Admissions

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Admission to Nashua Community College is open to all applicants who are qualified according to the admissions standards of respective programs, and applicants will not be barred from admission because of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or veteran status. First priority for admission will be given to New Hampshire residents, second priority will be given to students qualifying under the New England Regional Student Program (NERSP) and third priority will be given to students not qualifying under the New England Regional Student Program or those not domiciled in the state of New Hampshire. However, in highly competitive programs with limited enrollment, the Admissions Office, while working as much as possible within the above parameters, may exercise discretion in admitting those applicants who best fit the needs and expectations of the department, the College and the local community.

In an effort to assist students in reaching their educational goals, NCC has partnered with the Adult Learning Center (ALC) to offer the preparatory coursework not offered by the College through a College Transitions Program at NCC. Students whose college placement test results indicate enrollment in these preparatory courses is necessary will be referred to the College Transitions Coordinator.

The facilities and services of the College will be available to all enrolled students, day and evening (except when restricted by judicial action).

Admissions Procedures

Applications for admission can be completed online, downloaded as a PDF from our website or obtained from the Admissions Office. The application can be mailed to: Admissions Office, Nashua Community College, 505 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH 03063.

Once applications are received, the applicant will be informed of any additional information or procedures necessary for acceptance to Nashua Community College. Some programs will require additional items such as letters of reference, driving records or an entrance exam. Please see program descriptions for details. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all documents requested by the College are received. All documents submitted to the College become the property of NCC and will not be returned or sent to other organizations.

General Admissions Requirements

  1. File a Nashua Community College Application for Admission. Students need to reapply after non-attendance to start in a new academic year. If reapplication is necessary, the applicant must submit a new application.
  2. Present evidence of graduation from an approved high school (transcript with date of graduation or high school diploma) or possess a General Equivalency Diploma (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) or satisfactory equivalent. Transcripts and any satisfactory equivalents must be submitted in a sealed envelope.
  3. The ACCUPLACER college placement test is required for all associate degree and certificate programs that require math and/or English. If you have earned college credits, taken AP courses, CLEP tests in math and/or English or scored high enough on your SAT’s, the ACCUPLACER test may not be required (see College Placement Test section). Inquire with an Enrollment Specialist to be certain you don’t need to take the ACCUPLACER test.

  4. Transfer students may submit official transcripts of all previous college work. Courses successfully completed prior to admission will be considered for transfer.

Nashua Community College encourages students to apply for Federal Student Aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at fafsa.gov. NCC school code is 009236. See Financial Aid section for additional information.

Homeschooled Students

Nashua Community College encourages applications from students who are homeschooled. While the nature of home schooling is inherently unique to each student, the College requires appropriate documentation to determine admission. Applicants are expected to meet the same general and specific admission requirements (or their equivalent) as other applicants and to document the academic work they have accomplished. Documents to be submitted may include one of the following:

  1. A letter or other documentation from the student’s local school district stating the student has completed a home school program at the high school level.
  2. A list of courses completed and grades earned.
  3. GED or other testing, if applicable.
  4. A letter or other appropriate record indicating the student has completed a home school program in accordance with their State regulations.

International Students: Application Material Required

In addition to the admissions requirements, international students must submit the following:

  1. A $100 non-refundable International Admissions fee.
  2. Official English translation of all secondary and postsecondary academic records.
  3. If your native language is not English, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam and earn a score of 500 or higher; a score of 173 or higher on the computer-based test; or a score of 61 or higher on the internet-based TOEFL. Please visit the Education Testing Service website. For inquiries, contact TOEFL Services at Education Testing Service website for more information on the exam and where the TOEFL exam is given in your country. For inquiries, contact TOEFL Services at Education Testing Service (ETS) by phone at 877.863.3546 or by mail at ETS Ewing Office; 225 Phillips Boulevard Ewing, NJ 08618. If you are currently in the United States seeking a student visa, NCC may waive the TOEFL requirement and administer the Accuplacer Placement Test.
  4. An Affidavit of Financial Support form from the person(s) who will be financially responsible for the student. Forms and instructions can be printed from our website. Please follow instructions for the form and state all funds in US dollars. All supporting documentation must be included.

  5. Copies of current passport and immigration documents including current visa and Duration of Status (D/S) card.

Dollar amounts promised by the sponsor and available in the sponsor’s bank account should be sufficient to cover a minimum of two years expenses (out-of-state tuition, fees, room and board, books, and miscellaneous expenses). Before a Certificate of Eligibility for an F-1 visa (I-20) can be issued, applicants must have submitted all documents required and be accepted into a full-time program (12 credits or more per semester).

Please note: On-campus housing is not available.

Early College

Early College is a dual enrollment program where New Hampshire high school juniors and seniors may take college courses while still in high school. This is an opportunity take some “General Education” courses that can be applied towards a college degree later on, and also earn credit towards your high school diploma at the same time.

High School students must be (a) enrolled in an approved NH high school or an approved NH home school program, or be a resident of New Hampshire and enrolled in an approved high school, (b) be a high school junior or senior. Homeschool students age 16 or older are eligible, and (c) have not earned a high school diploma prior to class completion date. Exceptions to these requirements require approval from the Dual Enrollment Coordinator and the Department Chair or his/her designee.

Early College students may enroll up to two (2) 100-level courses, each with a maximum of four (4) credits each from the list of approved courses available to high school students during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Early College students may not enroll in any “intensive” semesters (two, six, or eight-week semesters) or in any course marked as Capstone or Internship. Aviation Technology (AVTN) and Nursing (NURS) courses are not open to Early College students. Enrollment is on a space available basis and there may be times NCC needs to remove an early college student from the course based on the number of seats needed for matriculated students.

Early College students pay 50 percent of the cost of the NCC tuition with no added fees until high school graduation. There is currently a scholarship from the New Hampshire Governor’s Office that covers the cost of tuition for STEM/CTE-approved courses. A list of approved courses can be obtained from the Dual Enrollment Coordinator. High school students have the opportunity to start college core curriculum, start courses in a major, and request dual credit with their high school. Early College students are welcomed into the NCC community and the student body as a whole, offering the high school student a full and authentic college experience. Early College students are non-matriculated and therefore ineligible for federal student financial aid or to apply to a degree program or graduate from any degree or certificate program. The reduced tuition for high school students offers an incentive to start college in high school for a fraction of the tuition compared with post high school graduation.

Early College is designed for juniors and seniors. If an Early College student would like to utilize classroom accommodations (IEP or 504), they need to complete NCC’s Application for Reasonable Accommodations to obtain a college level plan from NCC..Contact the Dual Enrollment Coordinator at 578-6915 for further information

Residency Status

A student will be classified as in-state or out-of-state for tuition purposes at the time of admission. The Admissions Office will make the decision based on information furnished by the student’s application and other relevant and available information. To qualify for in-state tuition, a student must have been domiciled in New Hampshire continuously up to12 months immediately prior to registration for the term for which in-state status is claimed. Students living within a 50-mile radius of the NCC campus also qualify for in-state tuition.

A member of the active duty U.S. Armed Forces stationed in this state under military orders, or stationed in a contiguous state but temporarily living in New Hampshire, shall be entitled to classification for himself/herself, spouse and dependent children as "in-state" for tuition purposes so long as said orders remain in effect and residence in this state is continued. Also, military personnel who are residents of another state but choose this state as their residence within 90 days of being discharged from the military will be considered residents and charged in-state tuition. Refer to the "Veterans' Assistance" Section in this catalog for more information. Residents of the other five New England states are eligible to pay a lower, regional tuition (instead of the out-of-state) when enrolled in associate degree programs approved under the New England Regional Student Program (NERSP). The College allows additional eligibility to include all associate degree and certificate programs.

International Students are not eligible for in-state or New England Regional tuition rates for day courses at any time while enrolled at NCC.

Any student who has, on his/her first admission to the College, been classified as New England Regional or out-of-state for tuition purposes, may apply to the Admissions Office for a change of status on or before September 1 for the subsequent fall semester, on or before January 1 for the subsequent spring semester, and on or before June 1 for the subsequent summer term.

Any student who is aggrieved by the decision of the Admissions Office may appeal in writing to the Vice President of Student and Community Affairs. In all cases of application for in-state status for tuition purposes, the burden of proof shall be on the applicant.

College Placement Test

The college placement test utilized is Accuplacer. Accuplacer is a set of computerized tests that determines a student’s skill level in math and/or English. The results of the assessment enable us to provide students with crucial early guidance in course placement/selection. Students can schedule a remote or in-person Accuplacer assessment and access the practice materials online. There is no fee for students taking the Accuplacer Assessment test for the first time. If a student retakes the Accuplacer Assessment test, there will be a $20 fee which must be paid in the NCC Business Office prior to testing.

A math SAT score of 530 or higher is required for placement in college level math (a score of 460-529 can be used for placement in college level math with a co-requisite workshop) and a Critical Reading and Writing score of 470 or higher is required for placement in college-level English (a score of 401-469 can be used for placement in college level English with a co- requisite workshop). See Admissions for course placement information.

Academic Amnesty

A student who has previously attended NCC and is admitted at a later time, may be eligible for Academic Amnesty, which provides for the following:

  1. All grades taken during the student’s previous time at the College will no longer be used to calculate the student’s new cumulative GPA. However, grades C- and above taken during the student’s previous time at the Institute/College will be used to meet course requirements (where appropriate), subject to the approval of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
  2. Even though previous grades will not be used to calculate the new cumulative GPA, all previous grades will remain on the student’s transcript.

In order to be eligible for Academic Amnesty, a student must meet all of the following conditions:

  1. The student has not taken any courses at NCC for a period of at least three years from the last semester of attendance.
  2. The student applies for Academic Amnesty before the start of his/her second semester after readmission.
  3. The student has never before received Academic Amnesty.
  4. The student achieved a cumulative GPA below 1.7 during previous attendance.

Please be aware that while you have been granted academic amnesty your previous grades are not used to calculate your new grade point average, they will however be used to evaluate “satisfactory academic progress” for financial aid purposes in accordance with Federal Financial Aid Regulations.

Insurance

We encourage students needing health insurance to review the Companies licensed to sell health insurance in NH at http://www.nh.gov/insurance/consumers/healthinscos.htm to identify a provider that best meets their needs. The list includes companies that could provide either individual health insurance or short term (six months) health insurance. Please note that NCC is providing this link as a resource to our students and it should not be viewed as an endorsement of any of the companies or their plans. To obtain government information on health insurance or to apply visit https://www.healthcare.gov/get-coverage/.

Proof of health insurance is required for students enrolled in the Nursing Program and those who participate in athletic activities. Some additional College related activities may require proof of health insurance, which will be requested as needed.

Health insurance must meet the following criteria:

  • United States based insurance plan;
  • Provides the 10 essential health benefits specified in the Affordable Care Act (https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/essential-health-benefits/);
  • Includes access to hospital and physician providers in the area where the student is attending a New Hampshire community college;
  • Will remain in effect for the entire semester(s) (except for termination due to the attainment of a maximum age, or other situation resulting in a loss of plan eligibility),

The following plans DO NOT meet the criteria:

  • An accident-only policy
  • A short-term limited duration health plan that does not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
  • A ministry sharing plan, even if it is recognized by the ACA
  • Any other health benefits program (e.g., a community care program) that is not recognized by the State of NH as being health insurance (or is not a health benefits plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) and does not meet all of the requirements specified above.