Academic Information

Special Student Policies

Underage Student Policy
Students below the traditional age-level for college are welcome at Bristol Community College, but they need to comply with the following policies and procedures in order to attend. High school seniors may register as non-degree students. High school juniors must obtain a letter of approval from their principal, guidance counselor, or Tech Prep coordinator before registering as non-degree students. All students enrolled in high school who will be attending classes during the day must obtain a letter of approval from their principal or guidance counselor. Home schooled students need to provide documentation of a home school plan approved by the school district in which they reside.

Underage students (i.e., those who have not yet reached the age of 16) or those students who are home schooled will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A parent or the student should obtain the Under-Age Request to Enroll form from Enrollment Services and make the request in writing. This application must be approved by the instructor and/or department chair and the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs.

The College reserves the right to limit or deny enrollment of a student under the age of sixteen (16) in a course or program based on its case-by-case consideration of a variety of factors, including but not limited to: the student’s maturity, life experience, placement test scores, prior education, course content, instructional methodology, and risks or requirements associated with a particular course or program.

All students under the age of 18 who require accommodations for a disability must contact the Office of Disability Services at least three weeks prior to registration. Reasonable accommodations will be mutually determined by both the College and the sending school. The student’s sending school must agree to reimburse the College for the cost of any required accommodations.

Note: Enrollment in a particular course at BCC is not the same as matriculation. To be eligible for financial aid at BCC, a student must be matriculated into a program. For more information, students should contact the Office of Admissions, by accessing the College’s website (bristolcc.edu), sending an e-mail to admissions@bristol.mass.edu, or calling (508) 678-2811 x2516.

Home Schooling Policy
All home-schooled students without a high school diploma or GED are eligible to apply for admission to a degree or certificate program provided they have successfully completed an approved home school program in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws or the laws of their home state. If a home-schooled student has not completed an approved home school program, then the student will not be eligible to enroll in a degree or certificate program until he/she has taken and passed a federally approved Ability-to-Benefit Test. As high school students may self-certify their completion of a public or private high school program, home-schooled students may self-certify their completion of an approved home school program.

So that the College may determine whether a student has participated in an approved home school program, the student shall submit, with the application for admission, evidence that the home school program was approved by the student’s school district’s superintendent or school committee. Additionally, if the home-schooled student is under the age of compulsory attendance, which is sixteen (16) years old in Massachusetts, a letter from the student’s school district’s superintendent or school committee is required stating that the student is not considered truant and would not be required to attend further schooling or continue to be home schooled if the student has completed his/her home school program before the age of sixteen (16).