Enrollment Overlap and Time Conflicts

Santa Monica College may permit enrollment in limited overlapping schedules, subject to the conditions below. As a general rule, students cannot enroll in courses that meet at the same or overlapping times. The College may also restrict enrollment in consecutive classes if, in the College’s estimation, the student would fail to arrive on time to the second course due to distance traveled between the sites where the classes are held. Exceptions may be considered by petition, provided the petition is submitted no later than the day before the class census or refund deadline. The time conflict petition is posted on the Admissions & Records Office website.

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Required Enrollment Gaps

Students may enroll freely, space permitting, in consecutive classes that have an enrollment gap of at least 10 minutes for same-campus classes, at least 30 minutes for classes requiring travel to different sites or campuses in the Santa Monica area, or at least 40 minutes for classes requiring travel to the SMC Malibu Campus. This minimum enrollment gap allows for reasonable time to get from one class to the next.

Enrollments in Overlapping Classes

Students may request an exception to enroll in classes that overlap by up to and including 15 minutes, using the time conflict petition. The instructor whose class time is impacted is under no obligation to approve the student’s request. Petitions must be submitted to the Admissions & Records Office by the deadline. The petition must state a reasonable explanation for why the overlapping schedule should be approved. Scheduling convenience is not an acceptable reason. The completed form must include the affected class instructor’s approval, subject to verification by the Admissions & Records Office. A petition may be approved under the following conditions:

The student provides a sound justification, other than scheduling convenience, of the need for the overlapping schedule.
The class instructor and the Dean of Enrollment Services or designee approves the schedule.
The student will make up the missed class time at another time during the same week under that instructor’s supervision. The instructor will verify at the end of the term that the student has made up the required time.
The College maintains documentation describing the justification for the overlapping schedule and how the student made up the missed contact hours.

For classes that overlap by more than 15 minutes, the time conflict petition will be automatically denied.