelopes from the issuing institution. Copied or faxed transcripts cannot be accepted as official. Once the official transcript(s) is evaluated the results will be emailed to the student.
- Credits from other regionally accredited colleges may be used to satisfy prerequisites for college level English, mathematics and other classes. An unofficial copy of the transcript is acceptable for determining prerequisite based placement; however, an official copy must be on file for credit to be granted towards a degree or certificate program.
Washington Community and Technical Colleges (CTCs) offer reciprocity to students transferring within the CTC system. Students who have fulfilled entire areas of their degree requirements at one college (for example, Quantitative Skills, Communications Skills or Distribution Area requirements) will generally be considered to have met those same requirements at Wenatchee Valley College. For more information on reciprocity, contact the admissions office.
Admission Fee
There is no admission fee for undergraduate programs. There is a non-refundable, one-time $50 application fee for the Bachelor programs as well as Allied Health programs. This fee can be paid in-person or over the phone. Contact the cashier’s office: 509-682-6500 or cashier@wvc.edu.
Admission Options
Prospective students can complete the application for admission to WVC in the following ways:
Apply Online - Apply online through the WVC website (www.wvc.edu). Applicants may save the application at any time and return later to complete it, so long as they remember their user ID and password that they create when using the online application process. Once an applicant has completed the application, they will receive a welcome letter with information for next steps, within 72 hours unless weekend or holiday.
Apply In Person - Complete the application in person at the admission/registration office. A student services staff member will be available to answer questions about the process.
Admission Timelines
New and transfer students need to submit a completed application and official high school/college transcripts to the registration office at least two weeks before classes begin.
Former WVC students need to submit a student information update form to the admissions/registration office as well as any transcripts received from high school or college since your last attendance at least two weeks before classes begin.
ctcLink ID number
Once your application has been processed, WVC students will be assigned a ctcLink Identification Number or ctcLink ID. This ID is a unique identifier, that will be paired with a password that you will set up to gain access to your student information, records and other tools like registration, credit evaluation, Canvas, graduation, and transcripts. Because this information is highly confidential and protected, WVC strongly advises that you keep them private. Students can change their password at the login screen for ctcLink or by calling the WVC Help Center: 509-682-6550.
NOTE: Due to privacy regulations, WVC staff are not allowed to give out your ctcLink ID to anyone besides you. You can look up your ctcLink ID by visiting ctcLink and entering the email that you entered when you applied. If you have issues, please contact the Help Center at helpdesk@wvc.edu or by calling 509-682-6550.
Registration
Check the academic calendar on the website for registration start dates. New WVC students (including transfer students) who submit an application after the quarterly due date, two weeks before classes begin, will be admitted for the following quarter. For example, if a student applies after the fall-quarter tuition due date, they will not be admitted for fall but for the following winter quarter instead. Additionally, if they are a new WVC student who wants to register for more than six credits, they must go through the mandatory intake placement and advising process before the application due date. If the student fails to meet this deadline, they will need to wait and register for classes for the following quarter, regardless of how early they submitted an application to WVC.
Exceptions to this policy may be considered with approval from a college navigator or, for students pursuing a professional/technical program, the program director, and the college registrar.
Online Registration
Registration through the WVC website is available to any student with a current application on file. If a student has not attended WVC for more than four quarters (excluding summer), they will need to submit a student information update form to access web registration. The following students, however, will need to register in person:
- Students taking ABE, ESL or high school equivalency classes
- Students registering on a space-available tuition waiver
To access online registration, students will need their ctcLink Identification Number.
Walk-in Registration
If you prefer to do your registration in person, walk-in registration is available Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Registration forms are available online at www.wvc.edu/registration. If a class requires an instructor’s signature as a prerequisite, the student must have the instructor sign the registration form. You can also mail your completed registration form to the WVC Admission/Registration office. Please inquire at the cashier’s office for payment.
Mail-in or walk-in registrations are processed in the order they are received. If you are a new student, your registration will be processed once new student registration is open.
Registration Times
Registration appointment times are assigned to students who are enrolled in the current term and to all students who completed classes within the past four terms. Registration times are assigned based on the total number of credits earned at Wenatchee Valley College, with students earning the most credits receiving the earlier assigned times. New students and former students who have not attended within the past four terms may register during the open registration period. For continuing students, use the ctcLink to find your registration time. Students may register at their assigned time or any time thereafter. New students will have their registration hold released once they have met with a college navigator.
- WVC offers priority registration for veterans and their spouses and students enrolled in CAMP and TRiO. Registration is three days prior to current student registration and begins at 8:00 am.
NOTE: If you have not attended college for more than four quarters (excluding summer), you will need to complete a student information update form in order to register. Contact the admissions/registration office if you have questions.
These procedures are subject to change at any time. Refer to the student calendar for specific dates for each quarter.
Registration Blocks
All prior college financial obligations must be paid prior to registration. Students may not be permitted to register or change their schedule if there is a financial or registration block on their student record.
Adding Classes
Students may add classes through the first 10 days of each quarter. After the second day, the instructor’s written approval is required.
Auditing Classes
Students may choose to audit a class unless they are a Running Start student. An audit exempts them from examinations, but the instructor may require reasonable attendance and class participation. No college credit is received for an audited class. Regular tuition charges will apply. Financial aid will not be awarded for audited classes. Changing a class from audit to credit is permitted only through the 10th day of the quarter. Changing from credit to audit is permitted until the end of the 35th day. The instructor’s written approval is required to change to an audit after the second day of instruction.
Class Waitlists
Waitlists adjust daily. Classes are filled in the order that students placed themselves on the waitlist. Students on a waitlist will be sent a notification to their preferred email upon successful enrollment into the course they were on the waitlist for.
Continuing Education
Students may register any time for continuing education classes by mail, by phone (with a debit or credit card), in person or online. Please see the continuing education website at wvc.edu/CED for more details.
Senior Citizens
After the fifth instructional day of the quarter, but before the 10th day, anyone over 60 years of age may register for most credit classes for a special tuition rate of $5 per class. Registration is on a space-available basis for a maximum of two classes per quarter. This special tuition rate is only for Washington residents (who have lived in Washington for 12 or more consecutive months). Seniors who would like the tuition discount must register in person. If a senior does not want the senior discount, they can sign up on the first day of class at full price and may receive credit for the class.
NOTE: Seniors are registered to “audit” the class. There will be no transcript record for classes taken on a space-available basis. These classes do not qualify for transfer or toward a WVC degree.
Withdrawing From Classes
If a student withdraws from all their classes, whether officially or unofficially, they may be responsible for repaying all or a portion of their financial aid. For more information, visit the wvc.edu/financialaid for further details.
The last day to withdraw from classes each quarter is specified on the official student calendar, printed at the front of this publication and on our wvc.edu/academiccalendar. The student is responsible for withdrawing from classes. Failure to formally withdraw from class will normally result in a failing grade and potential financial aid penalties. Instructors have the authority to request a student to be withdrawn who does not attend class during the first ten days of the quarter. However, students should not assume they will be dropped for non-attendance.
To withdraw from a class or the college, students must withdraw online, or complete the course change form found in the admission/registration office located in Wenatchi Hall on the Wenatchee campus or the administration office in Omak. The withdrawal is effective on the date the completed forms are received. If the student stops attending classes but does not withdraw, they will still be responsible for the payment of any tuition and fees, including repayment of financial aid.
Courses that are dropped during the first 10 days of the quarter are not included on student transcripts. Classes dropped after the 10th day and through the 35th day of the quarter will be recorded with a “W” on the transcript. For courses with unusual starting and ending dates, the instructor’s written consent is required to withdraw after the 10th day of instruction and through the last day of the course. No withdrawals will be accepted after a course has ended.
If a student was unable to withdraw before the deadline and feel they have extenuating circumstances, they should contact the admission/registration office before the last day of the quarter about the late withdrawal procedure.
More information about the WVC refund policy may be found at wvc.edu/refund.
Full-Time Student Status
The number of credits that a student must attempt in a quarter to be considered a full-time student varies according to their student status (i.e., veteran, student athlete, financial aid recipient or international student). Students should consult with the admissions/registration office or financial aid office to see if they qualify as a full-time student.
The state of Washington sets 10 credits as the minimum for full-time tuition. For financial aid purposes, however, 12 credits is required for full-time status. Fifteen credits a quarter is a typical full-time class load. Professional/ technical students, however, are often required to take more than 15 credits.
More Information
More information about admissions and registration, as well as forms and instructions, are available on our website at www.wvc.edu/Registration or from the admission/registration office at 509-682-6806. This includes information on late registration, adding classes, dropping classes, withdrawing from college, auditing classes, grade reports and transcripts.