Admissions

Doña Ana Community College provides educational opportunities for those who seek to advance in the workforce or to prepare for further study at a higher level. The community college endorses the open-door admission concept and will admit—to the limit of its physical and financial resources—new, first-time students who wish to attend and who have a high school diploma or its equivalent. High school diplomas must be from an accredited high school. Diplomas from accredited, on-line high schools, however, are subject to strict review and may not in all cases be judged valid for the purpose of enrolling at DACC.

Under the policies and conditions set forth below, a student may be accepted for undergraduate admission to DACC as either:

  • A degree-seeking student or
  • A non-degree student under the policies and conditions as set forth in this section.

Applying for Admission

Application Materials

All documents submitted as part of the official admissions process become the property of NMSU and will not be returned to the student. However, application materials are retained for one calendar year for students who apply but do not attend.

Application Information

Completing the admission process includes, but is not limited to:

  • Completing an admission application
  • Submitting all official documents
  • Receiving an admission decision
  • Completing orientation (if required)
  • Taking placement exams
  • Enrolling in courses

Completing all the above steps requires multiple business days; DACC encourages all interested students to plan accordingly. In addition, international applicants have additional steps to complete and earlier deadlines related to visa timelines.

New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation (NSO) is mandatory for all new students. DACC Orientation is designed to provide new students with information they will need to make a successful start at DACC. Students will attend information sessions, learn principles of effective academic planning, and the many services and resources designed to enhance educational success. It is important that students submit their official high school transcript, ACT, or SAT scores prior to attending NSO as these scores are used in placing students into courses during their academic advising. Students who do not have an ACT or SAT score will be placed into courses according to their final high school transcript GPA. Students can register for orientation online at https://newstudentregistration.nmsu.edu. Additional information may be obtained by calling the Orientation Office at (575) 527-7536.

Degree Seeking Students

How to Apply - First Time Student (Regular Student)

Requirements for admission as a degree-seeking student to any program at the community college:

  1. Complete the online application at http://dacc.nmsu.edu/admissions/apply-online/, students are required to self-report their high school GPA in the application. Students can also provide an unofficial high school transcript.
  2. Official high school transcripts with students high school credits and graduation date sent directly from the high school to the DACC Admissions Office.
  3. Transfer students must have official post-secondary transcripts sent directly to the DACC Admissions Office by the registrar of each college or educational institution previously attended (see “How Transfer Students Are Admitted.”)
  4. Applicants possessing a high school equivalency must request to have official GED or HiSET transcripts sent directly to the DACC Admissions Office.

All applicants with tentative admission must submit a final, official high school transcript showing a graduate date before a final admission decision is granted. If the student also attended a non-NMSU system post-secondary institution during high school, official transcripts from each institution will also be needed. If the high school attended was outside of the United States, a professional foreign credential evaluation from a NACES company will also be required. 

Aggie Pathway

In the Aggie Pathway program, NMSU’s system works together to assist students who do not meet the admission requirements to the university. Aggie Pathway students begin at one of NMSU’s community college campuses and may transition to the university campus upon meeting the following requirements:

  • Successful completion of 24 credits, in addition to any required developmental courses
  • 2.0 cumulative college GPA 

All students participating in the Aggie Pathway program can attend academic, cultural and athletic events on the NMSU Las Cruces campus. Students enrolling through NMSU Doña Ana Community College campus also have access to on-campus housing, dining, and activities.

More information about Aggie Pathway is available at https://aggiepathway.nmsu.edu/ or call (575) 646-8011

Returning Students

Former Doña Ana Community College students who will have been out of school for more than 2 consecutive semesters, are required to complete an application for readmission. Applications should be submitted 30 days before the beginning of the semester or summer session for which the student plans to enroll.

A student who has attended other institutions during an absence from DACC / NMSU must have official transcripts forwarded directly to the DACC Admissions Office by the registrar of each institution and must be eligible to return to the college or university last attended. Transcripts must be received prior to the date of registration. Admission status at the time of readmission will normally be determined by previous DACC academic standing. However, academic performance at other institutions attended during the applicant’s absence from DACC may be taken into consideration in determining the student’s academic admission status.

How Transfer Students Are Admitted

Transfer students from other colleges or universities with 24* or more completed college credit hours must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. Students with fewer that 24* or more completed college credit hours must fulfill the transfer and first-year admission requirements. Students must be  eligible to return to the college or university they last attended. Transfer students follow the same procedures as those outlined under “How to Apply.” Official transcripts from all colleges and/or universities previously attended must be sent directly to the DACC Admissions Office by the registrar of each college or educational institution. An academic credit evaluation will be mailed to the student from DACC Academic Advising.

Coursework from non-accredited institutions may be evaluated by departmental faculty from the relative department after two semesters, provided the student is in good academic standing. The student should initiate the request for evaluation on official transcript of this coursework with the academic department chair or program director. If approved by the division dean and vice president for academic affairs, coursework will be applied toward certificate or associate degree completion.

A student who conceals the fact that (s)he has attended another college or university and who has not had transcripts submitted by each institution previously attended—whether or not credit was earned—will be subject to immediate suspension.

* The types of credits listed below are not counted towards the 24 completed credit hour requirement:
1. Courses taken from college credit while in high school
2. Credits by examination (CLEP, IB, AP, etc.)
3. Credits from a non-regionally accredited institution
4. Credits from institutions that do not provide grades
5. Credits from experience such as a Joint Services Transcript

How to apply as a GED and HiSET Student

Students having successfully completed the GED or HiSET in English are eligible to apply for admission to DACC. They must have their official GED or HiSET transcripts sent directly to the DACC Admissions Office through diplomasender.com. Students who took the GED or HiSET in Spanish should contact the DACC admissions director.

How to apply as a Home-School Student

Students enrolled in a home-school program may be accepted to Doña Ana Community College if they meet the first time freshman admission requirements. In addition, the home-school educator must submit an official transcript or document that lists the courses completed, grades earned, and as well as indicate the date the student completed or graduated from the home school program. Students who are New Mexico residents are eligible to participate in the Opportunity Scholarship and Lottery Success Scholarship program.

How International Students Are Admitted

International students are an essential and valuable part of the NMSU/DACC community. International students enjoy all the rights, privileges, and protections of domestic students. They are subject to all the same responsibilities and regulations as their fellow domestic students. However, some special policies apply only to international students. The NMSU Admissions Office and The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) ensures requirements are met and explains university standards for admission. Some students not seeking degrees, such as international exchange students, may work directly with the Office of Education Abroad.. DACC refers all prospective international students to the NMSU Office of Admissions or to the NMSU International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) Office. The NMSU Office of Admissions, located in the Educational Services Building on the Las Cruces (Main) campus, can be reached at 1 (800) 662-6678 or ISSS Office can be reached by calling (575) 646-2834. The NMSU Catalog contains more specific information pertaining to international student admissions.

Applications for admission that include the transfer of credits earned at a non-U.S. university must include a professional Foreign Credential Evaluation (FCE) report from a member institution of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) for every transcript from a foreign secondary school and/or university attended. The ISSS department highly recommends that applicants consider using SpanTran for their FCE. NMSU has worked with SpanTran to provide applicants with clear understand of which evaluation is needed. SpanTran provides an applicant portal to track and access evaluations. SpanTran is a long standing member of NACES. For more information please visit https://spantran.com/web/  

How Non-Degree Students Are Admitted

Non-degree admission is designed to meet the needs of students who do not wish to pursue a degree at DACC.

IMPORTANT: Students enrolling under non-degree status are ineligible for financial aid, student employment, veteran's benefits, and participation in intercollegiate athletics and student government. Furthermore, courses taken while one is enrolled under non-degree status may not be used to meet NMSU requirements for regular admission. Non-degree admission is designed to meet the needs of mature, part-time students who do not wish to pursue a degree. Those who prefer not to receive a grade may choose to audit. (See “Audit Option” in Academic Regulations section.)

Transcripts from previous institutions (including high school) and/or results of college entrance exams may be required to assure readiness for university-level courses.

Non-degree students are subject to the same regulations as regular students. They may not transfer more than 30 credits that were taken while in this status to any degree program.

Admission requirements include a non-degree application.

Changing from Non-Degree to Degree-Seeking Status. A non-degree student in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.0 or better may apply for a change of status from non-degree status to regular (degree-seeking) status. Requirements for regular admission must be met, including submitting official high school transcripts as well as official college transcripts from all previously attended institutions of higher education. The status will be effective on or before the census date of the semester in which all official transcripts are received. If all official transcripts are received after the census date of the current semester, the change of status will take effect in the next immediate term. If a student has graduated from DACC, they will automatically be switched to a non-degree status. If that student wants another degree from DACC, they will need to meet with their academic advisor to change their status.

Early Admission for High School and Adult Education Students

It is possible for a current junior or senior high school student to be admitted to DACC, provided the following criteria have been met:

  1. The student has obtained written permission from the high school principal/counselor and the parents.
  2. The student’s cumulative grade-point average is at least 3.0.
  3. The student has attained the established minimum scores on the ACT/SAT assessment or English and Math portion of NEX GEN assessment that is required to enroll in ENGL1110G Composition I and MATH 1215 Intermediate Algebra.

For more information about the NEX GEN assessment contact the DACC Testing Center at 575-527-7569 or by email, testing@dacc.nmsu.edu

To apply, high school students must provide the following documents to the admissions office:

  • written permission from the high school counselor or principal/counselor,
  • written permission from parents,
  • an official high school transcript sent directly to DACC, and
  • a complete DACC/NMSU admissions application.

Students currently enrolled in an Adult Education (AE) Program at DACC may also apply for early admission. Current AE students applying for early admission must provide TABE scores of 580 or above on every section (reading, writing, math), written permission from the AE executive director, pass two out of three sections of the Accuplacer assessment, and submit a complete DACC/NMSU application for admission.

Under the Early Admissions Program, all students are admitted in a non-degree status. For more information regarding non-degree status, please refer to the subsection titled, “Non-degree Admission.” Non-degree students are ineligible to receive federal financial aid funds. Students admitted under this program are also limited to seven (7) credit hours per semester and incur all costs associated with enrollment, including books.

Developmental courses are not available for enrollment under the Early Admissions Program.

Early admissions students who wish to enroll at DACC or NMSU upon graduation from high school or obtaining a GED must reapply under their new status as a first-time freshman.