As the school year comes to a close and the summer grows nearer, some students are looking for an opportunity to get a headstart on college for cheap.
According to Marion Tech College (MTC), they are providing free summer college classes for all credit-seeking students.
“This program is for all current, returning, and new students who enroll in summer courses,” said Jay Schlater, the Director of Admissions at Marion Tech. “We have around 60 new students already enrolled for summer classes [which] does not include current or returning students.”
A common worry among students is that their credits won’t transfer over to another school.
“Any general education courses that students take at MTC will transfer to any state institution within the state of Ohio,” Schlater said.
It is recommended by many teachers and counselors that students should always double check where their credits can transfer.
“High school students are not eligible to take college courses at MTC unless they are enrolled in College Credit Plus with us, [or if they] are graduating from high school this spring, then they would be eligible to register for courses now for the summer term,” Schlater said.
All College Credit Plus programs through Columbus State Community College (CSSC) are available to students grades 7-12 during both the school year and summer, as long as they meet the requirements.
“The qualifications are a 3.0 unweighted cumulative GPA,” college and career counselor Jennifer Pollard said. “[For] our middle school students, we’re looking at their middle school grade cards to determine whether they are eligible.”
If students other than high school graduates are hoping to receive free college credit, students in grades 7-12 are able to take college courses through CSCC in order to earn free college credit and reach their high school graduation requirements simultaneously, while helping to offset the cost and time it takes to earn a college degree.
Alivia Miller, a senior at Hayes, is planning to take Oral Communications, Ethics and Fundamentals of Anatomy, and Physiology through CSSC.
“I decided to take these classes because I want to get a head start on my college career and overall be able to graduate quicker,” Miller said. “I found out about them through my [College Credit Plus] advisors at Columbus State.”
Miller and other students have found that taking these courses really helps to take a load off when starting college and allows for them to be in less debt once complete.