Santa Fe Community College maintains an open-admission policy to maximize community members’ opportunities to participate in the college’s programs, services and activities. Anyone may be enrolled in the college’s credit programs, though some restrictions based on age may apply to specific courses or certain facilities that require designated levels of physical maturity.
Some courses carry prerequisites that must be completed successfully before a student may enroll in a course. Otherwise, equal educational opportunity is provided without regard to gender, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, color, race, religion, age, national origin or citizenship, or physical disability.
Section 103 of Public Law (PL) 115-407, ‘Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018,’ amends Title 38 US Code 3679 by adding a new subsection (e) that requires disapproval of courses of education, beginning August 1, 2019, at any educational institution that does not have a policy in place that will allow an individual to attend or participate in a course of education, pending VA payment, providing the individual submits a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33.
In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(e), Santa Fe Community College adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from VA. Santa Fe Community College will not:
- Prevent the student’s enrollment; Assess a late penalty fee to the student.
- Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding.
- Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.
However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:
- Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class;
- Provide a written or electronic request to be certified;
- Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill
