To earn a degree or certificate from West Shore, students must complete the following:

1. Complete an Application for Graduation: A degree or certificate will not be awarded unless a student has submitted an Application for Graduation and a grad audit has been performed by the Registrar. Students should apply once registered for their final semester of courses. Degrees are awarded at the end of each semester, even though there is only one Graduation or Commencement ceremony per year.
2. Complete Program Requirements: Each program has a Program of Study that outlines courses required to complete that degree or certificate. In some cases, course waivers or substitutions may be granted by the division chair and/or Dean.
3. Earn a minimum of 60 credits: A student cannot earn any Associate degree if less than 60 credits have been earned, regardless of whether all program requirements have been met. Students earning a Certificate must meet all requirements of the certificate.
   • Students must earn at least 15 credits at WSCC or through Michigan Colleges Online (MCO) for an Associate’s degree, 10 credits for a Certificate.
   • Courses considered Developmental in nature – such as ENG 098 or MTH 021 – are not applicable to graduation requirements nor are final grades used in GPA calculation.
4. Maintain a 2.0 GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required to earn a degree or certificate. Some exceptions apply for programs that consist entirely of Pass/Fail courses. In addition, certain programs, such as Nursing and Criminal Justice, have varying graduation requirements.

Students pursuing an AAAS degree are preparing to enter employment. In addition to program-specific courses, students must complete the following general education coursework. Many AAAS programs will require specific courses that meet the categories listed below. Consult the Program of Study for specific information.

• ENG 111 – English Composition I 
• Communications Elective, such as  ENG 112 – English Composition II,  COM 101 – Principles of Speaking, or  COM 110 – Interpersonal Communications 
• 1 Course in Arts and Humanities
• 1 Course in Science or Math
• 1 Course in Social Science
• 1 General Education Elective (Arts & Humanities, Communications, Science, Math, or Social Science)

Total AAAS General Education: 18-19 credits

Students looking to transfer to a 4-year college or university should also consider pursuing the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) to facilitate a smoother transfer process, as the AAAS degrees are not designed for transfer.

Competency Exam

*Diplomas will not be distributed to students who have unpaid financial obligations to the College.

Students pursuing an AA or AS degree may also meet all MTA requirements and are generally preparing for transfer to a 4-year college or university. Students must complete the following:

• ENG 111 – English Composition I
• ENG 112 – English Composition II,  COM 101 – Principles of Speaking or  COM 110 – Interpersonal Communications (see Programs of Study for additional detail)
• 2 Courses in Arts & Humanities
• 2 Courses in Social Sciences
• 2 Courses in Science
• 1 Course in Math

Total AA/AS General Education: 30 Credits

Additionally, the AS degree requires 18 additional credits of STEM Electives. With the addition of these credits, students earning an AS have nearly all 60 credits required met through program requirements.

A commencement ceremony is held once each year at the conclusion of the winter semester, typically at the end of April or beginning of May. Students who have earned their degree or certificate after the previous Fall semester or who will graduate after Winter or Summer are invited to participate.

Students are highly encouraged to meet regularly with an Academic Advisor to ensure they are making progress toward degree completion. To make an appointment, students can click on their appropriate Pathway to find the link to schedule with their advisor.

To successfully apply for financial aid, students must first start with filing out their FAFSA at http://www.fafsa.gov/.  Upon completion of the FAFSA, the information will be electronically sent to the institutions you indicated you plan to attend.  If West Shore was one of those institutions, you will receive confirmation of the receipt of the information.  This process may take up to four weeks, so apply for financial aid early.

You can monitor your financial aid progress (documentation still pending, documentation completed and received and the amount of aid you are eligible for) by accessing my.westshore.edu.  Once you log in, click on the Student tab located at the top of the screen, MYFinancial Aid located in the left navigation and then click on either View Financial Aid Document Tracking to see what documents you have successfully completed (or still need to complete) or Financial Aid Awards which will indicate the financial aid amount you are eligible for.  

The Payment Plan, administered by NelNet, is another excellent option for financing your education. Learn more about and access this payment option by logging into my.westshore.edu, clicking on the Student tab located at the top of the screen, MyAccount located in the left navigation and then Payment Plan.  

Payments can be made by cash, check, money order, cashier check, U.S. traveler’s check, or credit card in person at all locations or online through the full payment option in my.westshore.edu.

To pay in full in person:

1. Go to the WSCC cashier located in the Schoenherr Campus Center Bookstore.
2. Pay with cash, check or credit card.

To pay in full online:

1. Log in to my.westshore.edu
2. Click the Student tab located at the top of the screen.
3. Click MYAccount located in the left navigation.  Then click on My Account Balance and finally pay my balance.

 To pay via U.S. Postal Service (do not send cash and include your Student ID # on checks/money orders):

West Shore Community College
Attn: Accounts Receivable
P.O. Box 277
Scottville, MI 49454  

The Mason County Promise is a promise to provide scholarships for free tuition to WSCC to graduates in Mason County who:

• Graduate with a diploma and reside within the boundaries of one of the following three school districts within Mason County (Mason County Central Schools, Mason County Eastern Schools, Ludington Area School District) with a cumulative 2.00 Grade Point Average (GPA) or above; or,
• Graduate from Gateway to Success Academy with a cumulative 2.00 Grade Point Average or above; or,
• Obtain a GED and reside within the boundaries of Mason County

To learn more: http://masoncountypromise.org/

Veterans Educational Benefits are available to veterans, service persons, reservists and spouses or dependents of qualified veterans.  Click here for more information.

Employer or Sponsoring Agency The Business Office can invoice the student’s employer or a state agency if signed authorization is submitted prior to the payment due date or at the time of registration.  The student is responsible for tuition and fees not paid by the sponsor.  Written authorizations need to be completed each semester.

Unpaid Balances: Students with unpaid balances after the payment deadline, will be dropped from all classes. Exceptions for students NOT to be dropped are students who have:

• Signed up for the Payment Plan
• Been awarded adequate student financial aid
• Submitted the required paperwork for third party tuition payments (overseas combat, Guard tuition, etc.)
• If financial aid does not cover all tuition costs, the remainder is owed by the Final Payment Deadline of the semester.
• Any students with an outstanding balance will be prevented from registering for classes, receiving transcripts, etc.
• Registration for any future semesters will be blocked until unpaid balance is paid in full.
• Accounts unpaid after the end of the semester may be sent to an outside collection agency. Note: If you register for classes after the payment deadline, all costs must be paid at the time of registration. It is the student’s responsibility for dropping all courses in which they do not plan on attending.