One of My Reccomended ways to Cut the Cost of College
The secret is dual credit. Here's how it works:
Scott Laich expects to save thousands of dollars in college costs before graduating from high school.
The Altoona-area 11th-grader at attends the Cisco Academy at the Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center. Laich, like other students in his class, can earn credits at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. . . .
Career and technology center students pay $25 per credit, compared with the average college cost of $300 per credit. At Pennsylvania Highlands, a credit costs $99.
Dual enrollment, which is becoming popular statewide, allows high school students to receive college credit.
Students pay less because the college doesn't pay the teachers, said James M. Oswalt, Pennsylvania Highlands director of enrollment management.
Sixteen of Cisco teacher Timothy Keener's students participate in the dual enrollment program. They can earn up to 32 Penn Highlands credits, which transfer to some colleges. . . .
"Parents and students get the benefit of a full year of college in high school," Greater Altoona Career and Technology Executive Director Lanny Ross said.
Senior Patrick Murtagh, who takes the electronics class, said participating in the program makes sense. . . .The school selects which courses it wants to use for dual enrollment, then Pennsylvania Highlands reviews the courses and the teacher's certification to see if they align with their courses. . . .
Two years ago, Pennsylvania Highlands had 10 schools dual enrolled. . . .
In the past, career and technology schools may have been viewed as the place to send struggling students, but this program shows that has changed, Oswalt said. . . .
Dual enrollment is a growing trend, especially after the state started offering districts grants for the program last year. . . .
Allegany College of Maryland has seen a significant increase in schools and students participating in its dual enrollment program over the past decade, said Kenneth Warnick, college director of student services for Pennsylvania campuses.
In 1990, 13 Chestnut Ridge students took a psychology class. Now 650 students in 25 districts participate in the college's dual enrollment program, he said.