Admission Requirements & Procedures
Requirements
Individuals who possess a high school diploma or GED from an accredited institution recognized by the state of South Carolina will be allowed to enroll at FDTC upon successful completion of the college’s application process and entrance requirements.
Exception to the above: An applicant who is a high school junior or senior must submit, prior to admission, written permission/recommendation from the principal/guidance counselor of the school he/she is attending to take classes at FDTC.
An applicant must submit satisfactory scores on either the SAT, ACT, or the college’s placement test. There is a five-year limit on all entrance test scores.
Procedures
- Submit an online application for admissions.
- Submit proof of high school graduation or GED from an accredited institution recognized by the state of South Carolina.
- Submit appropriate entrance test scores (SAT, ACT, or college’s placement test). Some programs may require additional test scores.
- Some programs require a placement interview with the department head.
- Students will be admitted into their chosen program with a proviso that they must meet test scores or take all necessary pre-requisite courses associated with the courses in their desired program. Allied Health applicants will be admitted into the Associate in Science program until space is available in their desired program and they meet all pre-requisites necessary to begin the clinical portion of their chosen allied health field. Students will be admitted into the Allied Health fields by the Allied Health departments.
- A faculty advisor will be assigned to all accepted students. Students who test into zero-level reading or writing classes will be assigned an advisor with expertise to develop a plan to move students through their developmental courses into their program coursework.
Admissions Waiver
Admissions waivers are available, for the student’s first semester only, to designated student groups, providing them the opportunity to take curriculum courses without meeting the required SAT, ACT or COMPASS testing scores.
Designated student groups are defined as follows:
- Applicants who have earned a Bachelor’s Degree, or advanced degree, and who meet all other requirements for his/her chosen program
- Applicants who have graduated from high school within one year of application; who are LIFE Scholarship eligible; and who meet all other requirements for his/her chosen program
- Applicants who apply for designated evening programs
- Admissions Representatives will have the authority to offer waivers based on special circumstances following an interview with an applicant
If a student enters a curriculum course via an admissions waiver and is unsuccessful in that course, the Faculty Advisor will: direct the student to take the COMPASS test (if applicable); complete a Change of Curriculum form (if applicable); register the student into the course level identified by the COMPASS, SAT or ACT score.
A waiver will only be offered once.
Ability to Benefit
In some programs, students can be admitted to the College based on satisfactory placement test scores, if they do not possess a high school diploma or GED. In 1995, the U.S. Department of Education established specific “Ability to Benefit” (ATB) regulations and testing guidelines. Applicants that do not possess a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a GED, but would like to request federal financial aid assistance will be required to complete all three components of the COMPASS or ASSET in a single test administration session. ATB applicants must meet or exceed all three required scores regardless of the test score requirements for entrance into the specified program.