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. The process can be found online at www.pgcc.edu/admissions_and_registration/registration_information.aspx
Course Prerequisites and Placement
Most courses require a student to possess a certain level of prior knowledge or proficiency in order to be successful in mastering the subject content of the course. These prescribed levels of prior knowledge or proficiency are known as course prerequisites. Most introductory level courses do not require other courses to precede them but do require certain levels of proficiency in reading, writing and/or mathematics. Such basic skills prerequisites are indicated in the course description as “reading proficiency,” “writing proficiency,” and/or “mathematics proficiency” prerequisites. Other courses may require that certain specific courses precede 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.
Placement test prerequisites for course enrollment are waived for students who:
- Already hold a U.S. college degree (Associate degree or higher)
- Have sufficiently high SAT or ACT scores
- Have previously completed 12 or more credits of college-level courses having substantially equivalent skills requirements
- Have background or work experience, which, in the judgment of the appropriate dean or designee, indicates a reasonable capability for success in the course(s) in question
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). PAS-1010 Planning for Academic Success (3 credits) may be substituted for PAS-1000 . For more information about PAS-1000 and PAS-1010 see Course Descriptions .
Registration Steps
Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Students who wait to register until late in the designated period may be forced to take classes at less than ideal times or places since first-choice classes may be full or otherwise unavailable. 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 My Planning from the Student Portal, myPGCC and selecting My Progress to review course requirements of their program of study.
- Studying a schedule of classes that lists all offerings for a particular semester. The schedule is available online before registration begins
- Selecting classes consistent with an academic program, prior coursework, the agreed-upon educational plan and/or placement test scores
- Registering for classes in person or over the Web, as described in the next section
- Paying a tuition bill. Students who register in person will be given a bill at the time they register. Those registering over the Web may access and pay their bills online as soon as their selection of courses is completed. 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 later-starting, accelerated course sections. These offerings may be found in the class schedules. Students also may search for later starting courses using Owl Link at www.pgcc.edu.
For fall semesters:
- By July 12, students who register on or before this date must have paid or made arrangements with the college to pay their tuition bills. Any student who has not done so will be dropped from the courses for which they registered.
- Beginning July 13, and every succeeding registration day, students must make payment for their tuition bill or make arrangement with the college to pay the tuition bill by 11:59 p.m. the same day they register. Any student who has not done so will be dropped from the courses for which they registered the following day.
For spring semesters:
- Two working days after the college re-opens from winter break (actual deadline will be published in the spring class schedule), students must have paid or made arrangements to pay their full tuition bills. Any student who has not done so will be dropped from the courses for which they registered.
- Beginning the day after this deadline and every succeeding registration day, students must make payment for their full tuition bill, or make arrangements with the college to do so, by 11:59 p.m. the day of registration. Any student who has not done so will be dropped from the courses for which they registered the following day.
Different Ways to Register for Courses
New and newly readmitted students must register in person for their first semester. Returning students may register each semester in any one of the following ways:
- Over the Web using Owl Link, the college’s online registration system at www.pgcc.edu
- In person at the main campus in Largo at the Office of Admissions and Records, 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.
Owl Link
Owl Link is the name of the Web student system at Prince George’s Community College. 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 e-mail 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. Continuing Education students also may use Owl Link to register for classes and pay tuition charges. To access Owl Link, students at Prince George’s Community College must have a current, working e-mail address on file. Virtually all Owl Link transactions are acknowledged by e-mail, 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 e-mailing that office at 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.
PGCC Owl Debit Cards
All credit students will receive a PGCC Owl Debit Card issued through Higher One Bank. 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 PGCC Owl Debit Card or they may choose to have refunds electronically deposited in another bank account specified on the Higher One/PGCC Owl 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 and 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 Admissions and Records 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 published in the credit class schedules and are available online. Returning students should go to the Office of Admissions and Records 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 centers. The photo ID will allow 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 Admissions and Records, 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, via the Internet (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. Go to www.pgcc.edu or to my.pgcc.edu for more information.
Enrollment verifications are 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 or mailed to the receiving party.
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.
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 Advising and Transfer Services, Bladen Hall, Room 124. Student interested in changing a program of study will also be referred to the Career Center, Marlboro Hall 2102, 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 Admissions and Records 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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