CVC Exchange FAQs for Students

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What is the CVC?

The California Virtual Campus (CVC) is a collaborative effort among California Community Colleges (CCCs) to ensure that more students can complete their educational goals by increasing access to and success in high-quality online courses. CVC is a digital resource that provides easy access for students to enroll in online courses across all 115 brick-and-mortar California Community Colleges. It includes a comprehensive catalog of online programs and courses to help students achieve their educational goals.

What is the CVC Exchange?

The CVC Exchange Instant Enrollment system enables students to easily find and register for fully accredited online classes offered by any participating community college throughout California, while also enrolled at their local (“Home”) college, without filling out separate applications.

  • SDCCD students who wish to participate in the CVC Exchange will select their SDCCD Campus as their "Home college."
  • The SDCCD is a Teaching College, which will allow for cross enrollment.
  • In the CVC Exchange course finder, begin by selecting either “I don’t have a home California college” or I have a home California College. If you are a student at the San Diego Community College District, select “I have a home California college”, and in the drop down, select your primary SDCCD Campus - see example in image below. 
    A screenshot of the CVC Exchange Course finder
  • Next, choose an option to narrow down your search. You can search for courses by keyword, course name, or by general education transfer requirements. Then, click “Find Classes.”
  • Once your search results are returned, you can filter by term, live seat counts, start date, teaching college, and transferability. If you selected a SDCCD campus as your “home college”, SDCCD courses will appear at the top of the list. 

When you find a course you want to take in the CVC Exchange Course Finder, check if it’s labeled with "Add Class" or "Apply Now".

  • If you see a class section listing with “Add Class” next to it, you can instantly enroll. You will be prompted to sign in. (If you are a student at the SDCCD, from the “Home College” drop down menu, select your primary SDCCD campus, and click the ‘Sign in with OpenCCC” button. You may be prompted to log in with your mySDCCD ID, which will then redirect you to sign-in to your CCCApply Account. Next, you will be brought to a Course Summary page, where you can confirm the course information and agree to the Student Consent Form. Click “Continue” to complete your course enrollment.
  • If you see a class section listing with “Apply Now”next to it, you will be prompted to fill out an application via CCC Apply before you can enroll in the course.

All participating colleges have signed a Federal Financial Aid Consortium Agreement, so students enrolled in two different colleges may be able to receive federal and state financial aid funds based on combined units taken at both colleges. To check your status, please contact your SDCCD campus Financial Aid Office.

If you drop your class by the refund deadline, use the link below to submit a refund request.
 
Deadlines for your specific class are available in your schedule by clicking the calendar icon. The refund deadline does not always align with the drop deadline for the class, so be sure to check the deadlines. Classes dropped after the refund deadline are not eligible for a refund. 
 
Submit CVC Refund request

Online courses through CVC Exchange are the same cost as SDCCD courses. There are no additional costs to use this service.

Upon completing a course at any California community college, a student transcript with grades from the student's courses will be generated. Depending on how you registered and completed the course, the process for transferring course credit back to the SDCCD will differ.

  • If you applied directly to the college, registered for the class via their college website/portal, and used their college login to Canvas to complete the course, then it is your responsibility to contact the Admissions and Records office from the college where you have completed additional coursework to determine the process for having student transcripts sent to the SDCCD.
  • If you used the Instant Enrollment to apply to the college and register for the course and selected “the SDCCD” as your home college login to Canvas to complete the course, then your grade will automatically be transferred to the SDCCD.

To be eligible to participate in cross-enrollment, students must be enrolled in at least one credit course at participating colleges, and:

  • Have at least a 2.0 GPA or not yet established a GPA at the Home College
  • Have no outstanding fees at the Home College
  • No out of state address on file at Home College

Visit the CCC-CVC Frequently Asked Questions for more information on student enrollment via the exchange, including financial aid and transfer credit. Students who need help registering for classes at the SDCCD or accessing your transcripts should contact the Admissions Office.

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