Attend CMC on-base at Twentynine Palms—take classes or consult with student services.
Take a range of college credit classes at the Lifelong Learning Center, work with college advisors without leaving Twentynine Palms, and get your college education moving today.
Copper Mountain College has partnered with the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) to develop CMC services on base. We have a formal memorandum of understanding that shapes the college’s presence on base in Twentynine Palms.
CMC at MCAGCC: What You Need to Know
Get to Class with the Base Map
You’ll find CMC on the second floor of the Education Center, on 6th Street.
The base is a big place, so try this helpful map. Save it, print it, get to class on time!
If you’re a veteran, please review the different forms and resources offered at CMC.
Enrolling at CMC
Before you enroll to CMC, you need to speak with your Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within your Military Service. Your ESO, counselor, and other assistive staff will give you all the information about the different options you have regarding your education.
After you speak with your ESO, counselor, or other staff, CMC will happily meet with you to talk about your educational path, enrollment options, and all information you need to succeed at this school.
Use Student Veterans Checklist after you’ve talked with your ESO to stay on top of your enrollment, or if you are on the Military Base, check out the Military Base Programs Check List.
Base Access for Civilians
If you’re a non-affiliated civilian* and have a class on the base, you must get an Access Pass to enter the Base. To get a pass, proceed to the Main Gate at the Marine Base Visitor’s Center, which is in Building 1012. There, you will fill out an application to register your vehicle. Make sure you bring the following:
- Valid Photo ID (if you have a Federal Limits Apply DL, you need to provide a second form of ID, such as a passport)
- Current vehicle registration
- Current proof of insurance
- Your CMC classes/course schedule
Please allow up to two hours to obtain your pass; it’s good for 30 days. However, you can’t do it before your first day of class. Plan accordingly.
CMC will fax or email a copy of your schedule to the Visitor’s Center for verification.
*If you’re military affiliated, use the procedures that apply to you. Contact us if you have questions.
Military Academic Skills Program (MASP)
You and your family members can get help with English and math! MASP is a free 18-day program that helps you build a strong foundation for further classes. Learn more about the program and how to sign up.
Veterans Services
When your service is done, more education awaits. Find out how CMC helps.
Earning Your Trust
Ethical Recruiting & Marketing Practices
Copper Mountain College is dedicated to behavior that’s consistent with regulations issued by the Department of Education, which is related to the recruitment of military students (34 C.F.R. 668.71 – 668.75, and 668.14).
What this means is that CMC is focused on protecting the best interests of all its students, including military and veteran students.
CMC promises not to use any harmful, untrustworthy, and/or predatory recruitment and marketing practices. CMC promises that it doesn’t engage and prohibits inducements, including:
- Gratuity
- Favor
- Discount
- Entertainment
- Hospitality
- Loan
- Transportation
- Lodging
- Meals
or any other item that has a monetary value more than a de minimis amount to any individual or entity, or its agents including third-party lead generators or marketing firms other than salaries paid to employees or fees paid to contractors, all of which follow applicable laws, for the purposes of securing enrollments of Service Members or obtaining access to Tuition Assistance funds.
Your success is our only goal.
Financial Aid that Supports Your Education
Any scholarships or grants and tuition reductions that are sponsored by an educational institution are not part of the recruitment rule. They support your goals and your education.
If you have any questions about a scholarship, grant, or any other form of financial aid, or you’re worried about it one way or another, please contact the financial aid office.
No High-Pressure Tactics
CMC doesn’t provide any incentives for admissions, financial aid, recruitment, or enrollment. There are no commissions, bonuses, or other payment incentives offered to recruiters based on securing enrollments or federal financial aid to anyone, persons, or entity engaged in student recruiting admissions activity or decision making regarding your financial aid reward.
CMC refuses any high-pressure recruitment tactics, like using multiple, unsolicited phone calls, emails, or in person contact. This also includes same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing any Service Member enrollments.
Hold Us to It
If you find yourself the victim of predatory recruitment or marketing practices, have issues with your financial aid, or you have a complaint of any kind, you have options.
First, you should always try to deal with a complaint at the local level, working directly with CMC. Contact us so we can address the issue in a quick and efficient manner.
If that doesn’t resolve it, take your complaint up to our accrediting agency. (Regional accreditation commissions are the watch dogs of higher education, and they have teeth.)
File any unresolved complaint by using this form or by reaching out to https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/feedback.asp .
Deployment and Readmission Policy
If you’re in the Marines or other branch of the armed forces and are deployed, you don’t have to worry about your student status. You will be welcomed back to CMC when your deployment ends.
When it comes to the deployment and readmission policy:
Copper Mountain College focuses on being in full compliance with Executive Order 13607, which established Principles of Excellence (POE) for educational institutions serving service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members.
CMC is also in accordance with the regulations listed in the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding, and all applicable financial aid regulations established by the U.S. Department of Education.
You don’t have to worry about anything. You are part of the Copper Mountain family and we’ll be happy to see you return.
*Military service members and dependents authority Cited: 34 CFR §668.18.
- Notification of Military Service
CMC readmits you with the same academic status as you had when last attending or accepted for admission.
Contact the Student Services Office regarding your military service and if you intend to return to CMC or not. Here’s how to give notice:
You, an appropriate officer of the Armed Forces, or an official of the Department of Defense must give written notice of service to CMC’s Student Services Office as far in advance as possible, when reasonable, under the circumstances.
The notice doesn’t have to indicate whether you intend to return to CMC.
You don’t have to provide notice if it’s precluded by military necessity, such as service in operations that are classified or would be compromised by such notice.
Any service member in a U.S. military reserve unit should provide a copy of all training orders to the Office of Student Services at least 30 days in advance, or as far in advance as is possible under the circumstances.
- Course Withdrawals and Tuition and Fee Adjustment
Once sufficient documentation is received, the Office of Student Services will work with you to complete any necessary documents for course withdrawals and a full adjustment of all tuition and fees for the term.
Copper Mountain College has a policy that returns any unearned tuition assistance (TA) funds on a proportional basis through at least the 60 percent portion of the period for which the funds were provided to the military Service Branch. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. Instances when a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, the educational institution will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.
Schedule for the return of unearned TA funds to the government from Copper Mountain College:5-Week Course Withdraw Submitted
Weeks Lapsed % Return Before or during week 1 100% During week 2 60% During week 3 40% (60% Course Completion) During week 4 0% ~ No return after week 5 8-Week Course Withdraw Submitted
Weeks Lapsed % Return Before or during week 1 100% During week 2 75% During week 3 63% During week 4 50% During week 5 40% (60% Course Completion) During week 6 0% ~ No return after week 3 16-Week Course Withdraw Submitted
Weeks Lapsed % Return Before or during week 1-2 100% During weeks 3-4 75% During weeks 5-8 50% During weeks 9-10 40% (60% Course Completion) During weeks 11-16 0% ~ No return after week 10 8-Week Online Class:
- 100% of Tuition Assistance (TA) received will be returned if the student withdraws within the first week of class, but before submission of the first assignment. The student’s request will be processed as a drop for the purpose of returning TA funds only, not for Financial Aid attendance or recalculating of aid.
- 75% of TA received of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after submitting the first assignment and through the end of the second week of classes.
- 50% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the second week of classes, but before the end of the fourth week of classes.
- 25% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the fourth week of classes, but before the end of the sixth week of classes. (60% of course is completed)
- No TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the sixth week of classes.
16-Week Online Class:
- 100% of Tuition Assistance (TA) received will be returned if the student withdraws within the first week of class, but before submission of the first assignment. The student’s request will be processed as a drop for the purpose of returning TA funds only, not for Financial Aid attendance or recalculating of aid.
- 75% of TA received of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after submitting the first assignment and through the end of the fourth week of classes.
- 50% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the fourth week of classes, but before the end of the eighth week of classes.
- 25% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the eighth week of classes, but before the end of the twelfth week of classes. (60% of course is completed).
- No TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the twelfth week of classes.
All financial aid funds, tuition assistance, and veteran education benefit payments will be returned to the agencies that provided them, in accordance with all federal laws and regulations.
- Notification of Intent to Return to School
If you want to return to CMC after your service, you are more than welcome (we would love to have you come back).
To return, you must give oral or written notice of your intent to return to CMC within three (3) years after the completion of the period of service.
If you’re hospitalized or convalescing due to illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the performance of service, you must notify the Office of Student Services within two years after the end of the period needed for recovery from the illness or injury.
If you fail to apply for readmission within these time periods, it’s ok. You’re not automatically rejected for readmission, but you are subject to CMC’s
general readmission policies. Take a look through the policies and let us know if you have any questions. - Readmission Q&A
It may be confusing after leaving and coming back, and we want to make everything as simple as possible. So, we listed the answers to some of the more common questions regarding readmission.
What’s my academic status after being readmitted?
A: You’ll be readmitted with the same academic status. That status is defined as being admitted to the same program you were last admitted to. If that exact program is no longer offered, you will be admitted to the program that’s most like that program, unless you choose a different program.
Can I enroll in a different program after being readmitted?
A: If you want to be enrolled in a different program, you are free to do so. Depending on the program, credits, and other factors, you may have to start over.
What is my enrollment status when I am readmitted?
A: You will be readmitted at the same enrollment status unless you want to re-enroll at a different enrollment status.
How are my credit hour
s determined? A: You will be enrolled with the same number of credit hours you previously completed, unless you choose to enter a different program and your completed credit hours are not transferable.
What’s my academic standing after being readmitted?
A: You are readmitted with the same academic standing you had when you deployed.
Are there any limits regarding readmission?
A: Yes, there are limits to readmission as follows:
- The cumulative length of the absence and of all previous absences from the school for military service can’t exceed five years. Only the time the student spends performing service is counted.
- CMC isn’t required to readmit you (a servic
e member) if it determines, after reasonable efforts, that you aren’t prepared to return to the program at the point where you left off or are unable to complete the program. - In addition, CMC isn’t required to readmit any service members if it determines that there are no reasonable efforts it can take to prepare you to resume at the point where you left off, or to enable you to complete the program.
Please note that readmission requirements don’t apply to service members who are absent from class due to planned training/field exercises. These instances must be worked out on an individual basis with the course instructor.
If you have any more questions about readmission, please contact your admissions counselor for more information.
- Tuition and Fees
If you’re readmitted to the same academic program, for the first academic year, CMC assesses the same tuition and fee charges as when you left, unless military benefits will pay the increase, but not more than what is being charged to other students.
For subsequent academic years or for a different program, CMC assesses tuition and fee charges that are no more than the institution is charging other students.
- Definitions
For the purposes of readmission, military service and a service member are defined as follows:
Military Service: AKA service in the uniformed services. Whether voluntary or involuntary, in the Armed Forces, including service by a member of the National Guard or Reserve, on active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard duty under Federal authority (but not State authority), for a period of more than 30 consecutive days under a call or order to active duty of more than 30 consecutive days.
Service Member: someone who is a member of, applies to be a member of, performs, has performed, applies to perform, or has an obligation to perform, service in the uniformed services based on that membership, application for membership, performance of service, application for service, or obligation to perform service.
Other Military Resources
Find out how you can use your military benefits at CMC.
Military Connected
Are you a student currently serving on active duty? Find what unique resources are available for you.
Military Benefits
Find out how to use your military benefits to meet your educational goals.
Veterans Forms
Review the different forms and resources offered to veterans at CMC.
Military Base Office Staff
Jennifer O’Donnell
Dean of Student Services
760.366.5201, ext. 5294
760.366.5201 ext. 4368
Email: jodonnell@cmccd.edu
Marissa Salomon
Military Affiliated/Veteran Counselor
760.366.5201, ext. 5421
Email: msalomon@cmccd.edu
Rose Key
Student Support Specialist II
760.366.5201, ext. 5102
760.366.5201, ext. 4368
Email: rkey@cmccd.edu
Contact the Military Base Office
Office Location
Building 1530 6th Street
Lifelong Learning Center
2nd floor Room 209
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center
Twentynine Palms, CA 92278
Fax 760.830.4157
Military-Connected Students:
760.366.5201 ext. 4368 or 5102
Email: basedepartment@cmccd.edu
Veteran Students:
760.366.5201 ext. 5823 or 5803
Email: cmcvets@cmccd.edu
Main Campus:
760.366.5201, ext.4232
Email: admissions&records@cmccd.edu