F.A.Q.’s

1.What is the purpose of the Center?  Why am I in it? Students who do not currently meet the Academic Success Criteria (link to www.admissions.uc.edu/counselors/) but who have the potential to become eligible for a baccalaureate college within one year are referred to the Center for Access and Transition. Our goal is to aid students in their efforts to gain admittance to a baccalaureate, associate, or technical program as quickly as possible.  We offer one-on-one advising support, small class sizes, free tutoring, workshops, a first-year experience course to help students make the transition to college life, and learning communities to build a strong support network of peers. Students in the Center are held to a high standard and are expected to take ownership of their educational experience by utilizing these resources.  2. Am I a regular UC student? This question comes in many forms – students want to know if they can live on campus, have classes in multiple buildings on campus, play sports, etc.  The answer is YES!!!  The Center is located in French Hall West on the uptown (Clifton) campus.  Students in the Center are full-fledged UC students and may live on campus and participate in clubs and athletics.

No.  Being placed in the Center is an admission decision based on high school performance (including ACT/SAT scores).  A student does not take placement tests until after he/she has confirmed his/her admission to U.C.  These placement results have nothing to do with the referral to CAT, but they do determine how long a student remains in the Center.

No.  All students at U.C. take identical placement tests prior to orientation, and any student (whether he/she is in the Center or a baccalaureate college) who tests at the pre-college level will be required to take developmental coursework.  Those who test at the college level (again, whether a student in the Center or elsewhere) will take college-level coursework.

During Day 1 of Orientation (during the time when tests are administered to students who did not take them at Quick Start), all students in the Center are attending an important informational session and being assigned to an advisor.  In addition, the English exams may take 24-48 hours to grade, so taking your tests at a Quick Start program or on-line guarantees your advisor will have your results when you register on Day 2.

This is different for each student and depends on what coursework is required by his/her learning agreement.  The Center is not a one-size-fits-all program.  Each student remains in the Center until all the coursework on his/her agreement has been successfully completed.  Some students will be eligible to transition to a baccalaureate college in one quarter, while others will require up to three.  Once we have the results of your placement tests, a CAT advisor will give you an estimated completion date.

Not necessarily.  The only additional coursework to the regular degree requirements is any required developmental coursework.  Eligible students may begin working on their degree requirements while still in the Center.  It’s also important to remember that not all degree programs are 4 years – some (such as Engineering or Teacher Education) are 5 or even 6.

The Center has a “transition agreement” with six baccalaureate colleges at U.C.: The McMicken College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Applied Science; The College of Nursing; the College of Business; the College of Allied Health; and the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services.  Students are required to complete the terms of his/her learning agreement and maintain a certain GPA.  Upon completion of these requirements, students will be automatically transferred to one of the above colleges (no application process necessary!).  For more detailed information on this process, see http://www.uc.edu/cat/AfterCat.html.

The Center has a committee that reviews students at the end of each quarter to ensure that satisfactory progress is being made.  Students who are not completing required coursework in the prescribed amount of time are subject to being placed on probation or being suspended.  Suspended students may not re-enroll at U.C. for a period of two years.  Students who are suspended from the program are encouraged to meet with his/her advisor to discuss other educational options.

1. What steps must I complete to attend UC?
2. To guarantee that each student receives personal attention, the enrollment in the Center is limited.  If you plan to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Center, fill out the confirmation form enclosed with your original offer letter and return it to the Office of Admissions as quickly as possible, or confirm on-line at  http://www.admissions.uc.edu/acf/  We recommend confirming for the 2008-2009 school year by May 1st, 2008. You will not be able to register for orientation or apply for housing until you have completed this step.
3. Take the required placement tests as soon as possible.  All students admitted to the  Center MUST complete placement testing prior to attending orientation in order to guarantee that the results will be available.  You may complete the placement testing at one of the upcoming Quick Start programs.  The tests taken at Quick Start include math, a foreign language if you have had 2 or more years of study in high school, and an English exam that includes both an essay and a reading comprehension test. Confirmed students may register for Quick Start by calling (513) 556-2486.   The Math test and the English essay may also be taken via the web. See http://www.uc.edu/sas/orientation/MathPlacementTest.html and www.uc.edu/englishplacement for more information.
4. Apply for financial aid if you require it.  The Free Application for Federal Student Aide (FAFSA) is now available!.  You can obtain one at your high school or local public library, or submit your FAFSA on-line at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/  We recommend the on-line route as the processing time is much faster and aid is distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.  For more help on this item, please call UC's One Stop Student Services at 556-1000 to contact a financial aid representative.
5. Apply for student housing.   All unmarried first-year students under 21 who are not residing with their parents inside a 50-mile radius of the main campus are required to live in the residence halls during their first academic year. If you do not fall into this category, you may still choose to live on campus.  Applications for housing may be submitted starting February 1, 2008.  Applications submitted by May 15, 2008 will be given priority in the assignment process.  Applications must be accompanied by the $150 fee to be processed.  You may apply on-line at http://www.uc.edu/housing/Application/
6. Attend the mandatory 2-day summer orientation program.  We have several dates available beginning in late June and going through July.  Starting in the spring, all students who have confirmed will be sent information from the New Student Orientation office.  Plan to attend as early as possible to ensure class availability!