College Catalog: Advising, Registration, and Placement

Advising

Academic advising is an interactive process that connects students with a knowledgeable faculty or staff member who can help them make informed educational decisions. Students who have received effective academic advising will understand the courses required to complete a degree, develop a personal plan to be successful in these courses, and be prepared to register for courses appropriate to their skill levels and educational goals. New students learn about the advising process prior to registration at a ConnectSession (mandatory student orientation). Returning admitted students must connect with their assigned program academic advisor prior to registration. Visiting students are advised during general registration in the Advising Services office. All students are required to meet with an advisor in order to have their individualized academic plan approved prior to registration.

View the advising procedure and the Advising section of the website for more information.

Registration

Upcoming course schedules are available in the Courses section of the website. Each term, returning admitted program students may register during priority registration using Self-Service, the College’s student academic planning system. New and visiting students register during general registration. Prior to registering for courses via Self-Service, all students must meet prerequisite course requirements and have their advising hold removed by an academic advisor. Students may pay their tuition and fees through Self-Service or in person at the Orange County Campus, or on Main Campus in the Admissions, Registration, and Records office in the Wynn Center (Building 10), or at the Cashier's Window in the White Building (Building 1) entrance foyer. Students receiving Veterans educational benefits must notify Financial Aid and Veterans Services of their intent to utilize benefits each term prior to enrollment and registration.

View the Registration section of the website.

Course Placement

Durham Tech accepts students’ college transcripts; unweighted high school GPA; and ACT, SAT, GED, HiSET, NCDAP, COMPASS, ASSET, and ACCUPLACER scores for college placement.

Students who have completed associate degrees or higher from an accredited college or university are college-ready and can take any gateway 100-level course in their plan of study.

Students who provide transcripts demonstrating completion of an associate degree or higher, must use their unweighted high school GPA for placement if they graduated from an accredited high school in the United States. ACT, SAT, NCDAP, COMPASS, ASSET, and ACCUPLACER scores can be used for placement within ten years from the date taken.

Students who lack the appropriate high school GPA and who have ACT, SAT, GED, HiSET, NCDAP, COMPASS, ASSET, and ACCUPLACER scores that do not place them into college-level courses will be required to take the RISE Placement Test.

Specifically, only the following students are allowed to take the RISE placement test:

  • Students whose U.S. high school GPA is not unweighted;
  • Students whose unweighted high school GPA is not from a U.S. high school;
  • Students whose ACT, SAT, GED, HiSET, NCDAP, COMPASS, ASSET, or ACCUPLACER scores from the past 10 years do not place them into college-level courses (with or without corequisite support course);
  • Students who are referred via the English for Academic Purposes department; and
  • Career and College Promise (CCP) students who lack qualifying high school GPA or test scores for college-level course work.

If high school records or test scores are older than 10 years, students must (re)take the placement test unless they have been continuously enrolled in classes. Students are considered continuously enrolled at the College if they register for and attend courses (including prerequisites) creditable toward a degree, diploma, or certificate in a following semester after the initial enrollment semester (attendance is required in the following fall or spring semester or following spring or fall semester). Students who do not attend classes for two consecutive semesters (not including summer term), must reapply and retest if their scores are older than 10 years.

Read more about continuous enrollment in the Admissions policy and procedure.

Noncredit courses or programs may be considered towards continuous enrollment if approved by a department head in the student’s intended curriculum program.

Students who visit the Testing Center are asked a series of questions regarding U.S. English as their first language. Based on their responses, students may be required to take the Accuplacer ESL test to determine if English for Academic Purposes (EAP) placement is appropriate.

Read more about test preparation, requesting/submitting test scores, and placement test schedules in the Placement Testing section of the website.