High School Student Application Steps

The application is a two-step process. First, you will create an account through OpenCCC. You will need to provide your social security number to complete this part of the process. It is also best to use your personal email rather than a high school email account. Please make note of your user name, password, and security questions for future reference.  All high school students should select “CC 9^th-12^th Grade Concurrent Enrollment” from the drop down and ensure the semester matches the semester you intend to enroll. Students attending Columbia College after high school will need to submit a new application.

Apply to Columbia College

The college will send you a Welcome Email with your W#. This email will come from ccadmissions@yosemite.edu. Make sure you write that down as you will need it to identify yourself when you make an appointment or conduct any other business on campus. That email should be generated within 1-2 business days of your application submission.

If you have not received an email from Admissions and Records with your W# within 1-2 business days, you can call them at 209-588-5231 to inquire.

Submit your Dual Enrollment Registration Form every academic year. Our academic year runs summer through spring. It is recommended to turn in these forms before the High School year ends.

Dual Enrollment Registration form

All high school students must complete the registration form to be admitted into Columbia College. Please fill out every line and be sure the student and the parent both sign. The registration form must be approved by your high school administrator. Once forms are completed, you or your high school administrator may email them to ccdualenrollment@yosemite.edu. 

Orientation can be completed in three ways. Choose which orientation option fits your needs best by visiting the Columbia College Orientation Webpage.

Call the counseling desk at 588-5109 to secure your education plan appointment as soon as possible as appointment days/times are limited, especially during the summer months of June - August. The designated counselor for high school students is Kirsten Miller. You can contact her directly at 209-588-2155 or millerk@yosemite.edu, if needed.

You will be asked to provide your W# to make this appointment. Make sure to identify yourself as a high school student. A counselor helps you create an educational plan to determine which class(es) to take; if taking college math or English courses are part of your plan, a Counseling appointment is only REQUIRED if you have not completed 11th grade math and English. Those who are unable to travel to campus can arrange for a phone appointment or a virtual meeting (using Zoom). Contact the counseling desk to get more information about these options.

You should have received an email from the college letting you know what your student ID number is (also called a W number), which is part of your email address. This email will come ccadmissions@yosemite.edu. The format for your student email is: first name, W# without the W or leading zero, then “@my.yosemite.edu.”

Example: First name John & W# 0987654 = john987654@my.yosemite.edu

Activate your Student Email Account

Follow the Account Activation Instructions to set up your Columbia College e-mail. Students will need to get used to checking their Columbia College email as most communication that comes from the college will go to that address. You can download the Outlook App.

Log in to ConnectColumbia

ConnectColumbia is the portal that enables you to access your college records, register for classes, update your contact information, look at your schedule, view your unofficial transcript, and a whole lot more.

 Our school district uses a single sign-on, which means your student email and password will be used to log into ConnectColumbia and Canvas. See instructions on the single sign-on process.

Canvas is the learning management system that is used by the college. All online and hybrid courses will be housed in Canvas. If not already, please enroll in the "Dual Enrollment - Columbia College" Canvas for program updates and resources.

Tips: The first time you log in, you will be prompted to enter your student email address and password associated with that account. Refer to Step 5 for student email activation. 

Using your ConnectColumbia portal, you will register for the class(es) you decided upon with your counselor. We have a video available with more in-depth instructions. Please Note: Columbia College recently updated the website so the beginning of the video will look different. Go to the menu icon in the upper right and select Class Search in the right hand column.

College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) students who wish to take select college classes available on their high school campus should ask about signing up through their high school administrator. CCAP courses are the only classes that are hand-enrolled by college staff because those classes are closed to enrollment to a particular high school. Students will be required to self-enroll in all other courses.

Tips: Every student gets a registration appointment date and time to register for classes. These registration appointments are emailed to your student account each semester. That does not mean that you can only register at that date and time. It simply means that you have to wait until that date/time or later to register for your class(es) that semester. Once you register for your class(es), you should notify your high school what you are registered for that semester.

All fees have been waived for Fall 2024

The system will prompt you to pay your fees as soon as you finish registering for your class(es). To pay at a later date, you can log back into ConnectColumbia and click on “Pay on My Account” under the Financial Information heading.

It is important to note that any high school student who enrolls in over 11 units (or 15 units for CCAP students) in a term will be assessed fees for ALL courses taken (with the exception of tuition for CCAP courses). Students with outstanding fees on their account may be blocked from registering for future semesters. 

Tips: All high school students can attend Columbia College tuition free (enrolled in 11 units or less).  Books and supplies for each class are also the responsibility of the student (excluding CCAP).

Log into ConnectColumbia and under the Registration menu, click “My Class Schedule.” Put in your User ID and Password. Click on Columbia College and choose the semester. Then, click “Retrieve Schedule.”

Tips: You will use the section numbers (which are in parentheses) from your schedule to find your textbooks. Your schedule will also show if you still have fees that are due.

Students will need to purchase the required textbook(s) for their class(es) prior to the start of the semester. You can find the required textbooks by looking in the class search and clicking on the books link to the far right of the class section or by going to the Bookstore website and search for your required textbooks. Students in CCAP classes will have those books provided for them by their high school.