Oklahoma City Community College is known for its affordable, adaptable and inclusive college experience.

With more than 22,000 students attending OCCC, one may wonder how the admission process works.

Since OCCC has a diverse community of students, the admissions process varies for each student. Whether a student is a traditional high school graduate, a homeschooled student, a transfer student, or an international student,

Oklahoma City Community College does not have any strict entry requirements. The only thing students must complete is the free application. Compared to other colleges, OCCC does not have any application fees.

If students are coming from high school, or another college, they may be required to submit their transcripts.

Once students are admitted, they begin to move forward with advising and choosing their courses.

Xavier Jackson is an admissions outreach advisor. He has been working for OCCC since January 2020.

“I always try to highlight to our students that our advising model here is different. Students are paired with an academic advisor that is specific to their major, so they can help them with the in and outs of their degree plans,” Xavier Jackson, OCCC admissions advisor, told the Pioneer.

Jackson is essentially a recruiter for the college.

Recruiters visit high schools, and occasionally, they’ll visit middle schools. When visiting these schools, they provide information about Oklahoma City Community College and the benefits of attending.

Different advisors are assigned to specific regions in the state. Jackson focuses on recruiting for the Northeast region of the state. That includes Dove Science Academy, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Harding Charter Prep, Bishop McGuinness, Millwood, Classen SAS and Crooked Oak.

When visiting these schools, recruiters try to engage other students. High schools will sometimes host college fairs, and this is where recruiters make the magic happen.

“We really try to reach as many people as possible. We try to demystify college for people, and let them know that it’s accessible. College can be for everyone,” Jackson said.

They also recruit for concurrent enrollment, which is for high school students who want to take college courses. It is a great opportunity to get a headstart on college and save money.

The admissions office does not solely focus on recruiting new students. They work closely with other departments on campus, and assist any students that may need help.

This past Friday, they had a new event. It was a resource intensive tour. Potential students came and got a tour of our campus. The admissions office also provided them with in-depth information about some of the great resources they have on campus.

They informed attendees about some of the programs OCCC offers, like, TRiO Student Support Services and Students Connecting With Mentors for Success (SCMS).

Recruiters make sure to tell potential students about other resources that OCCC offers. Such as free tutoring on campus, free wi-fi, students can check out laptops, webcams and hotspots at the library.

“Our most important role is being the person a student can come to when they have questions. Sometimes college can be a little intimidating for people, and so we try to make the process as easy as possible for them,” Jackson said.