Non-Degree or Guest Student Status
Most people aren’t aware that you can enroll in most any college campus and take classes during a given semester. We were conditioned as high school Seniors to believe the only want to enroll on a campus is go through the application process in the fall, hoping to enroll that next calendar year. Operating on this timeline puts undue stress on young adults. Let’s learn about non-degree seeking and/or guest student status in higher education and how it relates to young adults who may not be on a 1-year-in-advance track.
If you want to take a college class, no university is going to say no to taking your money. Remember that. Now, some might not allow you to register for coursework depending on their admissions criteria, but at the end of the day what we’re talking about is being a paying-student. When it comes time to look at enrolling on a college campus, if the semester hasn’t started, there’s always a possibility to take classes. Most young adults and their parents are unaware of this. Let’s use an example to better comprehend this topic.
If your young adult took the spring semester off to enroll in a residential treatment center (RTC) program for mental health. You started that program in January and completed the RTC in March. From there, the clinical recommendation was to step-down into a transitional program where the student would be completing a partial hospitalization program (PHP), then intensive outpatient program (IOP) level of care. That level of care started in March and lasted until the beginning of August. The student wanted to enroll in college but decided not to return to their home institution that they stepped away from. As treatment was wrapping up, the student was looking into colleges locally in the community. They decided they still wanted to live in the transitional living program while they enrolled in college courses. Since they’d missed the deadline to apply the previous fall, they were still able to enroll in 6 or 9 credits as a “non-degree-seeking student.” This particular university allows for students to take up to 9 credits for a semester. If they earn a 3.0 GPA or higher, then they admit over winter break through a specialized admission track to change their student status. Because them demonstrated academic success through their institution, this university is quick to allow the student to now become a “degree-seeking” student, and register for a 12+ credit courseload that following semester.
Long story short, this is a back-channel way of getting to be an “admitted” student. This is a also a far-less stressful way of re-entering a college campus post-treatment. When I tell families about this potential process for returning to a campus, they are often stunned to learn about this.
Now, if you have a loved one who went to treatment for a substance abuse disorder, I encourage you to also consider looking into local sober livings and College Recovery Programs before having them just return to campus. This is a completely different topic and you can read more about it in a different article. The only commonality is the easing back in to being a full-time college student.
Regardless, do some digging into the Admissions Department’s website or reach out to them to inquire. You will want to be mindful of which classes you take as it pertains to the degree-path, but if you are more interested in just taking classes out of curiosity, interest, and funds aren’t limited, then I would also consider going this route.
And in the off-chance you are looking for guidance with a college consultant and need help either applying or transferring, consider hiring a college consultant who’s expertise is in working with young adults who had interruptions in their education related to treatment experiences.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
