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How to...

  • How to register
  • How to make schedule adjustments
  • How to withdraw from classes
  • How to transfer credits to Isothermal
  • How to change your address, name, or phone number
  • How to apply for Academic Fresh Start
  • How to benefit from Patriot Port
  • How to use Patriot Port
  • How to apply for graduation

How to register:

Registration Information Guide

How to make schedule adjustments

In order to officially drop or add a course, these steps should be followed:

  1. Student should initiate the schedule change by meeting with an advisor.
  2. Student and advisor will complete the schedule change form and sign.
  3. The advisor will enter changes in computer and send form to the Records Office to be filed.

Note: Students who wish to change their class schedule during Schedule Adjustment Days are advised to drop and add courses during the same registration session to avoid being charged 25% of the tuition for the dropped class. Students will not be allowed to add or change sections after the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Students may officially drop a course(s) without academic penalty and receive a grade of ‘W’ if this drop is made before the drop deadline as published in the college calendar. The Vice President for Academic and Student Services may approve a drop after the deadline.

How to withdraw from classes

Download the Drop/Withdrawal form

All Official Withdrawals Must:

  1. Be made through the instructor by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Courses that have non-standard beginning and ending dates may have different withdrawal deadlines. Students in these courses should consult their course syllabus or their instructor for deadline information.
  2. Be made in person if possible.
  3. Be recorded by the Student Records Office to be official.
  4. Receive a grade of “W”. Students who leave class without officially withdrawing may receive a grade of “F”.

NOTE: Students will not be allowed to add or change sections after the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Students may officially drop a course without academic penalty and receive a grade of ‘W’ if this drop is made before the drop deadline as published in the Academic Calendar. Withdrawals after the deadline must be approved by the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Institutional Advancement.

How to transfer credits to Isothermal

Awarding of Credit

Transfer of credit for educational work taken at a regionally accredited institution may be accepted. Previous course work must be submitted on an official transcript. Credit will normally be allowed for applicable courses in which a grade of “C” or higher has been earned. All transfer students will enter the college in good academic standing. Once enrolled, academic standing will be determined by grades on course work done solely at Isothermal. Grades earned elsewhere will not be used in the grade point calculation at Isothermal. Course work is evaluated according to the student’s selected program. Time and program selection may be a factor in determining credit. Some technical credits older than 5 years or more may be subject to review by the Registrar’s Office and appropriate faculty/dean. Courses under the 5 year limitation are determined and reviewed by Instructional Deans, and a list is maintained in the Registrar’s Office. Students may be requested to provide prior course descriptions and/or documentation demonstrating required knowledge before credits are accepted. Note: Students requiring further math classes are STRONGLY advised to take a refresher course if it has been more than two years since completing their last math course.

Transfer students must earn 25% of the credits required for graduation in their particular program at Isothermal Community College. Students will be notified via their campus email accounts when transfer credit evaluations have been completed by the Records Office. Results of the transfer of credit evaluation may be appealed to the Committee on Admissions, Academic Continuation, and Records.

For information regarding procedures related to acceptance of academic credit, see "Academic Policies & Procedures" in the Student Handbook or College Catalog.

Transfer of Credit Within the Institution

Students transferring from one curriculum to another within the College may be handled in the same manner as transfer credits from another institution. Courses designed for satisfaction of Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degree requirements may be accepted in Associate of Applied Science degree programs; however, courses designed for career preparation in Associate of Applied Science degrees, diploma, and certificates may not apply to Associate of Arts and Associate of Science programs. A list of courses approved for Arts and Sciences credit is maintained in the office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Records Office. Cumulative grade point averages are normally continued when changing programs. The GPA for graduation is based only on the courses required in the program.

Other Credit

Credit may also be given in the occupational areas for non-collegiate and military educational experiences. These educational experiences will be evaluated on the basis of the current editions of College Credit Recommendations and The Guide to Evaluation of Educational Experiences in The Armed Services. Time and program selection may be a factor in determining credit. A maximum of 16 semester hours may be awarded. (Also, see requirements for the Occupational Education Associate Program.)

Credit by Examination

Any student at Isothermal Community College may receive course credit by examination through one of the following four methods: 1) Challenge Exam, 2) CLEP Exam, 3) Advanced Placement Exams, or 4) North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement, or 5) Diagnostic Exam in Academic Development courses.

Challenge Exam

A student may request permission through the appropriate instructional dean to challenge a course through a comprehensive exam for credit. Only those courses for which tests have been developed and have been filed in the dean’s office may be challenged. The procedure for challenging is as follows:

  1. The student must be registered for the course, have paid proper tuition, and have approval of the instructor.
  2. If the exam is failed, the student must continue the course.
  3. A course may be challenged only once and must be done during the first week of class.
  4. If the exam is passed, the student’s grade must be submitted to the Student Records Office during the first two weeks of the semester. This grade will be recorded as a “CE”. (Note: “CE” grades are not acceptable for the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement between the North Carolina Community College System and the UNC system.)

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) and COLLEGE LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP)

College credit may be awarded if appropriate conditions are met by Advanced Placement (AP) or College Level Examination Program (CLEP) test scores. Isothermal academic credit will be granted to enrolled students who receive scores of 3 or higher on the AP tests offered by the College Board. CLEP is granted for scores in the 50th percentile or higher. Credit may be considered only for those courses which are in the student’s academic program. AP and CLEP credit accepted at other post-secondary institutions is not automatically transferred to Isothermal but is reviewed when official scores are received.

North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement

North Carolina high school graduates may be awarded college credits for certain high school courses when transferring to Isothermal Community College. Articulation guidelines are controlled by the Department of Public Instruction and the NC Community College System. Guidelines are subject to change without notice. The following criteria must be met to receive credit:

  1. Grade of B or higher in the high school course
  2. A scaled score of 93 or higher on the standardized VoCATS post-assessment
  3. Graduated from high school
  4. Apply to Isothermal Community College in a related major

How to change your address, name, or phone

Download change form.

How to apply for Academic Fresh Start

Any Isothermal Community College student who has experienced a lapse in enrollment at Isothermal for a period of at least three consecutive academic years may petition in writing to have grades older than three years old and below “C” disregarded in calculating the GPA. Following re-enrollment the student must complete at least 12 semester hours with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 prior to requesting an academic fresh start. In some instances students who change majors and complete 2 academic semesters with at least 12 semester hours and a 2.0 GPA in the new major may petition for an academic fresh start even if there has not been a lapse in enrollment.

The student requesting a fresh start should complete an application for Academic Fresh Start that is available in the Student Services office. Students may be granted an academic fresh start only once. An academic review committee will consider the request and determine the student’s eligibility for grade forgiveness. If the request is approved, the grades will be removed from GPA calculation. Students transferring to another college should contact the institution to determine the impact of Academic Fresh Start on transfer. Fresh start GPA calculations are not used in determining eligibility for student financial aid.

How to benefit from Patriot Port

Patriot Port is an important resource for curriculum students. This resource provides students with access to their unofficial transcript, course grades, etc. Students can also access information that is critical for program completion. Students are also given the option to register online through Patriot Port once they have met with an advisor. Advising is not required for non-degree seeking (Special Credit) students.

How to use Patriot Port

You can (login not required):

Search for sections
  • From any Isothermal Community College website, choose the Patriot Port logo from the footer.
  • Choose the Student tab
  • Choose Search for Sections (login not necessary)
  • Select term from drop down box
  • You can choose a subject or leave blank for all sections
  • Course levels not necessary
  • If you know the course and section number, you can enter but also not necessary
  • Other optional field, times, days, title keyword, location, academic level and Instructor’s Last Name
  • Once all options have been selected, click the submit button
  • Notice number of pages at the top under Selection Results
  • Notice Status-Open, Closed or Waitlisted.
  • The Available/Capacity/Waitlist are constantly being updated as students register.
  • You can click on the Blue section Name and Title to obtain additional information concerning this section:
    • Course Description
    • Meeting Information
    • Faculty Information
    • Prerequisites
    • Book Information
You can also do the following with a required Login:
  • Check your grades
  • Get your Grade Point Average by Term
  • Get an unofficial copy of your Transcript
  • Run a degree audit to check your program of study status. Use the “what if” to select program.
  • Get your placement test information
  • Get your class schedule
  • Verify your student profile information
  • Email your advisor and instructors
  • Register for classes
  • Manage waitlists
  • Check financial aid status
If you are new to Patriot Port:

If you misplaced instructions for logging into Patriot Port or are having issues connecting, visit the Helpdesk for more information.

How to apply for graduation

Requirements

In order to qualify for a degree, diploma, or certificate in a program of study, the student must:

  1. Complete all of the required courses as outlined in the official Curriculum Standards as described with college catalog.
  2. Earn the minimum required total semester hours,
  3. Maintain a grade point average of 2.00 or better in the program of study, and
  4. Download an Application for Graduation, then submit to the Records Office. Refer to your Student Handbook for the deadlines to apply for graduation.

Students are responsible for monitoring their program progress toward graduation. The college catalog of record for graduation evaluation will be the current catalog. In the case of students transferring into Isothermal Community College, at least one quarter of the credits required for graduation must be earned at Isothermal Community College.

Course Substitutions

Course substitutions may be approved to fulfill graduation requirements provided the substitution is appropriate to the student’s program and a comparable course is offered. In all cases course substitutions must be consistent with the program requirements as outlined in the Curriculum Standards published by the North Carolina Community College System. Each student is limited to nine (9) credit hours of substitutions. However, in cases where courses have been discontinued, additional substitutions may be approved. All course substitutions must be approved by the appropriate instructional dean and the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and recorded in the Student Records Office.

Graduation Procedure

Students are expected to file graduation applications with the Student Records Office at least one semester preceding the completion of degree requirements. Commencement is held at the conclusion of the spring semester.  Credentials will be mailed to graduates within 2 weeks of the end of term. Graduates will need to make sure their mailing address is up to date so that credentials are mailed to the correct address. The specific date of the commencement exercises are listed in the College Calendar in the College Catalog, Student Handbook, and website. All students who have completed degree requirements since the previous commencement are invited to participate in graduation exercises.

Contact for information

Student Services
Student Center

Office: 828-395-4193
Department Directory

Office hours

8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Subject to change depending on availability.