ASU Expands Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment Opportunities for Students

“Our goal,” said Dr. Nancy Allen, ASU’s interim vice provost, “is to help bridge the gap between high school and college so that juniors and seniors can not only earn college credit, but also gain confidence that they can succeed in college, whether at ASU or elsewhere.”

Under the Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment Admission Program, high school students can take college-level courses on campus from ASU professors and earn both high school and college credit.  Students may take two classes, excluding physical activity courses, for a maximum of seven credit hours during any long semester or summer term.

To provide incentives for students to participate, ASU is reducing tuition costs, making available a variety of scholarships and offering a new option for students interested in mathematics and the sciences.  In addition to earning college credit, program participants who are high school seniors and earn at least six credit hours in any summer semester will have their ASU tuition frozen at current levels if they later enroll at Angelo State as first-time students.

The tuition and fee costs for three-credit-hour courses have been reduced from $855 to $438, with the costs for four-hour courses decreased to $584.  Other funding is being made available to further offset those costs.

Students who have a composite ACT score of at least 23 with English and mathematics sub-scores of at least 19 or a composite SAT I score of 1070 with critical reading and mathematics sub-scores of at least 500 will be eligible for a Distinguished Carr Dual Credit Scholarship of $313 per three-hour course.  Students not eligible for that scholarship but meeting the admission requirements for dual enrollment will receive a Carr Dual Credit Scholarship of $188 per three-hour course.

The Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment Admission Program is open to students from any area school district that has or wants a participatory agreement with ASU.

The newest component of the Dual Credit Program is the Summer Immersion Dual Enrollment in the Sciences (SIDES), which is designed to introduce high school juniors and seniors to the college experience through a structured, intensive initiation to university-level mathematics and science.  The one-month program will begin June 1, offering students the opportunity to earn three ASU credit hours in mathematics and four credit hours in biology as well as a half-credit each of high school math and science. The advantage of the summer-term participation is that students will receive five weeks of schooling with full support services and college student mentors from ASU.

“Students will learn mathematics and science, but just as importantly, they will learn about university faculty, expectations and student life,” said Dr. Paul Swets, ASU Mathematics Department head and SIDES director.  “They will learn all this within a carefully structured support environment designed to help them succeed.”

“First generation college students may be the biggest beneficiaries of the program,” he added.  “Immersion programs like SIDES help give them the keys to college success along with the confidence that they can be successful at ASU or anywhere once they graduate from high school.”

Admission criteria and tuition and fee costs for SIDES are the same as for the Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment Admission Program.  As enrollment in two courses is required, the cost for students qualifying for a Carr Dual Credit Scholarship will be $250, while students qualifying for a Distinguished Carr Dual Credit Scholarship participate at no cost.  The priority deadline for SIDES applications is May 10.

Depending on what classes they have already completed in high school, SIDES students will be placed in an ASU mathematics course (College Algebra or Pre-Calculus) and an introductory biology course (Human Biology or Principles of Biology) that includes a laboratory component.  Carefully selected ASU upperclassmen will mentor the SIDES students as they attend classes, labs and tutorial sessions from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday for the month.

As well as attending classes alongside ASU students, SIDES students will have access to all available ASU support services, including the Mathematics Lab, Porter Henderson Library and campus computer labs as well as tutoring, counseling and career guidance through the Career Development Office.  They will also be allowed to utilize the exclusive ASU Honors Lounge and meet with the Honors Program director and students.

Students successfully completing SIDES will also be eligible to have the tuition cost for their first full-time year at ASU frozen at current levels.