Admission
Drop-in and remote services available. Please go to smc.edu/admissions for updates and to join the QLess call-back line.
Monday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Hours subject to change without notice.
Monday – Sunday: 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Web (Corsair Connect): smc.edu/cc
You may enroll at Santa Monica College if you:
- Have graduated from high school, or
- Are 18 years of age or older, or
- Possess either (1) a high school diploma from a U.S. regionally accredited high school
or from a foreign high school; or (2) a GED, a California Proficiency Program (CPP)
Official Score Report, a California High School Certificate of Proficiency (CHSPE),
or the equivalent (e.g., a HiSET score report; a TASC [Test Assessing Secondary Completion]
score report), or
- Are 16 years of age or older and submit California Proficiency Program (CPP) Official Score Report or an official “Student Score Report” for passing the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE)] or equivalent, or
- Are a qualifying younger student who has completed 8th grade, and is participating in SMC’s Concurrent Enrollment program (see smc.edu/hsce for details), and
- You meet the residency requirements, and can profit from the program.
CHSPE Notice: The California Department of Education has replaced the California High School Certificate of Proficiency (CHSPE) with the California Proficiency Program (CPP). However, Santa Monica College will continue to accept valid CHSPE score reports issued to students.
Please Note:
All official communication from Santa Monica College will be sent to you at your SMC
student email address (last name_first name@student.smc.edu). You can check your student
email account by logging into Corsair Connect at smc.edu/cc and clicking on SMC Email in the menu on the left. Be sure to check your SMC student
email often!
Continuing students do NOT have to reapply for admission. If you have never attended Santa Monica College (new student), or have been away for two or more consecutive semesters (returning student), or applied to SMC but did not actually enroll in a class, you must first:
- File an application for admission online (go to smc.edu/apply and click on “New Students,” then click on “Apply to SMC” to get started);
- At least four weeks before the start of the session, arrange for transcripts of previous college work (or high school work, if no college work was completed) to be sent directly to the Admissions Office. Copies issued to a student (even if in a sealed envelope) will NOT be accepted.
You will be emailed an admission letter. Please review it for information on resident status for tuition/fee purposes, any outstanding admission issues, orientation, placement, education planning/counseling, and enrollment.
All regularly admitted first-time SMC students are required to complete the math and English placement process (or the ESL placement process), complete the online college orientation, and prepare an education plan (see smc.edu/myedplan for details). Once done, you will be able to enroll for classes through Corsair Connect at smc.edu/cc on the date and time of your enrollment.
Santa Monica College defines an “international student” as a student attending the College while in F-1 or F-2 visa status. The international student application is available online (go to smc.edu/iapp). Please visit smc.edu/international for additional information about the application process and deadline dates, tuition and fees, and support services for F-1 and F-2 students. For the spring 2025 semester, applications for out-of-country applicants must be submitted by January 5, 2025; and applications for in-country applicants who already have an F-1 or F-2 visa must be submitted by January 15, 2025.
- If you have F-1 status from another school, you may enroll at SMC on a limited basis. Please consult with the International Education Center.
- If you have another type of visa status (not F-1 or F-2), you may enroll through the Admissions Office. However, if you are currently on a B visa, you cannot enroll until you change status to a visa with education privileges. Please contact the International Education Center for details.
Santa Monica College is approved as an institution for higher learning for veterans and veterans’ dependents entitled to education assistance from the Veterans Administration (VA). SMC cooperates with the VA in helping veterans, and offers academic, career, and transfer counseling, as well as priority enrollment, tutoring, and other services to support veterans in achieving their education goals.
If you wish to attend SMC under one of the veterans’ assistance bills, please see the information and instructions at smc.edu/vet or consult a counselor in the Veterans Success Center.
Eligible nonresident veterans may qualify to pay resident fees. Consult with a Veterans Success Center counselor or with the Admissions and Records Office for details.
If you wish to use the special counseling services provided through the Center for Students with Disabilities, call 310-434-4265.
Printed SMC materials are available in alternate media upon request. To request publications in alternate formats for disability accommodation, send email to DSCcontact@smc.edu or call 310-434-4265. This Schedule of Classes is also available online (see smc.edu/schedules).
If you were dismissed from a previous college, OR were disqualified from Santa Monica College AND have been away from SMC for two consecutive semesters (one year) or longer, you are required take certain steps to qualify for readmission. Go to smc.edu/apply and click on the “Returning Students” link for details.
If you have been dismissed from SMC more than once, you will be required to take a break from attending SMC for up to a maximum of one year.
For further information, please see an SMC counselor.
Assembly Bill 1705 requires California Community Colleges to help students enroll in and complete transfer-level coursework in English or ESL and math, which is within one year for English and math, and within three years if the student starts with ESL. You will be placed in English (or ESL) and math based on either your prior work or a guided self-placement, depending on when and where you completed your prior work.
If you have graduated from a United States high school or earned a GED® in the United
States:
- You will be placed using multiple measures that include your high school GPA, courses, and grades reported on your CCCApply admission application.
- You may check your placement once you have activated your Corsair Connect account at smc.edu/cc. Just log in, click the “Placement” badge (under the “Success Steps” card), and review your placement. If you do not see courses listed, your SMC admission application is missing some necessary information. Follow the instructions on the screen, enter the information requested. Once done, you will see your placement.
If you did not graduate from a United States high school or did not receive their
GED® in the United States, or graduated high school in another country:
- You will be placed using “guided self-placement,” a set of online tools that help evaluate how prepared you are with the skills you are expected to have before starting a particular math, English, or credit ESL class. To be guided to the best class for your needs, it is important that you read everything presented to you carefully, and that you answer honestly.
- To access the guided self-placement tools, log on to Corsair Connect at smc.edu/cc. Then click the “Placement” badge (under the “Success Steps” card) and follow the instructions on the screen.
- Plan on completing your English and math placements together. You may take each guided self-placement only one time.
- Please note: The math self-placement presents six (6) options based on your academic and career path (major) or the course you are interested in taking. If you are not sure which option to choose, check with a counselor. You may take any of the math guided self-placements only one time.
For English, depending on your placement, you will start in one of two ways: (a) directly in English 1, a transfer-level course; or (b) directly in English 1 paired with English 28, a supporting course. In some instances, you may also be encouraged to take another reading or grammar supporting course.
Some students may need to be placed in selected ESL courses. Depending on your placement, you will start with one of the following courses: ESL 10G and ESL 10W, ESL 11A, ESL 19A, ESL 19B, or English 1. ESL 19A, ESL 19B, and English 1 are CSU/UC transferable courses.
For math, depending on your placement, you will start in one of two ways: (a) directly in a transfer-level math course, or (b) directly in a transfer-level math course paired with one supporting course. According to AB 1705, students may not be required to repeat courses they completed in high school with a C- or higher grade. If your English or math placement in Corsair Connect places you into a class you already completed, please meet with a counselor to discuss your case. A counselor may issue you a waiver and place you into the appropriate course for your program of study. See the Mathematics Course Sequence.
Assembly Bill 1805 permits students to view annual placement statistics for English, ESL, and mathematics. These are available at smc.edu/successcenter.
Santa Monica College will continue to offer limited assessment services for the Chemistry 10 challenge exam and math proficiency for graduation. You must have already applied for SMC admission, and must present a valid government-issued photo identification (e.g., driver license, passport, military ID). Test preparation materials are available online at smc.edu/placement.
The Success & Engagement Center (formerly the Assessment Center) is located in Student Services Center S145. The Center offers limited testing services on a walk-in, first-arrival basis. Please check our website (smc.edu/successcenter) or call 310-434-8040 for up-to-date information on office and testing hours.
Completing the placement process in English or ESL and in math is mandatory if you are:
- A first-time college student enrolling in more than six units during your first semester at SMC; or
- A continuing student who has not completed the placement process; or
- Enrolling in an English, ESL, or math course for the first time (even if not a first-time college student); or
- Enrolling in courses with required English or math preparation (prerequisites).
Based upon your placement results, you will receive an English, ESL, or math placement recommendation.
You may be exempt from the placement requirement and may also be granted placement and prerequisite waivers — as well as credit — for selected English, ESL, math, and chemistry courses under specific circumstances. Please see our webpage (smc.edu/waivers) for an overview, then consult with a counselor in General Counseling & Transfer Services for details.
Please note: Although you may be exempt from the placement process, you still must successfully complete — or receive waivers for — any prerequisite courses that are required for classes in English (or ESL), math, Anatomy 1, Biology 21/22/23, Chemistry 11/12/21/22/24, Film 31/32/33/34, Microbiology 1, Nursing 17, Physics 7/9/22/23/24, and Physiology 3 (among other courses). For further information, please consult with a counselor in General Counseling & Transfer Services.
Many students use Santa Monica College as the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year college plan. SMC is a leader in transferring students to their junior year at four-year colleges and universities, including the UC and CSU systems. Each of these institutions has a list of courses that must be completed to:
- satisfy general education requirements,
- satisfy lower-division pre-major requirements, and
- satisfy elective requirements.
How credit for an SMC course transfers to your future school depends on how that school will accept the course, and how clearly defined your transfer goal is.
To make things easier for SMC students to transfer successfully, Santa Monica College has worked out transfer agreements — called articulation agreements — with most local colleges and universities on how your units of credit transfer or meet graduation or other requirements. You can look up transfer information yourself (go to assist.org for details), but you will find it much easier to talk to a counselor in the Counseling Department. To schedule an appointment with a counselor, please call 310-434-4210.
Student-Athletes Please Note: If you plan to transfer with an athletic scholarship, please see an athletic counselor for a list of requirements and to arrange for continuous counseling while enrolled at SMC.
To the best of our knowledge, SMC does not schedule courses in inaccessible locations. However, some locations may not be accessible to students with specific disability-related access needs. SMC will relocate classes to accommodate individual students. To initiate this process, please contact the Center for Students with Disabilities at 310-434-4265 (voice) or 310-434-4272 (fax).
The path of travel from the public bus stops on Centinela to the Bundy and Airport Arts campuses is a steep grade that may be inaccessible for some with mobility limitations. However, the Sunset Ride — an accessible public bus line — which transfers from Big Blue Bus Line #14, stops inside the Bundy Campus.
Other access restrictions include:
- Art building: Accessible restrooms require an access key; go to the Center for Students with Disabilities (Student Services Center S155) or call 310-434-4265.
- Access keys are required for elevators when classes are not in session in the Business, Art, and Student Activities buildings, as well as for the Gym basement elevator.