Frequently Asked Questions | Glendale Community College

What is the English, Math and ESL placement process?

Math, English, and ESL Placement

All students at GCC are eligible to enroll directly into transfer level math and English courses.

For English, if you have a diploma from a U.S. high school, or the classes where you were educated were taught in English, we believe you’re ready for either English 101 or English 101+. Both are transfer-level courses and 101+ is recommended for students with a high school GPA under 2.6 overall. Learn more about your English options by clicking here.

For Math, all students, including those with high school GPA, or coursework history below minimum placement criteria are placed into transfer-level Math 135, 136A, or Math 138 (for students going into elementary education). These courses are foundational to the SLAM pathway.

One semester SLAM (Statistics, Liberal Arts Math) courses (Math 136 and 136+) and BSTEM (Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) course options are provided upon completion of the GPS. Click here for the Math GPS.

Learn more about your Math options by clicking here.

For ESL, if your education from another country was in a language other than English, if the last class you took was in English Language Development or English as a Second Language, or if you last took English as a foreign language, you may wish to consider taking the GCC ESL Guided Placement Survey to determine if an ESL or an English course may be the best fit for you.

Besides our academic resources, GCC has Academic Counselors ready to assist you in suggesting coursework, planning your education, and helping to find the right academic goal for you. They can also point you to specific counseling resources that may be available for you.

How many times can I repeat a course?

In the past, students have elected to repeat courses for different reasons including alleviating a substandard grade (F, D,NC, NP) or non-evaluative symbol (W), to improve skills or to comply with an employer’s requirements. However, due to changes in regulations (Title 5 and CCCCO), a student’s ability to repeat a course is now more limited.

Under the new regulations, students will be limited to three “takes” of a course to alleviate a substandard grade. Previous enrollments will count toward the total three allowable takes per course. All substandard grades and withdrawals shall count toward the three enrollments.

How can I get an incomplete in a class?

An incomplete grade, “I”, may be assigned for academic work not completed for unforeseeable emergencies and/or justifiable reasons at the end of the term. The instructor must complete the Contract for Award of Incomplete Grade including conditions for removal of the “I” and the grade to be assigned in lieu of the “I”. The student will have until the end of the following year to complete the work as noted in the contract. This information will be sent to the student from the Admissions and Records office. A final grade shall be assigned when the work stipulated in the Contract has been completed and evaluated or when the time limit for completing the work has passed.

Incomplete grades cannot be awarded after the submission of the class grades. There are no extensions to the Contract, and students cannot register in the course to complete the Incomplete. The course cannot be retaken until the Incomplete is resolved.

What is term dismissal?

What is academic renewal

What is the purpose of the Student Success and Support Initiative?

What is a Student Educational Plan?

During your first semester at Glendale Community College, you need to make an appointment with a counselor to have a Student Educational Plan (SEP) prepared. An SEP is an outline of all your general education, major, prerequisite and elective classes related to your personal educational goal, as well as the graduation requirements. Once a counselor completed your SEP you will be able to view your SEP in you’re My Planner in your MyGCC. Take advantage of the Career Center to assist you in selecting a career goal or major if you are undecided.

What academic programs can you pursue at GCC?

Glendale Community College shall confer the degree of Associate of Arts or Associate of Science upon a student who has satisfactorily completed all of the requirements for graduation.

A student is allowed to petition for one Associate in Arts or Associate in Arts for Transfer degree (AA or AA-T) and one Associate in Science or Associate in Science for Transfer degree (AS or AS-T) for a total of two Associate degrees.

A student may receive only one A.S. or AS-T and one A.A. or AA-T degree. The Associate degree is granted to persons who file a Petition for Graduation in the Office of Admissions and Records, who are not on academic probation, and who have completed a minimum of 12 of the last 18 semester units of the required college curriculum of 60 degree applicable semester units at Glendale Community College.

Degree and Certificate Programs

What is a unit? Can it help me gauge study time?

Generally, one unit of credit equals one hour of class time. For example, a three unit lecture class meets three hours per week. Full time student status equals 12 units.
Each unit you take, consider at least two hours of study time per week. For example, taking 12 units might require 24 hours of study time per week
In addition to class and study time, consider your family and work commitments, leisure times when building your semester schedule.

How can I calculate my GPA?

G.P.A. stands or grade point average. Letter grades are given point value:

GRADE POINT VALUES
A = 4 points per unit	C = 2 points per unit	F = 0 points per unit	P/NP = 0*** points per unit
B = 3 points per unit	D = 1 points per unit		W = 0*** points per unit

*** Note: P/NP and W’s are not used in calculating your G.P.A.
Each class has a specific unit value. Start by multiplying the letter grade value by the unit value.

Example: 1
History is 3 units and you received a grade of “B” for that class. So take the unit value: 3 units times letter grade value for a “B” to get the grade points for that class.

3 units x 3 grade points = 9

This will give you the point value for that class. So the point value for the History class is 9.
The way to get your grade point average for all courses is to take each course and multiply each unit value to each letter grade value then add all grade points together and then divide by the total number of units.

Example: 2
English is 3 units “B” 3 x 3 = 9 9
History is 3 units “B” 3 x 3 = 9 9
Geography is 3 units “C” 3 x 2 = 6 6
Music is 3 units “C” 3 x 2 = 6 +6

The total grade points for the semester is going to be 30.
The total units is 12 for the semester. Take 30 and divide by 12 to get the G.P.A
So now you have 30 grade points/ 12 units = 2.5

Visit the Transfer Center GPA calculator

How do I activate my GCC email?

How do I apply to GCC?