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Funeral Service Education Program — Application Guidelines

Please read the following guidelines carefully before submitting your application to the Funeral Service Education (FSE) program.

1. READ the program information on the ARC Funeral Service Education Program Website.
2. APPLY TO ARC BY SUBMITTING AN ONLINE APPLICATION.
   • Students who have never attended Los Rios Community College District (LRCCD) must submit an application. Go to the ARC home page and under 'Admissions' click Get Started and Apply.
   Note: Students who did not attend an LRCCD college last semester MUST complete a new application before accessing the Online FSE Application.
3. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
   • Graduation from an accredited high school in the United States, OR successful completion of the General Education Development (GED) test, OR the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) prior to the time of application.
   • Students with a high school diploma from outside the United States must have transcripts evaluated by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) approved agency. Such cases are evaluated individually.
   • Students who already possess an Associate of Arts/Associate of Science degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited college are exempt from the high school requirement above.
   • Students who attended college outside the United States must have transcripts evaluated by a NACES-approved agency demonstrating equivalency to an AA/AS degree or higher from a U.S. regionally accredited college.
   • A cumulative college GPA of 2.0 or higher.
   • A grade of "C" or better in the program prerequisites: BIOL 304 and FSE 300, plus completion of all other General Education graduation requirements. Grades in-progress during the application period are allowed.
4. MEET WITH AN ARC COUNSELOR. First-time applicants must meet with an ARC counselor to obtain a Curriculum Planning Summary Sheet documenting completion of all eligibility requirements.
   • Call the ARC Counseling department at (916) 484-8572 to schedule an appointment. Do not wait until the last minute — appointments fill quickly during peak times.
   • The Curriculum Planning Summary Sheet must be completed within the same semester in which the application packet is submitted. A new sheet is required when resubmitting an application.
5. REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

   All applicants must provide the following as part of the application:

   • High school transcript, GED scores, CHSPE Certificate of Proficiency, proof of AA/AS degree or higher, or a NACES equivalent evaluation. Transcripts from outside institutions must be official and in a sealed envelope from the issuing institution.
   • All regionally accredited college transcripts, regardless of applicability to FSE requirements:
     • Unofficial transcripts from the Los Rios Community College District (ARC, SCC, CRC, FLC).
     • Official (sealed) transcripts from schools outside the Los Rios Community College District.
   • If you are currently completing a prerequisite, an unofficial transcript highlighting prerequisite courses successfully completed during the prior semester.
   • Copies of course descriptions for any FSE major courses completed outside the Los Rios Community College District. Descriptions must come from the specific catalog year in which the course was taken.
   Important: All unofficial transcripts must accompany your application. Please send official transcripts to ARC Admissions & Records.
6. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Students who omit any required information or supporting documents will not be considered for admission. Ensure all required fields are completed and all required documents are uploaded before submitting.
7. ACCEPTANCE TO THE PROGRAM
   • Selection is based on a computerized random selection process from among the qualified applicants.
   • Only applicants who meet the educational and pre-enrollment requirements and follow the pre-enrollment procedure will be considered.
   • Meeting all requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
8. POST-ACCEPTANCE REQUIREMENTS. Once accepted, students must attend a Mandatory New Student Orientation and, at their own expense, provide the following by the end of the first semester:
   • Health History & Report of Medical Examination, with required inoculations.
   • Drug screening test (required by clinical facilities).
   • Proof of malpractice insurance (not refundable).
   • Background check (required by clinical facilities).
   Detailed instructions for each of these will be included with your acceptance letter and reviewed at orientation.
9. NATIONAL BOARD EXAMINATION (NBE). All students who plan to graduate from the American River College Funeral Service Education program must register to take the National Board Examination and have sat for the exam by the last day of the program. The annual passage rate of first-time takers on the National Board Examination (NBE) for the most recent three-year period of this institution and all ABFSE accredited funeral services education programs is posted on the ABFSE website: http://www.abfse.org/.
10. ACCURACY OF INFORMATION. Submitting false or misleading information is grounds for immediate disqualification.
11. CHECK YOUR EMAIL. All correspondence regarding your application status will be sent to your ARC email address. It is your responsibility to check your email regularly and respond accordingly.

Final notification regarding application status will be sent to your ARC email. It is the student's responsibility to check email regularly and respond accordingly.