Overview Direct Transfer High School Dual Credit College in the High School Prof Tech Programs Online, Evening & Weekend Options Requirements for All Programs General Education Courses & Requirements
Areas of Study
Running Start Summer Running Start
ESL & High School Diploma ESL High School Completion Adult Basic Education I-BEST
International Students Intensive English

High School Dual Credit

Are you comparing college credit programs for high school students?

Two students walk and talk on a campus sidewalk, greenery around

Dual Credit Options for High Schoolers

Are you comparing college credit programs for high school students?

Dual Credit programs allow high school students to earn high school credits at the same time as college credits. Students should pick the best Dual Credit program for their goals and family situation.

Local high school students have many options available to earn college credit while still in high school. All programs except Running Start function directly on the high school campus meaning students do not have to arrange transportation or deal with potential schedule conflicts. Running Start offers the most flexibity to students as far as the range of coursework and degree potential they can engage in. CTE Dual Credit, College in the High School and Running Start all allow students to earn credit for grades earned in a class while Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate students only earn college credit if they pass an exam.

Scope of Program

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Dual Credit is a statewide program that allows high school students to earn college credit for CTE classes taught by their high school teachers on the high school campus.

Who can participate

Freshman-Senior
Most courses are offered freshman to sophomore year

Requirements for eligibility

Need to be enrolled in an approved CTE Dual Credit course at the high school. Courses to do not have prerequisites.

Who benefits the most from the program

Students who are passionate about professional/technical career areas that want to get a head start on introductory coursework while still in high school and step into the intermediate and advanced courses in that pathway at the college.

Credit potential

Credit is limited only to CTE qualified courses. Most students will earn between 5 credits to 20 credits by graduation.

Cost

Free for courses in the South Sound CTE Consortium

Location

At the high school

More Info

https://spscc.edu/programs/cte-dual-credit

Scope of Program

College in the High School (CiHS) is a statewide program that allows qualified high school students to earn college credits for academic classes taught by their high school teachers on the high school campus.

Who can participate

Freshman-Senior
Most courses are offered sophomore to senior year

Requirements for eligibility

Need to be enrolled in an approved CiHS course at the high school. Some courses have prerequisites that must be met by testing or previous high school course completion with a “B” grade or better.

Who benefits the most from the program

Students who want to explore college credit opportunities for general education courses that can be used in transfer to a four year school, but do not want to leave their high school campus and are not planning on earning a full Associate degree before graduating high school.

Credit potential

Credit is limited only to transfer based qualified courses. Most students will earn between 5 credits to 20 credits by graduation.

Cost

Free to all eligible students

Location

At the high school

More Info

https://spscc.edu/programs/cihs

Scope of Program

Running Start (RS) is a statewide program that allows qualified high school students to earn college credits for academic or CTE classes taught by college instructors on the college campus or virtually through the college.

Who can participate

Junior and Senior only
Rising juniors can take up to 10 credits in summer

Requirements for eligibility

Need to qualify for English 101 placement at the college and meet prerequisites for courses by testing or previous high school course completion with a “B” grade or better.

Who benefits the most from the program

Students who are ready to leave the high school environment and be immersed in college studies or are looking for flexibility to take a wide variety of courses. This is the only dual credit program that has the potential for a student to earn a college degree at the same time they graduate high school.

Credit potential

Credit is open to anything offered at the college. Part time RS students will earn between 15-30 credits each year. Full time RS students can earn up to 45 credits each year and complete an Associate degree.

Cost

Tuition paid on eligible credit. Students pay fees and books.

Location

SPSCC campuses, online or hybrid

More Info

https://spscc.edu/running-start

Scope of Program

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) are national programs that allow qualified high school students to earn college credits for qualifying exam scores received from passing the AP or IB exams. Students do not earn college credit for passing the high school AP or IB courses taught at their high school.

Who can participate

Freshman-Senior
Most courses are offered junior and senior year

Requirements for eligibility

Need to be enrolled in an approved AP or IB course at the high school and register to take the AP/IB exam at the end of the school year. Many AP/IB courses are by teacher recommendation or by completing high school honors or advanced courses as prerequisites.

Who benefits the most from the program

Students who want to earn college credit for general education courses that can be used in transfer to a four year school, but do not want to leave their high school campus and are not planning on earning a full Associate degree before graduating high school. Nationally recognized for credit transfer.

Credit potential

Credit is limited to scoring a certain minimum score on the exam. Most students will earn between 5 to 20 credits in evaluation.

Cost

$99.00 per exam (AP)
$123-$128 per exam (IB)

Location

At the high school

More Info

https://ap.collegeboard.org/
https://www.ibo.org/

Dual Credit Programs at SPSCC