Gateway Community and Technical College welcomes all applicants, who are at least 16 years of age, have graduated from high school, or have earned a general equivalency certificate (GED).  Students who have not graduated from high school, but are eligible to pursue a GED, can be admitted into certificate, diploma, and associate degree programs, but cannot receive an associate degree unless they show proof of a high school or GED completion. 

The admission policy at Gateway Community and Technical College requires the submission of a completed application, acceptable assessment/placement testing scores, official high school transcripts/GED scores, and official college transcripts from every college previously attended.  Acceptance to Gateway is complete when all of these requirements have been satisfied.  Specific Gateway Academic Plans may have additional requirements before academic plan acceptance is granted.  Some programs at Gateway do have waiting lists.  An applicant is not considered to be on the waiting list until all admissions steps are completed. 

Application

All prospective students must complete the Application for Admission.  It can be mailed or hand delivered to any Gateway Campus.  Applications can be found in the college information packet, at any Gateway Campus or a link has been provided on the right side of this page.  Applicants may also complete and submit an application on-line for a $5.00 convenience charge. 

Transcripts

Applicants must submit an official copy of their high school transcripts/GED scores and official copies of transcripts from all previous colleges attended.  However, students submitting a college transcript documenting the completion of an associate degree or higher do not need to submit a high school transcript.  An official transcript is a document that is sent directly to our Registrar from another institution.   

The Registrar who maintains academic records at your high school/college can process your request for an official transcript.  A Transcript Request Form is available as part of the general information packet at all of our campuses, and on our web site.  Please have your transcript(s) forwarded to our Registrar at the Covington Campus, 1025 Amsterdam Road, Covington, KY 41011.  Once your college transcript(s) arrive, they will be evaluated for transfer credit and assessment testing waiver.  You will receive a letter from our Registrar with transcript evaluation results. 

Assessment/Placement Testing 

ACT or COMPASS, COMPASS is a diagnostic computerized placement and assessment system developed by ACT. Scores are used to satisfy the assessment/placement requirement for admission to Gateway.  All new Gateway students must provide ACT scores of 18 or above in subject areas (Mathematics, English, and Reading) or take the COMPASS test before meeting with an advising center staff member and being enrolled in classes.  COMPASS testing may be waived, if approved by the Program Director and the College Provost, for certain specific certificate programs and for transient students.  Students may take up to 6 credit hours in Business and Industry Training courses without having to take the COMPASS.  Each credential (certificate, diploma, or degree) maintains an entry score for coursework in specific academic plans.  Based on the COMPASS scores, a student may be placed in developmental courses or in the case of a Reading score of 43 or lower guided to other resources to elevate their academic readiness.   

Students who have earned a degree or have attended college prior to admission to Gateway may use the transfer credit procedure to fulfill the assessment/placement requirement.  Credit may be awarded to students who have a cumulative GPA of 2.0-4.0 and have earned a passing grade in a 100- level or higher course from a regionally accredited institution.  The Registrar may award semester credit(s) and exemption from one or all parts of the COMPASS if transcripts reflect courses equivalent to English 101, a transferable Mathematics course, and a Reading based course such as Psychology, Sociology or Literature.  

Students who need to take the COMPASS test to complete the admissions process may schedule an appointment at either the Covington or Edgewood campuses.  Students may retest one time prior to attending their first Gateway class.  After one retest, the student may appeal to the College Provost for additional retesting, only if extenuating circumstances exist.  The highest of the two test scores will be used for placement purposes.  Students who provide COMPASS scores from another institution may elect to take one retest for placement. 

Students who require other means of assessment testing may be eligible to use an alternative format.  If you are in need of such accommodations, please contact our Disabilities Services Coordinator at (859) 442-4120.

Student Advising Center

All first semester Gateway students will be advised through the advising center.  The student will not be advised until the assessment and transcript requirements have been met.  Non-high school graduates (ability-to-benefit students) can be advised without transcripts, but they will sign a form in the advising appointment acknowledging the need to have a high school diploma/GED before receiving an associate degree. 

Selective Admission

A process of selective admission is used to admit students into the Associate Degree Nursing and the Practical Nurse programs.  Candidates interested in pursuing these programs must complete a special selective admission packet during a designated application period.  Applications for the Associate Degree Nursing and the Practical Nurse programs are different, as well as the criteria for consideration to each program.  The selective admission packet gives instructions on how to apply, application deadlines and academic requirements.  The application process and application period for each of the nursing programs is separate from the general admission requirements and enrollment at Gateway Community and Technical College. Selective admisions packets are available at the front office of any campus.

Admissions Questions may be directed to the following Student Services Personnel:

Linda Cornell
(859) 442-1123
Counselor: Covington Campus\ Boone
Linda.cornell@kctcs.edu

RuthAnne Kolumba
(859) 442-4141
Student Affairs Officer: Edgewood Campus
Ruthanne.kolumba@kctcs.edu

Janet Samples
(859) 442-4121
Student Affairs Officer: Highland Heights Campus
Janet.samples@kctcs.edu

Online Application
To submit your application for admission right now, use the Online Application.

Printable Application
To download an Application for Admission to Gateway Community and Technical College, click on the following link:
Printable Application & Academic Plan Listings

Request An Information Packet
Online Application.