Common College and Academic Questions
Counseling and advising
First-Time Student
A first-time college student has never attended any college before.
Academic counseling and advising appointments are available to first-time college students after completing the following steps:
- Application - Submit an application to Moreno Valley College
- Orientation - The orientation is designed to introduce you to college life, how to read the schedule of classes, how to enroll in classes, and inform you of the programs and services available at MVC. Complete your online orientation by logging into MyPortal. Open the "Academic Planning" menu and select the "Take Your Online Orientation" link.
- First Semester Educational Plan - After completing your orientation, your counseling requirement will be cleared. An educational plan will be automatically generated in the EduNav registration system based on your declared program of study. Follow up with an educational advisor or counselor to confirm that your plan meets your academic goals.
Continuing/Returning Student
A continuing student is a student who has maintained continuous attendance while a returning student is a student who has missed a major term (spring or fall). If you are a returning student, you must submit a new application before you receive a class registration date for the following term.
To schedule a counseling appointment, continuing and returning students can:
- See us in-person in the Welcome Center
- Contact us by phone
- Book an appointment online
Transfer Student
Transfer student: A student who has completed college coursework at a different institution.
Counseling appointments are available to students transferring from other institutions. In most cases students who are transferring from other institutions are exempt from completing the Assessment, Orientation, and First semester educational plan. Students are encouraged to bring official transcripts from previous colleges attended prior to scheduling an appointment.
To schedule a counseling appointment, transfer students can:
- See us in person in the Welcome Center
- Contact us by phone
- Book an appointment online
Yes, you may. However, you will still belong to the school your program of study falls under and receive the rest of your support services from that school's engagement center.
Check-in Policy
If you have scheduled an appointment, check in by arriving 10 to 15 minutes early to your engagement center location or by logging onto your ConexEd meeting a few minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Late arrival, no show and cancellation policy
Students who do not show or are 10 minutes late will be marked as "NO SHOW" on their appointment record. After three missed appointments (NO SHOWS) you will be required to meet with the Vice President, Student Services before being able to schedule an appointment.
If you are unable to keep an appointment, it is your responsibility to cancel the appointment and give us 1 hour advance notice by texting, emailing or leaving a voicemail.
Academic standing
Students who have attempted 12 semester units or more will be placed on academic probation if their grade point average is below 2.0. Students may also be placed on progress probation if they have attempted 12 or more semester units and have an excessive number of "withdraws," "incompletes," or no-passes. "Excessive" is defined as 50% or more. Students placed on probation will be notified through their student email account.
All first-time probation students are encouraged to complete a success workshop offered by Counseling Services. The workshop is available online or in person in fall and spring semesters. Students on probation may enrolled for a maximum of 13 units in the spring and fall semesters and 7 units in the summer and winter terms.
Students who maintain less than a 2.0 GPA for two consecutive semesters are subject to academic dismissal. Student shall also be subject to dismissal if the number of "W," "I," "NP" or "NC" entries reaches or exceed 50% for two semesters in a row.
Student who are subject to dismissal may enroll in classes after meeting with a counselor and completing a readmission contract. Prior to meeting with the counselor, students must complete the on-line Readmission Workshop.
Educational plans and courses
A student educational plan (SEP) is your roadmap to success. It lists all the courses necessary to achieve your academic goals. Students without an educational plan run the risk of taking unnecessary courses, wasting time AND money. In order for a counselor to assist you in developing a plan, they will need to know the following:
- Your major and/or career goal
- If you are planning to transfer, which university or universities you wish to attend.
Student educational plans are constructed through EduNav, an online course planning tool. EduNav allows you to have a comprehensive start-to-end plan as well as a semester-by-semester map of the courses you should take. If you have attended another college/s, you must request to have an official transcript(s) sent to Moreno Valley College before scheduling an appointment for a student educational plan.
Due to high demand for counseling during the winter and summer sessions, MVC recommends that continuing students see a counselor during the spring and fall semesters to complete a Student Educational Plan.
Being undecided is okay, but MVC wants to help you set and reach your academic and career goals so you make the most of your time, attention and dollars.
Your first steps would be to try and find a career or field of study that interests you, and discover how much training or education you need. Then, work with your success team to structure your educational path so you're prepared to pursue those goals at the pace and price that works for you.
If you change your educational goal, major and/or transfer institution, please meet with a counselor to update your educational plan. Changing your academic program or educational goal is done by completing and submitting the Change of Information Form to Admissions & Records.
Some courses are designated for special programs or are part of a learning community. You must be a student in the program or learning community to register for designated sections.
Click on the course link and the class information will appear. Under the Title and Course Section Number is the Description. If the course is part of a program or learning community, it will be stated in the description. If you are not part of the learning community or special program, please choose a different section of the same course, if available.
Prerequisites and corequisites
When a course has a prerequisite, it means that a student must have certain knowledge to be successful in the course. The prior knowledge may be a skill (ie: type 40 wpm), an ability (ie: speaks and writes French fluently), a placement preparation score, or successful completion of a course (ie: grade C or better in CHE-1A).
Completion of the prerequisite is required PRIOR to enrolling in the class. Students who have completed a course at another institution for which they would like credit must fill out a Prerequisite Validation Form in order to have coursework on official transcripts validated for math, English, or other prerequisites.
If you are currently enrolled in a prerequisite course at Riverside Community College District (i.e., Math 10), you will be allowed to register for the succeeding class (i.e., Math 1A). However, if you do not pass the prerequisite course with at least a C or P grade, you will be dropped from the succeeding class. If you are currently enrolled in a prerequisite course outside of Riverside Community College District, the course must be successfully completed with a final/recorded grade before requesting validation of prerequisite. Successful completion of a prerequisite requires a grade of C or better. C-, D, F, FW, NP (No Pass), or I (Incomplete) are not acceptable.
When a course has a corequisite, it means that a student is required to take another course concurrent with or prior to enrollment in the course. Knowing the information presented in the corequisite course is considered necessary for a student to be successful in the course. (Completion of, or concurrent enrollment in, Math 1A is required for Physics 4A.)
Concurrent corequisite courses must be completed at RCCD. Previously completed corequisite course(s) may be completed at RCCD or an outside institution (students are required to submit a Prerequisite Validation Form to validate prerequisite and corequisite coursework completed outside of RCCD).
When a course has an advisory, it means that a student is recommended to have certain preparation before entering the course. The preparation is considered advantageous to a student’s success in the course. Since the preparation is advised, but not required, students will not be blocked from enrolling in a class if they do not meet the advisory.
All course prerequisites are enforced at registration.
At this time, you have not yet validated your pre/corequisite. If you have passed the prerequisite course at another accredited college or university with a “C” or better, either RCCD does not have an official transcript OR your official transcript is on file, but you have not completed the necessary paperwork. Refer to the section titled Verifying Prerequisites/Co-requisites above.
Students are responsible for knowing and meeting course prerequisite and co-requisite requirements. These are stated in the course descriptions within the Schedule of Classes and College Catalog.
If you have met the prerequisite at another accredited college or university, you must provide verification through one of the following:
- Submit official transcript(s) to etranscripts@mvc.edu and meet with a counselor. Transcripts must be from the original institution.
- Submit unofficial transcript(s) or grade reports and complete a Matriculation Appeal Petition with a counselor. Petitions approved based on an unofficial transcript will be approved for one semester only. This will provide time for the student to request official transcripts from all institutions attended. An appeal using unofficial transcripts will only be accepted one time as a courtesy to the student.
- If you wish to challenge a prerequisite for courses other than English, Math or ESL on the basis of knowledge, ability, or because of the unavailability of the prerequisite, work with a counselor to submit a Matriculation Appeal Petition.
