DUAL CREDIT
Dual Credit Programs are Fast, Free Ways to Start College while in High School
The TCSG’s dual credit programs provide exceptional opportunities for Georgia high school juniors and seniors to take college level courses at TCSG colleges and earn credit toward a high school diploma and a college degree at the same time.
It’s the fast lane to a college education!
Dual credit courses will jump start a college education and open pathways to exciting careers at virtually no expense to the student and his or her parents because, in most cases, state funds will pay for the cost of the college tuition. Depending on the program, students can choose to enroll in one college course or become a full-time college student. Either way, the credits earned can transfer to many colleges and universities throughout Georgia and the nation.
There are a number of ways that students can take courses under a TCSG dual credit program:DUAL ENROLLMENT: using HOPE to earn dual college and high school credits
Dual Enrolment is a collaborative effort between the TCSG, the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) and the HOPE program. High school students can take one or more courses from a TCSG college or any other participating public or private Georgia postsecondary institution using HOPE grant monies or DOE funds. Under dual enrollment, students receive simultaneous course credits that count toward high school graduation and future postsecondary education.
Best of all, all hours paid by HOPE under a dual enrollmentprogram do not count toward the total HOPE scholarship or grant hours that Georgia students can use after high school for their undergraduate studies!
CAREER ACADEMIES: collaborative campuses for 21st Century jobs
A career academy education is a challenging, hands-on experience that enables students to find relevancy and value in their studies. There are currently 14 career academies in Georgia with six more under construction, and each is a collaborative education and career-building partnership between the local school systems, a TCSG college, and area business and industry. Career academies integrate academics and career-based learning that serves to keep students more involved and focused on their education, resulting in higher graduation rates and greater student achievement at the college level. Career academy graduates are better prepared, skilled and ready to become a successful part of the 21st Century workforce. Click here for the Georgia Career Academy web site. Click here for a video about the career academies.JOINT ENROLLMENT: earning college credits only
Joint Enrollment allows high school students to take postsecondary courses at a participating TCSG college or other Georgia college or university. However, Joint Enrollment coursework earns only postsecondary credits and do not count toward a high school diploma.
MOVE ON WHEN READY: funds for full-time college while still in high school
Move On When Ready (MOWR) is a 2009 state law that allows Georgia students entering eleventh or twelfth grade to take all of their courses at a TCSG college or through any other state institution or a virtual course approved by the State Board of Education. The student pays no college tuition because the law provides that the funding that would normally be applied to the high school education instead follows the student to the college, as arranged by the Georgia Department of Education. To be eligible, students must have spent the prior school year in attendance at a public high school in Georgia. Students who enroll in a TCSG college or other Georgia colleges or universities in the MOWR program receive credits that allow them to complete the requirements for their high school graduation and diploma. Click here for more information.
ACCEL: funds to pursue an associate or baccalaureate degree while in high school
ACCEL is a financial aid program for education that’s funded by the Georgia Lottery and administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. ACCEL provides funding that allows Georgia high school students to take coursework leading to an associate or baccalaureate degree from a TCSG college or other eligible postsecondary institution in Georgia. Courses pursued by students under this program must come from the approved course directory which is provided to the state’s high school counselors. Courses are available only in the areas of the core graduation requirements for college preparatory students: English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and Foreign Language. Click here for more information.
ARTICULATED CREDIT: high school studies can go further, faster
High school students shouldn’t have to repeat college-level coursework that’s already been mastered in high school. Through Articulated Credit, also called Advanced Technical College Credit, local school systems and their area technical colleges have articulation agreements that provide for specified high school course(s) to count as college credits leading to a technical college certificate, diploma or degree. Without the repetition of coursework already mastered in high school, recent high school graduates can achieve a more seamless transition to a TCSG college, graduate faster and enter their careers sooner.
YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM: on the job training for the workforce
The Georgia Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) prepares students for high-skill occupations while providing the state with a future pool of highly trained, technologically sophisticated young workers that are in-demand in the 21st Century workforce. Students who participate in the YAP program get the opportunity to earn 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and must have 144 hours of related classroom instruction in their career focus area. They earn course credit for the portion of the school day that they are at the job site.
Interested in a TCSG Dual Credit program? You should be. Ready? You can be.
Here’s how:
- Be at least a high school junior and 16 years of age
- Be on track for graduation
- Complete an application for admission to your local TCSG college
- Complete a HOPE grant application through www.gacollege411.org
- Meet all testing requirements for admission status
- Complete a parental agreement form
You can get more information from your high school counselor or click here and contact the TCSG High School Initiatives Coordinator at your local TCSG college.
