Prerequisites

Prerequisite Services

Learn more about Prerequisite Services at Southwestern College!

See below for more information and form links. We can also answer your questions in-person in the Cesar Chavez Student Services Center in 68-107 or in the virtual Placement and Prerequisites Lobby.

Have you completed coursework or have prior experience that can be used as course credit? Do you want to take the next level math and/or English course? If yes, you may be able to use your prior coursework and experience, to clear "prerequisites" and enroll in next level courses at Southwestern College.

Prerequisites are the courses to be completed, with a grade of "C" or better or "CR", before you register for another course. They can be fulfilled with courses taken at another college, AP exams, a Skills Memo, and in some cases by testing out of a certain level such as math. Find out more about how you can earn prerequisite credit below.

Steps to Satisfy Prerequisites

Please read the SWC course description or program requirements carefully in the Southwestern College Catalog to make sure that you are registering for the courses you need to meet your educational goals.
If possible, set an appointment with a counselor to develop a Student Educational Plan (SEP) and determine the classes you need to take.
If you believe you have the skills required to enter a course and are able to document those skills; refer to the accordions below:

Ways to Satisfy Prerequisites

Processing of evaluation requests can take 3 - 5 business days. Please submit your requests at least a week before your registration appointment to avoid registration delays. In order to access many of the forms below, login with MySWC is required, so make sure you are logged out of all personal Google accounts.

Coursework from Other Institutions

Coursework from another regionally accredited college or university must be completed with a satisfactory grade of "C" or better.

Documentation, such as transcript or grade report, must contain the student's name, passing final grades, and the institution's name visible on the same report as the course and grade information.

If you are using a course that is "in progress," you can submit it for evaluation and provisional permission to register. Students are responsible for providing documentation of passing final grade before the first day of class (or risk being dropped).

To submit a request to have your course(s) evaluated to satisfy the requirements for a specific course, use the External Course Prerequisite Evaluation.

Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores

Certain Advanced Placement (AP) exam results of 3 or higher and some International Baccalaureate exam scores of 5 or higher are accepted to satisfy course requisites or to give higher placements. We follow the External Exam Credit guidelines in the Course Catalog in using exam scores to clear prerequisites.

The Prerequisites Office does not give course credit for exam results. Students seeking course credit should use the Student Petition to request credit for their AP and IB exam scores.

To submit a request to have your scores evaluated to satisfy requisites for a specific course, use the External Assessment Prerequisite Evaluation

Language, Art, Performance, and Other Skills Acquisition Courses

For some language, art, or skills acquisition courses such as ESL, guitar, pottery, etc., students can satisfy some prerequisites through certifications, departmental review of a portfolio of work and/or audition.

For these courses, please contact the faculty in the relevant discipline for a placement evaluation. Email SWCPrerequisites@swccd.edu for help identifying faculty members to complete a placement evaluation.

Once the evaluation is complete, the Southwestern College faculty member will complete a Skills Memorandum and send it to the Prerequisites Office from their Southwestern College email address to confirm student has needed skill to succeed in target course. The Prerequisites office will update the student's record to allow enrollment at the level communicated by the faculty member.

Program Enrollment Prerequisite Evaluation (PEPE)

Southwestern College Police Academy, Surgical Technician and/or Nursing Programs have specific prerequisites and General Education requirements due with their applications. Students need to submit a completed Program Enrollment Prerequisite Evaluation with copy of transcripts from other colleges/universities reflecting final grades of C or better. All required courses must be complete with final grades posted when submitting the form.

In-progress coursework cannot be evaluated for these programs. Incomplete forms will not be processed. Please read all instructions completely and carefully before submitting the form.

A course which must taken during the same semester as another course, e.g. BIOL 100 and 101 must be taken during the same semester; one course may be previously completed with a satisfactory grade of C or better, CR, or Pass.

If enrolled in courses that are corequisites and one course is dropped, the student will be dropped administratively from the other course.
Various limitations affect SWC courses e.g. public performance, intercollegiate competition, honors courses, and Learning Communities. Additional limitations enforced due to statutory, regulatory, or contractual requirements (such as a requirement for a valid driver's license, health clearance, nursing license, certificate, etc.)
Previous training or coursework with a "C" or better, that helps a student successfully complete a subsequent course. Enrollment is not affected by completion, or lack of completion, of the recommended preparation
A course that a student should complete - but is not required to complete - while enrolled for another course. Students are strongly encouraged to follow the recommended concurrent enrollment to improve chances for success. Enrollment is not affected by completion, or lack of completion, of the recommended concurrent enrollment.

Requisite Challenge Process

Students may submit a challenge of a requisite that cannot be satisfied through previous coursework or external examination results for consideration by the Department Chair and/or School Dean for the following reasons:

Students can document and/or demonstrate their skill and/or ability to be successful in the course without the requisite class or an equivalent.
The requisite represents an undue delay in meeting the students' educational goals because the college has not made the requisite course reasonably available (usually within the last year or more).
The student wishes to take a prerequisite course concurrently with another course and can demonstrate the necessary knowledge or ability to succeed in both courses simultaneously.
The requisite is being applied in a way that is unfair or contrary to college policy and state regulations

For each of these reasons the student is required to provide compelling evidence to support the challenge.

If you feel that you have a challenge that meets one of the above criteria, the Requisite Challenge Form is available in the Placement and Prerequisites Office. Students can email SWCPrerequisites@swccd.edu for more information about the challenge process and its appropriateness for your circumstances. If a challenge is appropriate, we will provide the necessary forms and help in filing your challenge.

The approximate processing period for completed challenges is 10 working days during spring and fall semesters. The processing time is increased to 15 working days during summer or other break periods. Please be sure to initiate challenges with enough time to meet registration deadlines.