Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Visiting Online Student Checklist

What is a “visiting student”?

Are you enrolled as a full-time student at another college? Are you just picking up a few credits at PCC? If so, this checklist is intended to help students from other colleges get started with their first online class through PCC. This checklist shows all the steps you need to complete before your first day of class. You can find out when classes begin on the academic calendar.

  1. Apply for admission

    Complete the online PCC admissions form.

  2. Complete PCC’s New Student Orientation

    All new students must complete the New Student Orientation before registration. You can complete the orientation online.

  3. Complete the Start Guide for Online Learning

    Before you can take your first online class at PCC, you need to complete the Start Guide for Online Learning. This customized version has been tailored for visiting students who already have college experience. It should take about 20 minutes.

  4. Fulfill prerequisite requirements and placement

    In order to meet prerequisite requirements for courses at PCC, you will need to do one, or possibly a few, of the following:

     

    • Submit unofficial transcripts using the online prerequisite override request form (please include your PCC student identification number and the courses you intend to register for)
    • If you have completed high school in the last seven years you can submit your high school grades for placement (you can submit SAT/ACT/IB/AP scores here as well)
    • If you have not taken college-level math or writing courses, you can submit reading/writing and math placement test scores to one of the testing centers
    • If you have not passed math or writing coursework (with a ‘C’ or higher), taken placement tests, or completed high school in the last 7 years, you will need to take the placement tests
  5. If you are planning to complete a degree at PCC, or if you intend to take classes at PCC for more than one term, please submit your official transcripts for an official evaluation
  6. Get help paying for college

    It’s important to know how you will be paying for college. Financial help is available, but you have to start early.

  7. Connect with an advisor

    Visiting students taking online courses can get advising assistance from our Advising Specialists. You can connect with them by emailing advise@pcc.edu from your PCC email account, or set up a phone appointment via the Academic Advising page.

  8. Register for classes

    Register for classes online in MyPCC. Detailed information about how to register is available on the registration website. Try out these handy resources too:

  9. Pay your bill

    You must pay for your classes in full or have a payment plan in place two Mondays before the first day of the term. Students who do not meet the Payment Due Date are subject to being deleted from their course registration. Visit Ways to Pay for a list of approved financial arrangements.

  10. Buy your class materials

    Check the Class Details page for each class for information about required course materials. You can also find out which books and materials are required for your classes from the bookstore website. Be sure to have your CRNs in order to purchase the correct books.

  11. Visit the Online Student Resource Center

    Be sure to visit the Online Student Resource Center during the week before your class starts. You will find important information for first-time online students, and training materials to help you learn about the technology tools that will be used in your online classes.

  12. Log in to your classes!

    Making sure you log in to each of your online classes on the first day of the term is really important. The PCC attendance policy allows your instructor to give your seat to someone else if you do not participate during the first week. If you are unable to log in on the first day, contact your instructor. You must check in MyPCC to manage your course enrollment.