Will HACC accept me?
HACC is an open enrollment college which means that students do not have to take college entrance exams to be admitted to the college. HACC will accept any student who has earned a high school diploma or received a General Education Development (GED) Diploma or who is eighteen years of age or older and has the ability, in the judgment of the college, to benefit from the educational program to be pursued. International students will need to meet additional requirements and should contact the International Student Admissions Office at (717) 780-2403 for information.

Why must I take placement tests?
Because we are an open enrollment college, HACC has students from diverse academic backgrounds. We ask all students, unless they have the appropriate transfer classes from another college, to take our placement exams in reading, writing, and math. The purpose of these exams is to find out if you are ready to take college-level classes. If you are not, we will help you enroll in the correct college classes. If you are not, we will require you to take developmental classes in order to strengthen your skills in a particular area so you can then be successful taking college-level classes.

As an adult, will I fit in?
Many students are worried about being the only older adult student in a class of all 18 year olds. The reality is that you will be far more likely to not only have a range of ages in your class but racial and ethnic diversity as well. HACC’s students range in age from senior high school to senior citizens. In fact, slightly more than 42% of HACC’s students have been out of high school for five years or more. One person out of every ten is a minority student and nearly two-thirds of our students are female. The average age of a HACC student is 28 years old.

How long will it take me to finish my program of study?
This will depend upon a number of factors including what program of study you are pursuing, whether you are attending classes part-time or full-time, and the results of your placement tests. Please meet with an academic advisor to explore this question in more detail.

What will it cost?
The cost of college is measured in credit-hours, a term used by colleges to measure its course work. The cost of a credit hour will vary depending upon whether the student lives within one of twenty-two sponsoring school districts, lives in a non-sponsoring school district, or is an out-of-state resident. Please check the list of sponsoring school districts and view the tuition rates. A typical class is three credits and the number of credits required for a program of study will range between 16 and 81 credits.

I took college classes fifteen years ago…will HACC accept them?
Credits earned in courses equivalent to those allowed in a student’s HACC program of study at an approved institution are generally transferable, no matter how long ago the courses were taken. Some courses required for our technical/professional programs may age out and need to be retaken. HACC will evaluate official transcripts from the student’s prior college to determine which classes may be transferred in. Also, see "Salvaging a Degree I Started".

I’ve been out of school for 10-15-20 years…can I be successful?
While your study skills may be a little rusty, older students are often highly motivated, know what they want from life, and have much life experience to share with their younger counterparts. Non-traditional students are often very successful students. If you are feeling a bit nervous about your study skills, take our course entitled, “How to Be a Master Student” in order to develop success strategies. HACC also offers free tutoring as well as learning workshops to help all students.

Is there child-care available on campus?
Child care is offered at the Harrisburg and Lancaster campuses of HACC.

My high school grades were terrible…will I be able to “make it” in college?
High school grades do not foretell how well an adult student will do in college. Much has changed since your high school days. Many adult students come to college with far more motivation, maturity and vision then they ever had in high school. Overall, adult students do very well academically.