Home / 2018-2019 Catalog / Special Programs

Print PDF

Special Programs

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges

West Hills College Lemoore is a Servicemembers Opportunity College and actively supports the philosophy and concepts of this designation as established by the American Association of Community Colleges.

As a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity College Associate Degree College program (SOC-2), West Hills College Lemoore acts in accordance with SOC principles and criteria. Our dedication ensures the following:

  • Servicemembers, spouses and their dependents share in the educational opportunities, programs and services available to the general public.
  • Servicemembers, spouses their dependents are guaranteed the transferability of course articulation, credit transfer and residency requirements.
  • Residency requirements are 12 units of completed coursework.
  • Servicemembers, spouses and their dependents can continue their education through the online program.
  • Servicemembers, spouses and their dependents may transfer credits from another accredited college.
  • Servicemembers, spouses and their dependents will be issued a SOCNAV agreement by the completion of their second semester.

Non-Traditional Credit and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Options

West Hills College Lemoore offers students several options to earn course credit toward a degree or certificate.  Options such as Credit by Examination, AP Tests, and CLEP Tests allow students to earn course credit as an alternative to enrolling in a traditional semester-length course.  Below is a list of the non-traditional options for earning course credit.

Credit by Examination Policy

  • Credit by examination may be obtained by one of the following methods:
  • Credit by satisfactory completion of an institutional examination administered by the college in lieu of completion of a course listed in the college catalog.
  • Achievement of a score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) Examination administered by the College Entrance Examination Board.
  • Achievement of a score that qualifies for credit by examination in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).
  • Achievement of a score that qualifies for credit on the International Baccalaureate (IB) examination.

Credit by Exam Administered by the College

  • The course must be currently offered at the college and credit may be granted only for a course listed in the current West Hills College Lemoore catalog.
  • A maximum of 15 units may be earned and applied to an Associate degree through the credit by the examination process.
  • Petitions must be filed through the Educational Services Office. Final approval of each petition is granted by the instructor concerned and the Vice President of Educational Services.
  • The challenge examination option for course credit may be given at the discretion of the individual instructor.
  • The student, upon receiving approval to take an examination, will pay West Hills College Lemoore a per unit fee equal to the per unit enrollment fee for the course.
  • Challenge examinations may be given only by full-time instructors who currently teach the course. In the event that the course is being taught completely by part-time instructors, the Vice President of Educational Services will identify which part-time instructor will give the examination.
  • The student must be currently registered at the college and must not be subject to academic probation or dismissal. The student must have completed 12 units in residence and be in good standing.
  • Units for which credit is given pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be counted in determining the 12 semester hours of credit in residence required by California Education Code Section 51623.
  • Normally, activity and performance courses will not be approved for credit by examination.
  • Summer session courses and short term classes may not be challenged.
  • Students wishing to challenge a class in which they are currently enrolled must file a petition prior to the beginning of the third week of instruction. Upon approval of the petition, the student must drop the class.
  • Students wishing to challenge a class in which they are currently not enrolled must file a petition prior to the sixth week of instruction.
  • From the date of notification of approval, a maximum of four weeks will be allowed to pay the fee and complete the challenge.
  • Challenge of the same course will be allowed no more than twice. The required fee will be imposed on each challenge.
  • Letter grades A through F, unit value and grade points will be entered on the transcript in the usual manner. Courses cannot be challenged on a pass/no pass basis. The instructor’s grade with date of test will be filed with Admissions and Records.
  • Credits by examination are not applicable to meeting unit load requirements.
  • The student’s academic record will clearly indicate the credit was earned by examination.
  • No duplication of credit will be allowed for students who complete any courses equivalent to those covered by the examination.

Advanced Placement Examinations

West Hills College Lemoore will grant unit credit to those students who participate in the Advanced Placement Examinations offered by The College Entrance Examination Board. Students will receive unit credit, not a letter grade, with scores of 3 or higher for purposes of general education requirements, graduation and/or advanced placement into West Hills College Lemoore courses. In order to receive credit, a student must be currently enrolled at West Hills College Lemoore.

  • Students must submit their requests and have their official copy of The College Board test scores forwarded to the West Hills College Lemoore Office of Admissions and Records.
  • Requests should be made prior to registration, or as soon as possible during the first semester of attendance.
  • No duplication of credit will be allowed for students who complete or will complete any courses equivalent to those covered by the examination.
  • Students should understand that some transfer institutions do not allow and/or limit credit by examination.

Credit for Military Schools

A student who is currently Active Duty or a Veteran that has been honorably discharged may petition and be awarded credit. In all cases, the American Council on Education (ACE) ‘Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces’ will be followed:

  • West Hills College Lemoore will award equivalent college course credit for Military Service Schools as recommended by the ACE Directory.
  • A maximum of twenty seven (27) semester units of elective degree credit may be awarded for those service schools that the ACE Directory recommends for specific lower division credit, but for which West Hills College Lemoore does not offer a specific equivalent.
  • In addition, of three (3) semester units for Health Education 35 will be awarded. A petition for HE 35 and twelve (12) semester units of residency must be completed.
  • West Hills College Lemoore Request for Evaluation of Military Record must be an official military transcript (JST).
  • All units granted by West Hills College Lemoore will be placed officially on the current transcript of the student. (See also section on Veterans for additional information).
  • An evaluation of all the student’s prior credits (military, transfer, exams) in relation to the students declared major should be applied for before or completion of two semesters.

CLEP (College Level Examination Program)

West Hills College Lemoore allows a maximum of 24 semester units of credit which can be earned for successful completion of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) - General Examinations and/or Subject Examinations at the 50th percentile or above.

  • Students must be currently registered at West Hills College Lemoore before credit is posted to their transcripts.
  • The English portion is not acceptable at West Hills College Lemoore.
  • Further information concerning this program is available in the Student Union.

Credit for Articulated High School Courses

Credit shall be granted to high school students who earn a grade of ‘A’ or ‘B’ in the articulated high school courses and shall be clearly noted as 2+2 Articulation and no grade shall be recorded on the student academic record.

Any student who successfully completed a high school course that was articulated under the terms of a previous agreement and that meets a requirement outlined above shall be permitted to apply the credit so earned according to the terms of the previous agreement, under the catalog rights at the time the course was taken.

  • Courses for which credit is given pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be counted in determining the 12 semester hours of credit in residence required for an associate degree.
  • The student may, optionally, request and complete credit by examination from the collegefor these articulated courses. If the student successfully completes the credit by exam, the course completion information Is posted to the student’s transcript along with a notation of credit by examination.

Transfer of College Units to High School

A high school non-graduate student may choose to transfer college units to high school to satisfy the high school graduation requirements. The student should understand that high school graduation is not a requirement for admission to West Hills College Lemoore for persons eighteen years of age or older. The student should check with their high school regarding the transfer of college units to the high school for graduation before enrolling in college courses.

Transfer Credits Accepted from other Institutions

Students may transfer credits completed at another regionally accredited institutions to fulfill prerequisite, general education, major, and/or elective unit requirements for the Associate Degree or Certificate Programs offered at West Hills Community College District. Incoming transfer credits will only be accepted from institutions accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies:

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HLC)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Senior College and University Commission (WASC-SCUC)

To be eligible for transfer credit, students must have all official transcripts sent to the Admissions & Records at the prospective campus of attendance and complete the “Request for Transcript Evaluation” form. Staff will review transcripts and post credits as appropriate to the student’s academic record. Transcripts submitted become permanent property of West Hills College and cannot be returned to student or released elsewhere.

Acceptance of Upper Division Coursework

West Hills College Lemoore will accept coursework completed at the upper division level under the following conditions:

  • The course must have been completed at a regionally accredited (e.g. WASC) college or university.
  • The course must be deemed comparable to West Hills College Lemoore course by the faculty in the discipline, or an appropriate designee, or an articulation agreement. Upper division courses or more advanced courses may be used in lieu of lower division course competencies.
  • A maximum of 12 upper division units will be allowed.
  • The upper division course may be used to satisfy a West Hills College Lemoore major requirement, an associate degree general education requirement, or a prerequisite.
  • Courses will be accepted for subject credit only. Upper division courses will not be used to certify CSU GE or IGETC requirements. Students will still need 60 lower division transfer units to be eligible for admission to the CSU or UC.
  • Grades earned will be calculated in the same manner as those transferred from another college or university.

Auditing Courses

Education Code section 76370 authorizes districts to charge students who audit courses a fee not to exceed $15 per unit per semester. Students auditing courses are prohibited from changing their enrollment to credit status, and the attendance of auditors is not included for purposes of state apportionment. Please note that students enrolled for credit in ten or more semester units may audit an additional three or fewer units without paying this fee. There is no authority for districts that establish this fee to allow any other type of waiver.

International Students’ Admission

West Hills College Lemoore will not be accepting new applications from international students at this time.