Enrollment Steps

Placement for Success

To ensure academic success, new students at the college are required to be evaluated for course placement. The placement process is used to assess skill levels in the areas of reading, English composition, and mathematics. Placement results are used to place students in appropriate courses.

Course placement may be determined by:

• Current Accuplacer, ACT, SAT, and MN Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) scores.
• Completion of college-level coursework from an accredited college or university.
• Valid High School GPA.
• Other criteria as determined by Anoka-Ramsey and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

Required Placements

Although the placement tests do not determine admission to Anoka-Ramsey, they do determine entry into some courses. If students are placed into an ELL course, they are required to enroll in that course during their first semester at Anoka-Ramsey. Students who successfully complete ELL 0790 are required to take ELL 0850 the following semester unless otherwise determined through placement. Students who successfully complete ELL 0810 are required to take ELL 0870 the following semester unless otherwise determined through placement. If reading placement indicates placement into READ 0910, students must enroll in that course during their first semester at Anoka-Ramsey. READ 0990 must be completed during the next semester of attendance following successful completion (grade of C or better) of READ 0910 unless otherwise determined through placement. Work with your advisor to ensure the correct sequence.

Developmental Coursework

Students are also encouraged to register for the indicated courses immediately when placed into courses numbered below 1000. Students are expected to complete all courses numbered below 1000 prior to the completion of 30 credits as determined by placement. Students placing below the lowest pre-college level courses offered may be referred to Adult Basic Education (ABE).

A student’s course enrollment may be cancelled if the student does not meet college placement requirements or if the student registers for a course at a level above their determined placement level. Course refunds may not be issued for inappropriate registration.

Testing Prep and Accommodation Options

For a fee, students may retake the Accuplacer twice (per test section) within twelve (12) months of the first testing date regardless of where the test was administered.

Individuals will be given reasonable time and opportunity to review prior to placement testing. The college will provide review materials and cover material from the placement test. Materials will include a sample test. For additional information about placement, including our hours of operation, retests, or requests for testing accommodations, please contact Testing Services.

Transfer Credit Evaluation

Anoka-Ramsey will consider credit for transfer college-level coursework completed at a degree-granting institution or by a comparable international college or university. Students must submit a transcript from all colleges they have attended. As students’ transcripts are received by the Records & Registration Office, they will be reviewed and evaluated using the following guidelines to determine how/if their credits will transfer. 

General Guideline: Course-for-course equivalencies will be made toward the general education distribution requirements. Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) goals completed at a transferring institution will be accepted as completing the same goals at Anoka-Ramsey. Other credits accepted in transfer will be indicated as electives.

GPA and Grades: All college courses in which a student has received a grade of A, B, C, D, or P will be considered for transfer evaluation. Transfer credit grades will not be used in computing the student’s GPA at Anoka-Ramsey; however, beginning Spring 2007, consortium credits taken at other institutions will be included in the GPA calculation for students receiving financial aid. Only earned credits (not grade point credits or grade points) will be recorded on the official Anoka-Ramsey transcript.

Comparability: Courses approved for transfer must be comparable in nature, content, and level, and match at least 75% of the content and goals of the course for which the student is seeking equivalent credit. Students should retain all course syllabi with their personal college records for future reference.

Time Limit: General education and elective credits shall have no transfer time limit. Some programs/majors require certain courses to be taken within a specific time frame.

Equivalency/Conversion: The number of transfer credits granted per course shall not exceed the number granted by the originating institution. The conversion of quarter hours to semester hours is .66 semester hours for each quarter hour earned.

Repeated Transfer Courses: The repeat policies of the transfer institution will be honored if the repeated courses are all taken at that institution. Otherwise, the best grade of a repeated transfer courses will be used.

Military Credits: Credits achieved through military training will be considered for transfer. Students must submit a military transcript for evaluation.

Students who have questions about their transfer credits or wish to appeal the transfer evaluation may contact an advisor at either campus.

Additional Minnesota State Technical College Credits

Anoka-Ramsey shall accept in transfer, for full credit, college-equivalent general education courses offered by technical colleges with regional accreditation (or candidacy) to provide transfer-level general education courses leading to certificates, an Associate of Arts (AA) degree, Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree, Associate of Science (AS) degree, or an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. Anoka-Ramsey shall accept for transfer, as electives, a maximum of 16 semester credits of college-level vocational or technical courses offered by technical colleges with regional accreditation.

New Student Orientation

After applying to the college, receiving an acceptance notification, meeting course placement measures, and transferring any prior college credit or credit for prior learning, all new students will go through Orientation & Registration to learn more about campus resources and academic policies. Orientation & Registration is a three-step process:

1. The student will complete an Online Orientation Request Survey.
2. The student will be enrolled in and complete Online Orientation in D2L Brightspace.
3. Upon completion of Online Orientation, the student will be assigned an academic advisor to meet with one-on-one to discuss: their academic plan, degree requirements, and credit load; register for courses; and review next steps before classes begin and address any questions/concerns. The student will be paired with this assigned academic advisor throughout their time at Anoka-Ramsey.

Student Registration

Course schedules for both Anoka-Ramsey Community College campuses are available online before registration begins for each new term.

Students are permitted to register only at times indicated. Students are encouraged to register online. Online registration is limited to returning students who do not have holds on their records and new students who have completed orientation. A StarID and password are necessary for online registration.

Tuition and fees must be paid by the established payment deadlines unless deferred by financial aid. The College reserves the right to withhold registration privileges from students with unpaid college financial obligations.

Adding, Dropping, or Withdrawing from a Class

Students without holds on their records may add, drop, or withdraw online in their eService account or in person at the Records & Registration Office on either campus. Students must have their StarID and password in either setting to verify their identity as a student and confirm the action they want to take with their courses. The acts of adding, dropping, and withdrawing, are all very different actions and have very different impacts on a student’s record.

Adding a Course

Adding a course is the act of enrolling in the course during the open registration period for the semester. Students may add a course through the fifth business day of the term or before the course starts, whichever is later. By adding a course, the student is becoming responsible for the course academically and financially for that semester of enrollment.

Dropping a Course

Dropping a course is the act of removing oneself from a course enrollment prior to the drop deadline for a term. Students are allowed to drop any course through the fifth business day of the term (courses starting after the first week of the term have an adjusted schedule). Students who drop a course through the fifth business day of the term receive a full refund of tuition and general fees. Dropped courses do not appear on a transcript and do not impact academic standing.

Anoka-Ramsey reserves the right to drop students for non-payment of tuition; however, students should not rely on the drop for nonpayment process to cancel course registration. Students are responsible for dropping courses if they register and later change their plans for attendance.

Withdrawing from a Course

Withdrawing from a course is the act of removing oneself from a course after the course has begun and the drop deadline has passed but before the withdraw deadline has hit. Students are allowed to withdraw from a course through approximately 80% of the term (courses that are shorter than the full term have an adjusted schedule). No refunds are authorized for partial withdrawals. Withdrawal courses appear on a transcript as a “W” and have a direct impact on academic standing.

If a student stops attending class(es) but does not officially withdraw, the student will receive the grade (very likely an “F”) that is earned in the course. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from the course; the college does not assign a “W” grade for students who fail to officially withdraw.

Enrollment Definitions

Alternative/Flexible Credit Options

Experimental & Topics Courses

An experimental course is one that an instructor wishes to offer with the idea that it could become a permanent course. A topics course is one that is not likely to have long-term interest because of the evolving nature or the short-term importance of its content. Experimental courses, numbered 1189, and topics courses, numbered 1187, do not duplicate existing offer­ings and may be presented as workshops or seminars. Courses will appear only in the online course schedule accessible here.

Independent Study

The purpose of independent study is to offer a student the opportunity to do extensive reading or research on a specific topic that is not offered as a regular course.