High School and College at the Same Time

High school students in the Portland area are receiving college credits for some of their high school courses through an "articulated credit" program at Portland Community College called PCC Dual Credit. By the time these students graduate from high school they already have a head start on post-secondary education at a cost far below regular college tuition prices, saving both time and money as they get started on career training after high school.

Students can earn:

• Lower Division College credit that counts toward a Bachelor's degree in such subject areas as Literature, History, Science and Mathematics, or
   
• Credit in Career & Technical Education, Associate of Applied Science programs, such as Automotive Service Technology, Computer Applications Systems, Early Childhood Education and many more!

Two courses are said to be "articulated" when the high school course has the same content and outcomes as the college course. Although taught in the high school, the course materials, content and instructional quality are consistent with (or "articulated" with) courses offered by the community college. Because of that articulation, a student would be able, following high school graduation, to transition smoothly to the next level of college courses in the subject area.

To receive the college credit, students should fill out a PCC Dual Credit Admissions/Registration Form which will be mailed to their home in March. Once final grades have been verified with the articulating high school teacher, all eligible students' (those receiving a final grade of A or B) requests will be transcripted.

PCC will invoice the student for a $35 fee, rather than the per-credit tuition cost of the course. Savings to students (and their parents!) are considerable, and some students earn a term's worth of credits or more in this way. Credit is transferable to other colleges following the same guidelines for transfer as any other PCC course.

Since PCC Dual Credit courses are the result of an alignment between high school and college courses requiring college level work, not all high school junior or senior courses are eligible. Check with your high school counselors to find out which courses at your high school is part of PAVTEC's PCC Dual Credit program or visit www.pcc.edu/pavtec/dual/highschools/default.htm and get a head start on your own college and career preparation!

Currently there are 43 high schools participating in the PCC Dual Credit program. During the 2006 - 2007 school year there were 2,135 students who earned 14,916 credits, representing a total savings to students (over regular 'per-credit hour' tuition costs) over $924,647.