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Compliance Certification Section 3.4.3

Educational Programs Standards for All Educational Programs

The institution publishes admissions policies consistent with its mission.

Coker College is in compliance.

Coker College believes that a private liberal arts education provides excellent preparation for a lifetime of intellectual activity and meaningful work, two goals of the mission of the College. The admissions process is designed to select students whose academic and career goals are a good match with the educational programs and activities offered by the College and who are likely to succeed academically.

The mission of the College includes both a Day and Evening and Extended Studies Program, and admissions policies accommodate both. Administration of admissions for both Day and Evening programs is centralized in the Admissions Office.

The College admits students selectively, according to policies that are published in the academic catalog [510, p 27-31] and on the college website. The evaluation of a prospective student begins with an application:

An applicant's file will be reviewed after the following have been received:

1. A completed admissions application form and fee.
2. If the applicant is a high school graduate, an official high school transcript showing proof of graduation. An applicant’s file can be reviewed with end of junior year grades.
3. If the applicant holds a General Education Diploma, official GED scores and official transcripts of all high school work completed.
4. If the applicant has graduated from high school within the past five years, SAT or ACT scores. Additional application information, such as an in-person interview, an essay, letters of recommendation, or additional SAT or ACT scores may be required if the materials above do not provide sufficient information to make an admissions decision. Once the student’s admissions file is complete, an admissions decision is made within 14 days. Coker College is a member of the Service Opportunities College (SOC). Please contact admissions for complete information [510, p 27].

Admissions Standards

Ultimate authority for admissions policies is given to the Board of Trustees, which has a committee described as follows:

The Enrollment and Retention Committee, in cooperation with the President of the College and the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services, shall have the responsibility for the review and oversight of admissions policies, enrollment by program, the demographic mix of the student body, as well as student success and satisfaction as it pertains to the retention of students in all programs. Further, the committee shall monitor and review financial aid policies as they pertain to the ability of the College to effectively attract talented students. The committee shall review plans and assessment results of the Admissions Office, the Financial Aid Office, and Retention Research. Committee Recommendations shall be made to the Executive Committee. [428, p 7, Article IV, part B]

This committee meets twice a year at regular board meetings, and makes a report to the full body.

In the bylaws of the Faculty Senate, faculty members are given authority through the Faculty Senate for "all substantive catalog changes related to admissions, matriculation, evaluation, retention, and graduation" [608, p 6, section 7.2.9.1]. Responsibility for this area is given to the Academic Standards Committee, which reviews admissions standards annually. In 2002, the committee recommended changes to admissions requirements, as shown in Faculty Senate minutes [325, p 2]. One change approved by the Faculty Senate was a requirement that the Admissions Office provide annual reports describing admitted day students in the fall. The report for fall 2003 is found in [1047].

Institutional Research, in cooperation with the Academic Standards Committee, creates a matrix that shows predicted first-year grade point averages for applicants based on their standardized test scores and high school transcripts. The current matrix is found in [1506]. It is used to determine admission status: accepted, rejected, or conditionally admitted. The creation of the matrix involves a multiple regression between suitable variables to create a statistic to account for variance in student performance at the College. This basic research is done at least biannually and has investigated many variables for predicting student achievement. The current model represents the best of those attempts to date, and explains approximately 20% of the variance. The inability to predict performance with perfect accuracy is also taken into account in creating the matrix. Studies of the least-prepared students who have been admitted show that approximately 50% of them will succeed the first year. Coker's student-centeredness has allowed it to succeed not only with its most qualified recruits, but also with students who have not reached their full potential in high school.

For students more than five years out of high school, a high school grade point average of 2.0 is required for automatic acceptance.

Placement

Writing and analytical thinking are two of the core skills that comprise the heart of the College's educational mission. To help students succeed in these areas, the College assesses students' ability levels and places them accordingly into English, mathematics, and foreign language.

Faculty in these disciplines create and implement policies for placing students into courses at the appropriate level. This is done through placement examination for English, and by admissions records in mathematics. A mathematics placement exam is given upon request to students without a recent high school record. Foreign language exams are given on request. Developmental courses exist in mathematics (MAT 100 and 101) and English (ENG 100L).

Financial Aid

The College awards institutional financial aid to attract high-ability students and talented athletes and provide opportunities for high-need applicants. The details of the financial aid distribution vary from year to year, based on contracted reports from Noel-Levitz and discussions in the Budget Steering Committee. Annual aid policies are closely linked to tuition changes and admissions goals--for example, [49] and [336]--and are administered by the Financial Aid Office.

Programs

Students may enroll in either the Day or Evening program, with the restriction shown below:

Courses are offered in the Evening and Extended Studies Program to meet the needs of those students who meet the standards of admission described elsewhere in the catalog. In addition, the student must be out of high school five or more years or be classified as an independent student as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. The Evening and Extended Studies Program is offered in the evening on the Hartsville campus, at Fort Jackson in Columbia, in Mullins and Lake City. At off-campus locations, any student may apply for admission if he/she is on active duty or is a reservist in one of the Armed Services.[510, p 24]

The Evening Program exists at different locations, with different costs. As the catalog notes:

A separate fee schedule is available for students enrolling in courses taught in the Evening and Extended Studies Program. The Evening and Extended Studies Program offers courses for adults during evening hours on the Hartsville campus and at Fort Jackson, Lake City and Mullins. Please consult the Assistant Dean for the Evening and Extended Studies Program, the Business Office or the Financial Aid Office for site specific costs. [510, p 33]

Students who attend Coker College in the Evening and Extended Studies Program are eligible to apply for all federal and state financial aid programs. Evening and Extended Studies Program tuition is reduced substantially from tuition paid by traditional students. This is done in lieu of awarding Coker scholarships and institutional awards. [510, p 41]

Prospective EESP students who have graduated from high school fewer than five years prior will be considered by the regular freshman or transfer admission policy, whichever is appropriate.

All students may enroll in the Day Program.

Freshman Admission

For students who have graduated from high school within the past five years, certain coursework is required:

To be eligible for admission to Coker College, freshman applicants who have graduated from high school within the past five years are required to have completed the following courses in high school: four years of college preparatory English; three years of mathematics that include Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II; three years of science; three years of social or behavioral science; and two years of foreign language. Students who have not completed these courses may be admitted at the discretion of the Director of Admissions. [510, p 27]

These requirements are designed to ensure that the student is prepared for the College's general education requirements.

Transfer Students

Students who submit transfer coursework will have their applications reviewed by the Registrar, and any credit will be awarded by the end of the student's first term (see Section 3.4.4). The academic catalog describes restrictions and requirements [510, p 28-29].

Suspension and Readmission

Certain academic standards must be maintained by students in order to continue studies at the College. These range from a grade point average of 1.6 for freshmen to 2.0 for seniors, as stated in the academic catalog [510, p 18]. Failing this, students are first placed on probation and then suspended. Students may be readmitted, subject to certain requirements listed in the academic catalog [510, p 31-32].

For students who leave for other reasons, the catalog states that "A student who is readmitted to the College (not having been on official leave of absence or following academic suspension) will be subject to the rules of the catalog in effect at the time of readmission" [510, p 21].

Other Admissions Policies

Policies for transient (non-degree seeking), international, and special students can be found in the academic catalog [510, pp 29-32].

Students may be accepted conditionally if their predicted academic performance is not high enough for regular admission. The admissions matrix (described in an earlier paragraph) is used to make this determination. If a student falls into this category and is approved by the Director of Admissions, he or she may be admitted conditionally. The academic catalog describes restrictions on the classes conditional students may take:

An applicant who does not meet the minimum requirements for regular admission may be accepted under the terms of conditional admission. Upon enrollment, a student accepted under conditional admission may take no more than 14 semester hours. These 14 hours may include Coker College 101 (CC101) and should include one course in English and one course in Mathematics. [510, p 27]

Reference Documents Cited

ID	Type	Source	Title	Description
49	HTML DOC PDF	Office: Institutional Research	On Raising Tuition for 2002-03	Factors related to a Day Program tuition increase are illuminated. Historical data since 1997 shows that net revenue per student for new students doesn't depend solely on tuition rates, and highlights the importance of family income in determining new re
325	HTML DOC PDF	Fac. Senate: Faculty Senate Chair	Faculty Senate Meeting, 12-05-02	Meeting Minutes
336	HTML DOC PDF	Office: Institutional Research	Setting Tuition for 2003-04	Award and attrition data from 1999-2002 are used to identify relationships between financial aid, tuition, and student enrollment. A model for predicting attrition when cost varies is presented and applied to current data.
428	HTML DOC PDF	Board of Trustees	Bylaws	College Bylaws. Mission and goals, trustees, faculty senate, officers of the college, honorary degrees, emeritus faculty, calendars, amendments
510	HTML PDF	Office: Registrar	2003-04 Catalog	Course descriptions, tuition, faculty, administration, staff listing, majors and minors, completion requirements, transfers, general education
608	HTML DOC PDF	Fac. Senate: Faculty Senate Chair	Bylaws of the Faculty Senate	Faculty senate bylaws, membership, officers, meetings, divisions, departments, standing committees, special committees, elections, amendments
1047	DOC PPT	Office: Admissions	Admissions Profile of 2003 entering Day students	Profile of Class beginning Fall 2003
1506	PDF	Office: Admissions	Admissions Matrix	Admissions matrix showing predicted GPA. Used to determine admissions status of Day students.

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