FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Susan Hammons–May 7, 2004
(936) 468-2041

SFA registering for classes that give high school students head start on college

Some courses earn both high school and college credit

Nacogdoches High School senior Ami Casis will head off to college this fall with an advantage over many of her fellow freshmen—she’ll know what it’s like to have been in a college classroom after taking political science at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Better yet, she will have earned both high school and college credit for the same class, saving not only time but money.
SFA is now registering high school students for dual credit and concurrent enrollment courses for summer I, summer II and fall.

This past fall Ami enrolled in a dual credit class at SFA on the advice of her high school counselor. “It surpassed all my expectations—It was wonderful,” Ami, who plans on majoring in biology and minoring in leadership, said of the experience. “I think the course influenced my whole outlook on what kind of education I want. I feel more prepared.”

Dual credit is a program that allows high achieving high school students to take college courses while completing high school. If approved by the student’s high school or home school program, the SFA course earns both high school and college credit, and the student pays only $50 in tuition.

Sometimes the classes are offered on the high school campus, and according to Monique Cossich, executive director of enrollment management, SFA is expanding its dual credit offering at Nacogdoches High School. In addition to calculus, the university will offer political science and an English class this fall.

SFA also plans to offer two dual credit courses at Central Heights High School beginning in the fall.

The other option for high school students desiring to get a head start on college is concurrent enrollment. It allows them to take courses at SFA while still in high school, but they earn college credit only. They also pay undergraduate tuition and fees, which are approximately $400 this summer and $455 beginning this fall for a three-hour course.

Students interested in taking either dual credit or concurrent enrollment classes should contact their high school counselor. School districts interested in having students participate in either of these programs should contact Cossich, (936) 468-2504.