Bunker Hill Community College is committed to an open admission policy. This policy enables any person who has earned a high school diploma or HiSET (formerly the GED) and expresses a desire to pursue a college education to be admitted to BHCC. To enroll in a degree or certificate program, students must apply for admission and be accepted to the College. Students choosing this option are referred to as “degree-seeking students.”
To support an optimal environment for learning, BHCC admits students who demonstrate the academic skills needed to fulfill the requirements of their courses and programs, and the ability to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct. Students under the age of 18 may be required to sign a release form supplied by the College detailing the responsibilities of a minor taking courses at BHCC. All documents submitted to the College become the property of Bunker Hill Community College and will not be returned to students.
Prospective students may obtain information about information sessions, tours and applying to a degree program or general college information by contacting Admissions or via the College website at bhcc.edu/admissions.
Applicants who have completed the Bunker Hill Community College application process, and are accepted into a program of study, may choose to defer their acceptance. In order to defer acceptance, applicants must not have enrolled in any courses, or attended the college as a matriculated student. Deferment is allowed for a maximum of one year from the semester, or summer session in which acceptance was granted. Applicants who choose to defer their acceptance for one year, will not be considered eligible for the Catalog Year in which they applied and were accepted. The Deferment Form must be completed when the student makes the decision to defer. Applicants who apply and are accepted into any of the college’s Selective Programs are not eligible to use this Deferment Policy. Selective Program applicants should contact selectiveadmissions@bhcc.edu for more information.
NOTE: This deferment policy does not prevent a student from returning early to take classes.
Bunker Hill Community College is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified school eligible to enroll F-1 students. The college offers three start dates per academic year: January, June and September. International applicants who wish to attend Bunker Hill Community College must complete the free online application for admission. Applicants must submit proof that they have completed at least high school, have a required language proficiency in English and sufficient funding to support themselves during the first year of study at the College.
To review the list of admission requirements and ways to meet each requirement, applicants are encouraged to contact the International Center.
For a student to be eligible to participate in an academic, community or clinical program that involves potential unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, or the elderly, the student may be required to undergo a criminal background check, which could include a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and/or a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check. Students found to have certain criminal convictions or pending criminal actions will be presumed ineligible to participate in such activities. The College is authorized by the Commonwealth’s Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 6, Sections 167-178B, to access CORI records. In addition, for clinical placement in some programs, a National County Background Check may be required in addition to the CORI check.
Sex Offender checks shall be performed pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 6, Sections 178C-178P. For more information regarding the College’s CORI/SORI check process, please contact the College CORI/SORI Officer at 617-228-2193. In accordance with federal law, the College is required to advise the campus community where information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. To access public information pertaining to registered sex offenders enrolled or employed at the College, please contact the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, located at P.O. Box 4547, Salem, MA 01970-4647, 978-740-6400, or the BHCC Office of Public Safety and Campus Police.
On June 15, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several key guidelines, may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and would then be eligible for work authorization. Deferred action is a discretionary determination to defer removal action of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion. Deferred action does not provide an individual with lawful status. The College requires proof of the C33 card as part of the application process to qualify for in-state tuition rates. For further information please go to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals.
To support an optimal environment for learning, BHCC admits students who demonstrate the academic skills needed to fulfill the requirements of their courses and programs, and the ability to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct. Students under the age of 18 may be required to sign a release form supplied by the College detailing the responsibilities of a minor taking courses at BHCC. All documents submitted to the College become the property of Bunker Hill Community College and will not be returned to students.
The Office of Admissions and Recruitment will accept one of the following documents as proof of High School completion or equivalency:
1. Copy of a final High School Transcript
2. Copy of a High School Diploma
3. Official GED or HiSet Certificate
4. Official transcript from a College or University indicating completion of an Associate’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree. Transcripts should be
5. Copy of a High School Diploma
6. Home-schooled students should consult the Home School Policy
In some cases, additional documentation for high school graduation or equivalency may need to be provided if students are applying for financial aid. The Financial Aid Office will contact students directly if more information needs to be provided.
Self-certification of High School graduation or equivalency can be submitted when completing an application to the College. If self-certification is submitted, proof of graduation or equivalency documents need to be submitted to Admissions prior to the start date of the semester in which the student is applying.
Submitting Transcripts
Final High school transcripts should be sent to the Admissions and Recruitment Office electronically at admissions@bhcc.edu. Transcripts can also be dropped off in person to the Admissions Office, Charlestown Campus, Room, B203 in the B-Lobby or at the Chelsea campus in the Student Support Center.
Official college transcripts must be sent directly to BHCC from a Registrar’s office, Electronic Exchange, or third-party transcript service company such as Parchment or Credly. Paper official transcripts must be submitted in their original, unopened envelope. Paper transcripts can be submitted in person to Student Central, Charlestown Campus, B Lobby. Official transcripts are required for receiving transfer credit.
All home-schooled students without a high school diploma, HiSET or GED are eligible to apply for admission to a degree or certificate program provided they have successfully completed an approved homeschool program in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws or the laws of their home state.
The College determines whether students have participated in an approved home-school program. To determine whether a student has participated in an approved program, the student shall submit, with the application for admission, evidence that the home-school program was approved by the student’s school district’s superintendent or school committee. Additionally, if the home schooled student is under the age of compulsory attendance, which is sixteen (16) years old in Massachusetts, a letter from the student’s school district’s superintendent or school committee is required stating that the student is not considered truant and would not be required to attend further schooling or continue to be home-schooled if the student has completed his/her home school program before the age of sixteen (16). Home-schooled students who have not completed an approved home-school program will not be eligible to enroll in a BHCC degree or certificate program until they have obtained a HiSET or GED.
The College reserves the right to limit or deny enrollment of any student under the age of sixteen (16) in a course or program based on a case-by-case consideration of a variety of factors, including but not limited to the student’s maturity, life experience, placement test scores, prior education, course content, instructional methodology and potential risks associated with participation in a particular course or program.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, General Law 105CMR 200.600 requires proof of immunizations from the following students:
All of the student groups noted must submit proof of immunizations for the following: MRR - measles, mumps, rubella, Hepatitis B, Varicella (chickenpox), Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis: (TdaP) and Meningococcal.
*Students in the health profession programs must also present evidence of immunity to Meningitis, Influenza Vaccination, screening for Tuberculosis, Physical Exam, and American Heart Associate CPR certification. Health students must submit immunizations and health documents before attending clinical.
Students who fail to present the required information within 30 days of the date of registration may not be allowed to register for subsequent semesters until the immunization form is received by Student Central. Immunization forms become part of the student’s permanent file and cannot be copied, transferred or returned.
Bunker Hill Community College welcomes Guest Students to enroll in courses at the College. You are a Guest Student (also known as a non-matriculated or non-degree student) if you fall into one or more of the following categories:
Guest students matriculating at other colleges should have their course selections approved by their home institution prior to registration to insure credit transfer. Transferability of courses to a degree program either at Bunker Hill Community College or elsewhere is determined solely by the degree program from the home academic institution.
In accordance with the Valor Act, Bunker Hill Community College uses the American Council on Education (ACE) military program guidelines to the evaluation of educational experience in the Armed Services as the primary method for evaluating and awarding academic credit for military occupation, training, experience, and coursework.
Section 702 of the Choice Act. Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (“Choice Act”), requires VA to disapprove programs of education for payment of benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty at public institutions of higher learning if the schools charge qualifying Veterans and dependents tuition and fees in excess of the rate for resident students for terms beginning after July 1, 2015.
These new requirements will ensure that our Nation’s recently discharged Veterans, and their eligible family members, will not have to bear the cost of out-of-state charges while using their well-deserved education benefits.