While students apply for admission only once during a period of attendance at the college, they must register for classes every semester they wish to attend. Registration involves selecting courses each semester that meet the student’s academic needs, are within their educational plan, and are offered in a manner consistent with each student’s time and place requirements.
Course Prerequisites and Placement
Most courses require a student to possess a certain level of prior knowledge or readiness in order to be successful in mastering the subject content of the course. These prescribed levels of prior knowledge or readiness are known as course prerequisites. Most introductory level courses do not require other courses to precede them but do require certain levels of readiness in reading, writing and/or mathematics. Such basic skills prerequisites are indicated in the course description as “reading readiness,” “writing readiness,” and/or “mathematics readiness” prerequisites. Other courses may require that certain specific courses are taken prior to enrolling in them. In such cases, the course description will contain a reference to one or more prerequisite courses.
Basic skills in all three areas are assessed using placement tests, which are required of all new college students. Students who do not achieve satisfactory placement test scores will be required to complete prescribed developmental courses before enrolling in credit courses
Some placement test prerequisites for course enrollment are waived for students who:
- Already hold a U.S. college degree (associate degree or higher)
- Completed high school within the last five years and earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Meet SAT, ACT, or GED minimum test score requirements
- Have previously completed at least one transferrable and evaluated college-level course having substantially equivalent skills requirements
All new students and those who transfer in fewer than 12 credits are required to complete PAS-1000 Planning for Academic Success: First Year Experience (1 credit). For more information about PAS-1000 see Course Descriptions .
Registration Steps
Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Students are encouraged to register early in order to take advantage of increased availability of their first-choice classes at their preferred time. The College is committed to using every available class meeting to further the learning experience. Students are therefore required to be registered for classes prior to their start and expected to be present on the first meeting day. The registration deadline of 11:59 p.m. the day before a class begins is strictly enforced regardless of whether or not seats remain available in the course. Consult each semester’s schedule of classes for registration information and special instructions for enrollment in classes which begin later in the semester. Registration involves the following steps:
- Consult with an advisor as needed or required by the college. All degree-seeking students must develop and periodically update an educational plan with the assistance of an academic advisor. Students may also determine courses they need to take by accessing Owl Link from the Student Portal, myPGCC.
- Review the schedule of classes that lists all offerings for a particular semester prior to the opening of registration. The schedule is available online before registration begins. Note that accelerated classes with various start dates are available.
- Select classes consistent with an academic program, prior coursework, the agreed-upon educational plan, and/or placement test scores. Register for classes online in Owl Link or in person, as described in the next section.
- Pay the tuition bill. Students should refer to the PGCC website for tuition and payment plan information and payment deadlines. No registration is considered final until the bill has been paid.
Registration Policy
Students must register for courses by 11:59 p.m. the day before the class begins. Students who fail to meet the registration deadline may still enroll in accelerated course sections. Students may search for accelerated courses using Owl Link.
While the College reserves the right to release courses due to non-payment following payment deadlines, it is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from planned coursework prior to the start of courses to avoid financial responsibility. The College has discontinued the practice of daily course deletion due to non-payment to allow for additional processing time of expected payment sources. It is critical to follow-up on all expected payment sources and make sure the funds have applied to your account to secure your course selections. This includes student financial aid, outside scholarships, payment plans, and third-party payments.
Different Ways to Register for Courses
New and newly readmitted students must make an appointment with their advisor prior to registering for their first semester. Returning students may register each semester in any one of the following ways:
- Online using Owl Link, the college’s registration and planning system.
- In person at the main campus in Largo at the Office of Records and Registration, Bladen Hall, Room 126.
- In person at the Laurel College Center in Laurel, Prince George’s Community College at University Town Center in Hyattsville, and (for those who have a military ID) at Prince George’s Community College at Joint Base Andrews.
Navigate
Navigate is an online and mobile advisement tool for academic planning and registration. Navigate provides guidance to ensure that students’ programs of study are a good fit for their goals, connects them to many of PGCC’s resources, and ensures they are not missing any steps. New students are assigned a Navigate account within 24 hours of applying to the college. Navigate will virtually assist students with general help and guidance throughout the enrollment process. Navigate also allows students to stay in touch with their academic advisor and schedule appointments with PGCC offices and services. Students can download the Navigate App by searching “Navigate Student” in their app store.
Owl Link
Owl Link is the name of the web student system at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC). It empowers the college’s students to access important online services. Using Owl Link, students are able to register and pay for classes, view the status of financial aid, and make adjustments to their schedule. Students also can print unofficial transcripts and class schedules, submit address and email address changes, and request official transcripts to be sent to other colleges. Students also are able to access the Student Planning feature of Owl Link to see their assigned advisor, view their educational plan by semester, view their progress to completion, and view a new program to see how completed and planned courses apply. To access Owl Link, students at PGCC must have a current, working email address on file. Virtually all Owl Link transactions are acknowledged by email, as are responses to any questions submitted. Current credit students who have not received a User ID and password can get them by contacting the technology Help Desk Office located in Bladen Hall, Room 106, on the Largo campus, or by emailing helpdesk@pgcc.edu.
Owl Mail
Prince George’s Community College assigns all students a secure student e-mail account, called Owl Mail. Students will receive e-mail notification to their personal e-mail addresses regarding the availability of their Owl Mail accounts. Upon receipt of that e-mail, students should immediately follow the instructions given to activate the Owl Mail account. Failure to do so within 30 days will result in the account being disabled. Owl Mail is the only e-mail address faculty and staff will use to interact electronically with students. It is also required in order to participate in online courses and to receive important, timely notices and announcements from the college. It is critical that students activate their Owl Mail accounts immediately upon receipt of the notice of its availability. Complete instructions on how to activate the account are included in the notice and available on the Owl Link page.
BankMobile Debit Cards (Formerly PGCC Owl Debit Cards)
All credit students will receive a debit card issued through BankMobile. It will be mailed to the address of record at the college. This card is very important and must be activated in order to set up a preference for the way refunds from the college to the student will be delivered. This includes financial aid rebates and VA reimbursements.
Students may choose to have refunds and rebates processed as deposits to their BankMobile Debit Card or they may choose to have refunds electronically deposited in another bank account specified on the BankMobile Debit Card activation site. The college no longer issues paper checks.
Student ID Cards
Every credit student is required to obtain a Prince George’s Community College photo ID card and to wear it visibly at all times they are on campus or at any extension center. Students must be able to provide proper identification upon request to access college programs and facilities. Such identification must include a properly validated college photo ID card and one other form of photo identification - a current driver’s license, a Maryland Motor Vehicle Identification Card, a military ID card, or a current passport/work authorization card/permanent resident card.
New students may obtain an ID card from the Library or from the Office of Records and Registration after they have registered for classes for their first semester. A paid tuition receipt and another photo ID card or a current passport/work authorization card/permanent resident card must be presented before obtaining an ID card. Hours of operation are available online. Returning students should go to the Office of Records and Registration in Bladen Hall or to the Library to have their ID cards validated for each semester after their first one. Photo ID cards and validation stickers also are available at University Town Center, Laurel College Center, and the Joint Base Andrews degree center.
The photo ID allows access to various college departments and services, including but not limited to the Library, computer labs, testing center, natatorium, campus special events, and as identification at the college’s bookstore. Students who lose their ID card must pay a $10 reissue fee.
Transcripts and Enrollment Verifications
Official copies of transcripts may be obtained upon written request from the Office of Records and Registration, Bladen Hall, Room 126. “While you wait” service is available during regular business hours. Transcripts may be requested in one of three ways: in person, by mail, or online (www.pgcc.edu). No transcript will be issued for students with an outstanding debt to the college. Students may print unofficial copies of their own transcripts through Owl Link, the college’s online student system, provided there is no outstanding debt. Visit www.pgcc.edu or my.pgcc.edu for more information.
No enrollment verifications will be issued for a given semester until courses have begun and the refund period for the courses has passed. The college is a member of the National Student Clearinghouse and reports the enrollment status of all registered students several times during each semester. The college relies on the Clearinghouse to verify the enrollment and degree attainment of students to lenders and other external agencies. Students may receive an instant enrollment verification through the National Studen Clearinghouse by logging in through Owl Link.
Enrollment verifications are also available free of charge upon written request or upon receipt of a properly signed release form through an external agency or organization. Such verifications are not done on a while-you-wait basis. All external agency forms are sent directly to the agency involved. Verification letters may be picked up by the student, mailed or emailed to the receiving party.
The college reserves the right to withhold transcripts or enrollment verifications for any student or former student who has an outstanding debt to the college, including but not limited to tuition, fees, returned check fees, parking fines, and library charges.
Changes of Program/Not Applicable Courses
Students must designate a program of study or curriculum at the time they apply for admission to the college. The choice of a program of study is an important one since it dictates what degree requirements a student must meet so long as they are enrolled in that curriculum. Students who realize that another curriculum is more appropriate to their goals should change the curriculum rather than continue in one no longer relevant. Students may change a program of study by completing a curriculum change form, available from the Office of Student Academic Planning and Career Readiness (SAPCR), Bladen Hall, Room 124. Student interested in changing a program of study will also be referred to the Career Center, Bladen Hall, Room 124, to see an advisor before the curriculum change process is completed.
Sometimes when a curriculum is changed, certain courses that were taken in connection with the old program of study may not be relevant to the new program. A student may request that such inapplicable courses not be counted within the new program of study. Such requests must be sent to the Office of Records and Registration as part of the proper completion of a curriculum change form. Courses that are determined to be not applicable to the new program will receive the designation N/A (not applicable) and will no longer affect the student’s grade point average or be counted toward meeting graduation requirements.
The N/A designation will be applied to courses that were specifically required in the former program of study and that are not applicable to the new program as required courses or recommended electives. Courses that satisfy a general education requirement are not eligible for the N/A designation unless the new program of study lists specific general education courses as required courses and courses taken previously may not be used as approved substitutes for the required courses.
Students requesting this evaluation of their academic record should be aware that all such nonapplicable courses will receive the N/A designation regardless of the grade earned. Normally, this treatment may be requested only once.
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