Accreditation, Student Information, and Legal Statements

Notice of College Regulations

The regulations and policies listed throughout this catalog and in other official statements of the College are binding on all students. The College reserves the right to withdraw, modify, or add to the courses offered or to change the order or content of courses in any curriculum. Any changes made shall be applicable to all students in the College, including former students who reenroll. Proper notification will be made of any changes through official channels and/or notices posted on the bulletin boards.

College Accreditation

Bristol Community College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Accreditation of an institution of higher education by NECHE indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied though a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Accreditation by the Commission is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Inquiries regarding the accreditation status by NECHE should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals may also contact:

 

New England Commission of Higher Education 

3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100, Burlington, MA 01803-4514

(781) 425 7785

 

Release of Student Information

Bristol Community College designates the following categories of student information as public or “Directory Information.” Such information may be disclosed by the institution for any purpose, at its discretion.

Category I 

Name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, class

Category II 

Previous institutions attended, major field of study, awards, honors, degree(s) conferred (including dates).

Category III 

Past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, physical factors (height, weight of athletes), date and place of birth.

Currently enrolled students may withhold disclosure of any category of information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. To withhold disclosure, students must submit written notification to the Registrar’s Office prior to the tenth day in a given semester. Forms requesting the withholding of “Directory Information” are available in the Enrollment Center.

Bristol Community College assumes that failure on the part of any student to specifically request the withholding of categories on “Directory Information” indicates individual approval for disclosure.

The Department of Defense identifies the following information as student recruiting information: student names, addresses, and telephone listings; and if known, students’ ages, levels of education, and majors. If a student chooses not to exercise his/her right to refuse to permit the College to disclose the student’s record information, the College will release upon request to the Department of Defense, or an agency thereof, that student information which the Department of Defense has designated as student recruiting information. When student information is released pursuant to a Department of Defense request, notice of the request and the release of student information will be posted in a conspicuous location in the Registrar’s office for the period of one academic year.

Student Record Disclosure

Students may consent to full disclosure of academic and financial information to another person or agency.  In doing so the student authorizes the institution to release information to an individual identified by the student in writing.  Students must submit a Student Record Disclosure Form to the office of the Registrar.  Forms are available in the Enrollment Center located in the Commonwealth College Center, or the Attleboro and New Bedford campuses. 

Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act

Information and statistics regarding incidence of crime on campus are updated regularly in accordance with the law. Information is available upon request in the Campus Security office and published each year in the Safety, Security, and Crime Prevention Handbook.

Student Rights

Refer to the Student Rights, Responsibilities, Conduct, Disciplinary Due Process, and Related Policies and Procedures section of the Student Handbook.

Criminal Offender Record Information and Sex Offender Registry Information Checks

Students interested in participating in an academic program that involves working with children, the disabled, or the elderly, or includes a clinical affiliation with a private or public health care provider, may be required to undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and/or a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check. Depending on the contents of a student’s CORI or SORI reports, participation in an academic program, or clinical affiliation related thereto, may be denied. CORI checks may be performed pursuant to Mass. General Laws, Chapter 6, Sections 167-178B, and consistent with guidelines promulgated by the Executive Office for Health and Human Services, and/or the Commonwealth’s Department of Public Health. SORI checks may be performed pursuant to Mass. General Laws, Chapter 6, Section 178C. For more information, please contact the Executive Director of Human Resources.