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.

Step 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.

Step 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.)

Step 3

Submit the Saddleback College Prerequisite Evaluation Request Form.


New Students: If you applied for admission within the last 24 hours, you might not have login credentials. If you would rather not wait, access this alternate e-form and select "Create New Account."

Are you currently enrolled in the prerequisite course at another college or university but pending the final grade? Do you have a passing grade going into the final exam?

If your Saddleback College Registration Date has arrived, you may submit a Temporary Clearance Request Form. This is Step 1 of a 2-step process. Your temporary clearance will be valid for enrollment and will expire one week before the start of your target course. (Step 2 is submitting proof of successful completion of the prerequisite by the deadline.)

  • Instructions: 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" on your transcript.
    • 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. 
  • STEP 1: Submit the Saddleback College Temporary Clearance Request Form.
  • STEP 2: 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.

Students can check their prerequisite clearances by adding the course(s) they wish to register for into their Saddleback College Shopping Cart. This action prompts a Pre-registration check for the desired target course. 

  • If the prerequisite has not yet been satisfied or your clearance request was denied, a prerequisite error message alert will display.
  • If the prerequisite has been satisfied or your clearance request was approved, no error message will display. 
  • Prerequisite clearance is valid for current and future registration periods at Saddleback College. No need to resubmit a clearance request once approved.

NOTE: If you added a course to the Shopping Cart before you submitted a Prerequisite Evaluation Request Form, 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.