Non-Degree Seeking Questions

Non-degree seeking students are those who take classes here at Columbia State for college credit, but are not seeking a degree or technical certificate with us.

For non-degree students, we only require a completed web application and an official transcript from the last school you attended.

However, if the class you wish to take has a prerequisite that is not listed on the transcript you have submitted for admission, you would need to submit the transcript with that prerequisite listed.

No, if you wish to change to degree or technical certificate seeking at Columbia State, you would need to:

1. Complete a Change of Major (Degrees) or Change of Major (Technical Certificate) form 
2. Submit all requirements for a degree seeking student

Admission requirements for degree/technical certificate seeking students are different from non-degree, and you would need to meet those requirements before you could be changed to degree seeking.

No, only degree/technical certificate seeking students can use financial aid.

No. Accepted student’s information is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Students can complete a FERPA release form in person at all 5 campuses if they wish to share their information with a particular individual.

If a student is currently Dual Enrollment, the FERPA release is included on the consent form needed for admission.

Please allow 3-5 business days after submission for the document to be added to your account.

A partial transcript means that some classes are still showing as In Progress, and final grades are not posted (and if it’s a high school transcript, no graduation date is listed).

A final transcript has all class grades posted (and if it’s a high school transcript, a graduation dates is listed).

No. Only degree-seeking students and technical certificate seeking students are eligible for financial aid through Columbia State.

Visiting (transient) students must talk to the financial aid office of their primary college or university about a “consortium agreement.”

Non-degree seeking students are not eligible for financial aid.

Official transcripts are often available through that state’s Department of Education. Students may also reach out to the Local Education Agency (LEA) or county school board to request official high school transcripts. Review of these transcripts are completed on a case by case basis and may ultimately require the completion of the HISET or GED test will replace the requirements of a regular high school transcript.

Yes, as long as the home school laws in that state were followed. Additional documentation may be required to ensure compliance with state laws.

Yes. You can order and have your HISET/GED test scores to us. (Not a copy of the diploma or certificate.)

No. We do not require test scores to admit a student. However, placement testing may be required after admission to determine learning support requirements before a student can register for classes.

Transfer students—Our Records office may have not evaluated your transcripts for transfer credit. This can take some time after a student has been admitted. You will receive an alert to your Columbia State email from Records once the evaluation has been completed.

Non-degree students—Records does not evaluate non-degree student’s transcripts for transfer credits. If you want to take a class that has a prerequisite and you are receiving a prerequisite error when attempting to register for the class, you must:

1. Ensure the transcript with the prerequisite has been received.
2. Contact Records by email, Records@ColumbiaState.edu, and tell them what class you wish to take and on which transcript the prerequisite can be found.

This could be one of two reasons.

• You need to satisfy EVEA requirements.
  
  or
  
  
• You need to complete a Residency Application.

As a state school, Columbia State has different tuition rates [link to Tuition & Fees page] based on a student’s state of residence. If you live in Tennessee (or Lauderdale or Limestone county in Alabama), you are eligible for in-state tuition.

Students who have moved to TN recently, or who have incorrectly answered “No” on our application about living in TN continuously the previous 12 months, must complete the Residency Application and provide documents verifying they live in TN to not be charged out-of-state tuition. This is not for financial aid, but for the tuition rate a student is charged.

No, MyChargerNet is a different domain from our web application.

No, your MyChargerNet becomes active after you are admitted. You will not receive your login credentials until you are admitted.

First, double check you are entering the information correctly. If that does not work, contact Helpdesk at (931) 540-2650 or helpdesk@ColumbiaState.edu.

If you become locked out of your account, email a copy of a photo ID to records@ColumbiaState.edu or come to the nearest Columbia campus with a photo ID to reset your login credentials.

You can find your PVT Username in your acceptance letter. If you no longer have that, you can find it by going to the MyCN login page and select the “PVT Username Lookup” button.

1. Go to the Student tab on MyCN.
2. Locate the “Student Services” box at right.
3. Select the "Update Personal Info" button.
4. On the page it takes you to, select What’s my Columbia State ID (aka A#) and PVT Username?

1. Log into MyCN.
2. Go to the "Student" tab.
3. Locate the “Registration Tools” box.
4. Select the Add or Drop Classes option.

1. Log into MyCN.
2. Select the "Student" tab.
3. Locate the “Self Service” box.
4. Under Academic Profile, click Holds.

1. Log into MyCN.
2. Go to the "Student" tab
3. First, check that you don’t have any other Financial Aid requirements and that all of your Financial Aid Awards are showing; you can find these on the "Student" tab.  (For further questions on Financial Aid, email FinancialAid@ColumbiaState.edu.)
4. Select the View/Pay Account button in the “Student Services” box (the green button with the dollar sign).
5. Select “Yes, I will be attending” and follow the prompts given to confirm you will be taking classes with us. Answer “No” if you no longer plan to attend and want to drop your courses.
6. If you accidentally answer incorrectly, email BusinessOffice@ColumbiaState.edu to reset the question.