RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

Admissions policies are clearly accessible on the college website and follow the CCSNH BoT
Policy 740 – Admission of Students. The College Catalog helps students identify a
program of study and counsels students on the matriculation process. Specific programs,
which may have additional admission requirements such as technical or psychomotor skills
that are required for employment or related to accreditation standards, can be found in the
College Catalog as well. Each Program Director in charge of programs with additional
admissions requirements is responsible for ensuring that any additional program
admissions requirements are clearly stated in the program documentation. Program
Directors work with the Admissions Office to ensure that admissions requirements for their
programs are current in the admissions database.
All college and program admissions must adhere to the College’s Non-Discrimination Policy
which is identified in the College Catalog (pg. 79), on the RVCC website, and on the first
page of the college application.
Many programs in the Allied Health, Health Science and Nursing departments have specific
admission requirements and often require prior completion of high school Biology, Algebra,
Chemistry, or Physics in order to ensure proper preparation for the rigors of the program.
These specific requirements are listed in each programs individual Catalog page. If
students wish to enter these programs and do not have proof of completion of these
requirements, the College provides comparable course work that Program Directors will
accept in lieu of high school requirements. For example, the RVCC course CHEM030R –
Introduction to Chemical Principles serves as the equivalent to high school Chemistry and
can be accepted towards program admission.
Financial Aid information is provided to all students and can be found on the RVCC
website, in the College Catalog (pgs. 8-9), and in the Student Handbook (pg. 30). The
Director of Financial Aid and Admissions Counselors travel to each Academic Center at
least one day per week to meet with students who may not be able to travel to the
Claremont location where these offices are permanently housed.
Recruitment & Retention
As a result of the variable student population, it is important for RVCC to evaluate data
related to student demographics. Student demographic information is culled from
admissions application and registration forms, and the College identifies the typical age
range, gender, part vs. full-time status, and veteran status. These data inform our
admission outreach both to target the students we already attract and to identify gaps in
our demographics.
Nearly half of the students who are enrolled at River Valley Community College are ages
25 and under. This tells us that recent high school graduates make up a large percentage
of our applicants. We acknowledge that high school students applying to college often
apply to many schools before deciding where they will go, suggesting that we receive a
much higher percentage of applicants from traditional students than our enrollment
reflects. Our enrollment team focuses on this cohort of students by maintaining good
relationships with school counselors, attending regional college fairs, holding “Quick Admit”
days at area high schools, hosting Discovery Day, and by participating in college planning
nights held at area high schools and colleges.
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