All course prerequisites are set by the Academic Division Faculty and are enforced by the college. To be eligible to register for a course that has a prerequisite, students must complete the prerequisite course at Saddleback College or submit an accepted piece of evidence for clearance. In the Class Schedule, course prerequisites are indicated with a padlock symbol below the unit count.

 

Procedures and Requirements for Clearing Prerequisites

Students are responsible for satisfying and/or clearing all prerequisites for any course in which they plan to enroll in prior to their registration date. A prerequisite evaluation can take up to 5 business days to process, so plan ahead. Be sure to submit your evaluation request at least 2 weeks prior to your registration date to avoid registration delays. All prerequisite evaluation requests are completed in the order received.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Students who have submitted official transcripts to Saddleback College Admissions & Records must submit a Prerequisite Evaluation Request. Prerequisite clearance is not automatic.

Prerequisite Evaluation Request

Follow the steps below:

  1. Acquire and prepare your documents (i.e. transcript or other evidence).

    NOTE: If you are currently in progress in the prerequisite course at another college or university, see Temporary Clearance Request below.
     
  2. Make sure your name and the school's name (or logo) are visible on the transcript(s) you are submitting for evaluation. Only transcripts from regionally accredited U.S. colleges/universities and U.S. high schools are accepted. For further detail, click on the links below.
     
    NOTE: For Summer enrollment, guidelines allow for the use of in-progress high school coursework to satisfy a prerequisite. For example, if you seek to take SPAN 2 this Summer, your high school transcript may include 1.5 years of Spanish completed with the current Spring semester of Spanish 2 in progress. (See 'All Other Prerequisites' for details.)
     
  3. Submit the Saddleback College Prerequisite Evaluation Request Form. 
     
    • The e-form will prompt you to log in. Your username is your Saddleback College e-mail address (available in your MySite Profile). Your default password is your PIN plus two zeros. (Example: 1234+00 = 123400)
    • If you created a password for your Saddleback College student email account, this is now your password.

    If you applied within the last 24 hours, your default Canvas login credentials may not work. Instead access this e-form and select “Create New Account."

    NOTE: For help, view Step 1: "Create a new user account in NexGen" as a Non-Active Student.

Temporary Clearance Request

Are you currently enrolled in the prerequisite course at another college or university? Submit a Temporary Clearance Request Form if your Saddleback College Registration Date has arrived. Temporary clearance is valid during the enrollment period and expires one week before the start of the next term.

  1. Download a PDF of your unofficial college or university transcript that displays current enrollment in the prerequisite course. The course must be listed as "in progress."
    • Make sure your name and the school's name (logo or URL) are visible on the unofficial transcript you are submitting. Only transcripts from regionally accredited U.S. colleges or universities are accepted.  
  2.  Submit the Saddleback College Temporary Clearance Request Form.
    • The e-form will prompt you to log in. Your username is your Saddleback College e-mail address (available in your MySite Profile). Your default password is your PIN plus two zeros. (Example: 1234+00 = 123400)
  3. Once you have earned a final grade in the prerequisite course, you must submit your transcript with the Prerequisite Evaluation Request Form (linked above). A passing grade of C or higher is required for permanent clearance.

Checking Your Prerequisite Clearances

Students can check their prerequisite clearances by adding the course(s) they wish to register for into their Saddleback College Shopping Cart (accessible from the Class Schedule) which prompts a Pre-registration check. If the prerequisite has been satisfied or cleared, no prerequisite error message alerts should display. Clearance is valid for current and future registration periods at Saddleback College.

NOTE: If a course was added to the shopping cart before requesting clearance, the course ticket number must be removed and re-added for a current Pre-registration check.

For questions regarding prerequisites, please contact us via email at scmatric@saddleback.edu or by phone (949) 582-4970.