Evaluations Office

Deadlines to Apply to Graduate

FALL

October 1

Deadline to Apply to Graduate ONLY for students transferring to a CSU in the upcoming Spring semester who are completing an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) or an Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).

November 15

Deadline to Apply to Graduate for an Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement and be a Fall Graduate. Fall Diplomas are generally mailed the following February.

SPRING

February 15

Deadline to Apply to Graduate for students transferring to a CSU in the upcoming Fall semester who are completing an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) or an Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).

March 15

Deadline to Apply to Graduate and ensure student name will be included in the commencement program.

April 30

Deadline to Apply to Graduate for an Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement and be a Spring graduate. Spring Diplomas are generally mailed the following August.

SUMMER 

July 31

Deadline to Apply to Graduate for an Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement and be a Summer graduate. Summer Diplomas are generally mailed the following October.

GENERAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATION (IGETC/CSU-GE BREADTH)

Request UC/CSU General Education Certification at least 2-weeks before the deadline. Check with your UC/CSU for dates. We are unable to honor any requests to expedite a late request and these are processed in the order received.

(See General Education Request (IGETC/CSU GE-Breadth below to request your Certification)

Important Guidelines Regarding Graduation/Diplomas

• Graduation is not automatic. Students must apply to graduate through their mySDCCD portal. (How-to video below)
  • Students are encouraged to apply to graduate in the semester they plan to complete their degree or certificate requirements.
  • If there are questions about a missing or incorrect Education Plan contact Counseling: MiraCoun@sdccd.edu
  • Degree processing takes 4-8 weeks after the end of the semester
  • To track graduation, login to mySDCCD, Click "My Academics", then "View Graduation Status". Here are the statuses:
    • Applied - Your application has been submitted but has not been reviewed
    • In Review - There may be some extra steps required to process your degree or you may be missing units (an evaluator will post a comment for you regarding any issues) Please see a counselor if advised to do so, they have same-day appointments learn more here https://www.sdmiramar.edu/services/counseling
    • Pending - Everything is in order as long as all current classes are passed. (This status WILL NOT change until 2-8 weeks after the end of the semester as final grades must be posted)
    • Approved for Graduation - You have been approved and the degree is flagged to be placed on your transcript.
    • Degree Awarded - Your degree is officially posted to your transcript (This is when you should order your final transcript)      
    • Diploma Printed - We have placed your order with our printing company you will receive an email once they ship your diploma.   
• Degrees and Certificates do not post on your transcript immediately after the end of the semester.
  • If you are ordering your transcripts to be sent to a transfer institute, DO NOT order your transcripts to be sent at the end of the semester or even after the release of final grades. 
  • Once you see "Degree Awarded", you can order your transcripts.

Academic renewal is a means whereby a student may have prior college work excluded from the current grade point average. In all cases of academic renewal, the original courses and grades will remain on the transcript with a code in the reference column that indicates academic renewal has been applied to those courses. Once the petition is approved, the action is not reversible. There are two types of Academic Renewal, renewal by repeating a course and renewal without repeating a course.

Academic Renewal with Course Repetition

A student who receives a substandard grade (“D” or “F” or “NP”) in a course may repeat that course three times and have a new grade(s) replace the substandard grade(s) in the district's computation of a student's GPA. The course being repeated must be the same name as the original course, not it's equivalent.

Registration into a course in which two grades of “D” or “F” or “NP” has already been received will be permitted by mySDCCD for the first and second repeat of the course. No petition is necessary. At the end of the semester, the academic renewal will automatically be processed and the student's academic record will be annotated to indicate academic renewal.

Policy

• No course in which a “C” or better grade has been earned may be repeated.

• Students will not be allowed more than four enrollments in similar active participatory courses in Physical Education and Visual and Performing Arts, regardless of grade or symbol earned.

• Academic renewal is not allowed for work experience courses.

• Each course in which an unsatisfactory grade (“D,”“F,” or “NP”) has been earned may be repeated twice without a petition. The course being repeated must be the same as the original course, not its equivalent. Only the newly-earned units and grades will be used in computing the grade point average.

• Students will not be allowed more than three enrollments in any course, regardless of grade or symbol earned.

Steps to Request Academic Renewal through Repetition:

• Students who have taken and repeated coursework in the past for which academic renewal has not been done should submit a Petition for Academic Renewal by Course Repetition in the Evaluations Office. If the petition is approved the student's academic record will be annotated to indicate an academic renewal

• Students who would like to attempt to repeat a course for the fourth time in which a "D” or “F” or “NP” or "W" was earned three times, must submit a standard Student Petition to be reviewed by the VPSS. The petition must be signed by one of the following: Counselor, Instructor, Department Chair, or Dean. Please note: The Petition to repeat must be filed with the campus that is hosting the course you intend to take. A Miramar College petition will only apply to Miramar College classes. If the petition is approved the student's academic record will be annotated to indicate academic renewal.

Note: A student may only earn three symbols (A, B, C, D, F, P, NP, W) in a course.

Academic renewal is a means whereby a student may have prior college work excluded from the current grade point average. In all cases of academic renewal, the original courses and grades will remain on the transcript with a code in the reference column that indicates academic renewal has been applied to those courses. Once the petition is approved, the action is not reversible. There are two types of Academic Renewal, renewal by repeating a course and renewal without repeating a course.

Academic Renewal Without Course Repetition

A student with a semester of substandard academic performance that is not reflective of present demonstrated ability may petition to have the substandard semester disregarded in the computation of grade point average. 

• Students with degrees or certificates: Course(s)/Semester/Session prior to earning a degree or certificate are not eligible for academic renewal.

• A maximum of one semester/session or 12 units, whichever is greater can be disregarded.

Requirements for consideration:

1. Course(s)/Semester/Session must be substandard (below 2.0 GPA).

2. Transcripts from all institutions attended must be officially on file.

3. Successfully complete, in a regionally accredited college or university, 15 units with a GPA of at least 2.0 subsequent to the coursework to be disregarded. All courses taken during the semester/session in which the student reaches or exceeds the 15 unit minimum will be used in computing the 2.0 GPA.

4. One year must have elapsed since the most recent coursework to be disregarded was completed.

District Regulations:

1. A maximum of 12 units or one semester/session may be disregarded, whichever is greater. For purposes of academic renewal for summer session work, a summer session will be defined as all courses which commence after the termination of the Spring semester and end prior to the commencement of the Fall semester. Intersession work will be included in the Spring semester. Short-term or carry-over classes will be considered to be part of the semester or session in which credit is awarded or a grade is recorded to the student’s permanent record.

2. If grade alleviation has already been applied two times for a course included in the semester to be disregarded, the course will not be eligible for academic renewal without repetition and will remain on the academic record.

3. If previous action for academic renewal has been applied to coursework included in the semester to be disregarded, the course will not be eligible for academic renewal without repetition and will remain on the academic record.

4. Work taken at another institution may be forgiven in our computations for purposes of graduation from one of the District colleges under the regulations stated above.

5. The permanent academic record will be annotated in such a manner that the record of all work remains legible, ensuring a true and complete academic record.

6. Recalculation of the grade point average may be used toward qualification for graduation with honors.

7. Academic standing for the semester/session(s) will not be adjusted.

8. Once the petition is approved, the action is not reversible.

Steps to Request Academic Renewal without Repetition

1. Students must see a counselor to complete the Petition for Academic Renewal Without Course Repetition form.

2. The student files a completed Petition for Academic Renewal Without Course Repetition in the Evaluations Office.

3. An Evaluator will determine whether all conditions for academic renewal without course repetition have been met. These conditions are listed on the back of the petition.

4. If the petition is approved the student's academic record will be annotated to indicate academic renewal for the appropriate term(s).

5. Students will be sent a copy of the petition indicating the decision after the process is completed.

A Certificate of Performance recognizes the attainment of knowledge and/or skill through the successful completion of two or more courses as specified by a department. Certificates of Performance are designed to prepare students for employment, job enhancement, and/or job advancement. To qualify for the Certificate of Performance, students must satisfy the requirements and follow the procedures listed below:

Requirements:

• Achieve a grade of "C" or better in each of the required courses.

• Complete all required coursework in the San Diego Community College District.

• Course substitutions or course equivalencies from other colleges may not be used to satisfy Certificate of Performance requirements. For additional information please see a counselor.

Procedures: All coursework for the Certificate of Performance must be completed, and grades are posted before a student can petition for their Certificates of Performance.

• Submit an Evaluations Forms Student Support Ticket and fill out the required fields.

• Choose Apply for Certificate of Performance as the form/petition and complete the required fields.

• Complete and submit one form per certificate you are applying for. If you are unsure of certificate title or requirements, review the college catalog under the appropriate major.

•  Return to the Forms and Documents page and click Submit Form Online.

Certificates of Performance do not indicate that a graduation requirement has been met. These are departmental awards only.

Students who wish to receive credit for academic work completed in non-traditional ways or through non-educational sources may be able to obtain credit by taking and passing a departmental examination. (Policy 3900.1)

Eligibility Requirements

• The course is on the approved credit for prior learning list at the college

• The student must have previous academic history (previously earned credit or noncredit from the District) or be currently enrolled in a college at the San Diego Community College District and in good standing

• All student holds must be cleared prior to verification of eligibility

• Official transcripts from all prior colleges are on file

• Official test scores must be submitted (AP, IB, CLEP, DANTES)

• A student education plan is on file

• The student is not currently enrolled in the course

• The student has not received credit on their academic record(s) for an equivalent course

Procedure for Courses on the Approved List

• Students will meet with counseling to initiate a request for Credit by Examination/Credit for Prior Learning. 

• The request is reviewed at Campus Evaluations and District Evaluations level. If approved, it will move forward. If denied, the student will be informed.

• If approved, the class is built and the instructor is assigned.

• If an exam is required, the instructor will initiate contact with the student.

• Upon completion of the examination or verification of qualifications, the instructor will post the grade for the class.

• Credit is posted on the student's academic record.

General Education (GE) is one of the key components of earning your Associate degree or transferring to a four-year institution. A GE certification is an official document from SDCCD which certifies that a student, who is transferring to a four-year institution, has met the requirements of a particular GE pattern. If you are unsure of which pattern you should be following please speak to an Academic Advisor.

Two types of GE Patterns for Certification

• Intersegmental General Education Transfer Pattern (IGETC) – This pattern can be certified for transfer to the University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) system. 

• California State University General Education (CSUGE) – This pattern can only be certified for transfer to the CSU system. 

Requirements for GE Certification

• A request for certification can only be submitted once a student has been accepted to a transferring university.

• All transcripts from previous colleges and universities attended must be on file. See the Transcript section for detailed information.

• Students with AP/IB/CLEP exams must submit scores if they are using them to meet requirements. Information on the use of Standardized Test scores for credit and certification requirements can be found in the catalog.

• If students using high school coursework to satisfy the UC-IGETC Certification foreign language requirement those high school transcripts must be on file or attached along with the request. Unofficial transcripts can be accepted.

• If students have had two years of formal schooling at the sixth-grade level or higher in an institution where the language of instruction is not English, they may also satisfy the UC IGETC Certification foreign language requirement by providing official or unofficial transcripts from that school.

• If using a foreign transcript to clear LOTE: The document must be translated into English. Please speak to a counselor for more information 

Procedures

How to request a GE Certification

• Begin a new Student Support Desk ticket

• Fill out the required information and for Form/Petition select Request for General Education Certification.

• UC Only: If you are using high school transcripts to clear LOTE and you have not previously gone through the process of having them evaluated, please attach your high school transcripts to the request.

  • If you need to request your high school transcripts do not have them sent to SDCCD. Rather, send them to yourself and attach them that way. This is the fastest way to have them processed as having them mailed/emailed to SDCCD can increase the processing time by about 2-4 weeks.

Processing

• Requests take about 2 weeks to process and send. As a result, we recommend certifications be requested at least two weeks prior to the deadline of the transferring institution. Please note that the deadline for submitting final transcripts is often different than the deadline to submit your GE Cert.

• Students should plan ahead to ensure that they submit their GE certification requests early. 

• Once the certification is processed, the original certification is sent to the University address indicated on the request form. This is done via physical mail so please allow several days for it to appear as received.

• We are unable to honor any requests for expedited processing, these are processed in the order received from all 3 college campuses

Any variation to major requirements for a degree or certificate must be approved by the academic department under which the major is offered.

Approved petitions are only applicable for majors offered at Miramar College.

Requirements

• An electronic Educational Plan must be on file. If you are unsure if you have an electronic educational plan, please see a counselor

• All transcripts from other institutions attended must be on file. **If you are submitting official transcripts with the petition, please be sure that the transcripts are in the original sealed envelope. Opened transcripts are not considered official.

Please note:

• Substitution = to replace a course required with another course(s).

• Waiver = exemption from taking a required course in the major or District Graduation requirement. District General Education requirements cannot be waived.

• A minimum of 18 units is required for the major for all degree programs.

Procedures

It is required that you meet with a counselor to determine if you meet the eligibility and if a modification is necessary.

• Meet with a counselor. 

• Counselor will provide you with a link to the required form and you will need to fill it out completely.

• Approval from a counselor, Department Chair and Dean are required to move forward.

• The Evaluations office will determine whether all modification conditions have been satisfied.

• Petitions to Waive a District Graduation requirement will automatically be sent to the Academic Standards Committee to be reviewed. The Academic Standards Committee meets once per month. Generally, this is the 2nd Thursday of the month with exceptions for holidays.

• If the modification cannot be made, the student will be notified.

• If the modification is approved, the necessary adjustments in the student's educational plan will be made by the District Evaluations Office. Please note: These changes will not be posted to a student's record until they have completed all of the other required coursework for their degree/certificate.

• Students will be notified regarding the approval or denial of the petition via email. 

Students in need of a replacement or duplicate diploma should take the following steps.

• Visit the following Forms and Documents Page. Read the directions on completing and uploading the form carefully.

• Scroll to Counseling/Evaluations/Graduation and open the Request to Reissue Diploma document.

• Complete the form and save in order to upload.

• Click on Submit Form Online and upload the form.

Once received and verified, Accounting will apply the relevant fee to the student account ($10 per diploma). Diplomas are ordered every Friday (or in the case of a holiday, the last working day of the week).

If there is an issue with delivery or there are further questions, please contact us at MiramarEvaluations@sdccd.edu 

Steps for Requesting a Transcript Evaluation

Step 1: Submit Official Transcripts from all other institutions attended:

• Submit all previous Transcripts, AP Scores, IB Scores, or CLEP scores to SDCCD

  • The San Diego Community College District is now partnered with Parchment and the National Student Clearinghouse and are accepting official electronic transcripts from these providers.

  • Institutions not partnered with Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse can submit official electronic transcripts to the following email address: transcripts@sdccd.edu 

  • Institutions not offering electronic transcripts can mail them to the following address

    • San Diego Community College District
      Attn: Transcript Department
      3375 Camino Del Rio South, Room 100
      San Diego, CA 92108

  • Students are responsible for requesting official transcripts from each institution to be sent to SDCCD.

  • Transcripts from foreign institutions are not required. If you wish to have foreign credit evaluated please meet with a counselor.

  • Transcripts can only be accepted up to one year after their issuance.

Step 2: Request Transcript Evaluation:

Transcripts are not automatically evaluated. Transcript evaluations take a minimum of 90 business days (approx 18 weeks) to process

• About 1 week after your official transcripts have been submitted you can confirm their receipt by emailing MiraCounDesk@sdccd.edu. If we do not see them as received you will need to submit a student help desk ticket through the mySDCCD Support Desk. 

• Meet with a counselor. It is highly recommended that you meet with a counselor prior to submitting a request as any changes to your education plan will require this process to start over.  Visit the counseling page to learn about the various ways you can meet with a counselor. 

• Submit an Evaluations Forms Student Support Ticket 

  • Important UC-IGETC Information: If you are planning on clearing the Language Other Than English (LOTE) requirement using high school language classes please upload a copy of your high school transcript when you submit the Evaluation Request. If you skip this step it may cause delays in processing your certificate when you transfer. If you attended a school where English was not the primary language and wish to clear LOTE, please meet with a counselor to discuss that process.

  • Transcript Evaluations do not take place on college campuses. All evaluation requests are sent to the District from all of our campuses, San Diego Miramar, Mesa, and City College. 

• After the evaluation is completed (90 business days/18 weeks) you will receive an email from the evaluator prompting you to follow up with a counselor to update your education plan.

  • If you need to clear prerequisites prior to the evaluation being completed please see this page. 

Credit for Military Experience

Policy 3900.3

Students who have completed at least six months of continuous active U.S. military service have fulfilled the following requirements:

• 4 units of credit towards the Associate degree: Health Education and Physical Education (2 courses) requirements

• The California State University General Education Breadth Pattern (CSUGE) Area E requirement.

Credits for the requirements listed above are automatically posted to the student's record upon receipt of the applicable document listed below.

Additionally, credit may be available for courses taken through the various branches of the military as recommended by A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services published by the American Council on Education.

Additional Credit for Military Service

To receive additional credit for military service or military school students must be enrolled and, in most cases, must have an education plan on file.

• Military credit cannot be used to satisfy the American Institutions requirement or the English Composition requirement.

• Credit in the major must be approved by the department.

• Contact the Veterans Office or see a counselor to request additional credit for military service or school.

To receive additional credit for military service or military school students must be enrolled and, in most cases, must have an education plan on file.

• Military credit cannot be used to satisfy the American Institutions requirement or the English Composition requirement.

• Credit in the major must be approved by the department.

• Contact the Veterans Office or see a counselor to request additional credit for military service or school.

Credit for Standardized Tests

Policy 3900.4

Academic credit is available for students who take and pass, at the appropriate level, examinations offered through the following standardized tests:

• Advanced Placement Examinations (AP)

• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

• Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), and

• International Baccalaureate (IB)

For detailed information on test scores and applicable credit, refer to the college catalog. Students must order their official reports to be sent to the school. Reports must be sealed and unopened by the student or transferred directly from the administering institution. Scores will not be automatically evaluated. Once all transcripts and scores are received, the student must submit a Request for Transcript Evaluation which can be picked up in Evaluations or the Counseling Office. Note: If you need to clear a prerequisite immediately, meet with a counselor before submitting your Request for Transcript Evaluation.

Limitations

• Credit for examinations is based upon the score received.

• Credit will not be granted for equivalent course completion.

• Tests can potentially meet the following requirements:

  • American Institutions can be partially met with AP US History (US-1), AP US Gov't & Politics (US-2), however, US-3 requires a California governments component which can be met with one of the courses listed in this section. (See Catalog Page 47)

  • Laboratory requirements can be met with AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics B, AP Physics 1 (for CSU GE only), AP Physics 2 (for CSU GE only), AP Physics C - electricity/magnetism, and PA Physics C - mechanics. (See Catalog pages 40-47)

English Composition requirement (except for Advanced Placement which will satisfy the English Composition requirement).

• Use of this credit in a major requires the approval of the department.

• A maximum of 30 cumulative units may be granted for acceptable scores on any combination of standardized tests.

Students will receive a "student.sdccd.edu" email account upon registration which allows them to:

• Receive official emails from the San Diego Community College District
• Use applications in the Microsoft 365 suite for Students such as Word, Excel and OneDrive with 1 TB storage

Your student.sdccd.edu email will be the official form of communication for all campus business. Students are expected to check their official email address on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with the College communications. The College recommends checking email daily since certain communication may be time critical (e.g. Class Waitlist activity.).  Please use the following to get link to get started:  

Student Email and Microsoft 365 | San Diego Community College District (sdccd.edu)