High school students earn credit at North Lake College

Special to the News-Register

A growing number of academically prepared and motivated high school students are taking advantage of the opportunity to earn college credit while they are still in high school. North Lake College makes this possible through the offering of dual credit courses and concurrent enrollment.

Dual credit courses are college courses which can be taught either on NLC’s campus or at one of the high schools that our college partners with to offer Dual Credit courses. The benefit to the high school junior or senior is a challenging curriculum that helps to prepare them for future college work and satisfies their need for an extension to the high school curriculum. Additionally, students receive credit at both the high school and college level.

Sussana Vinson is taking 14 hours this semester after completing 15 hours last year with a 4.0 GPA. After being home schooled, Vinson came to North Lake College to enhance her academic program and she just recently learned that she is a National Merit Semifinalist.

Megan Ratliff is a senior at Nimitz High School where she is enrolled in English 1301 this semester. Earning both high school and college credit, Ratliff’s senior English class is English 1301 and is taught at Nimitz by her instructor who meets the same credentials as NLC faculty.

In addition to dual credit partnerships with Irving and Coppell Independent School Districts and Cistercian Prep School, NLC also has partnered with Universal Academy and the University School of Las Colinas, both charter schools in Irving.

Another option that high school students are taking advantage of is Concurrent Enrollment. This differs from Dual Credit in that students receive college credit only. High school students pursue their goals through a variety of academic, technical and avocational interests while enrolling concurrently and taking courses in the evening or during a ‘senior out’ period.

In both dual credit and concurrent enrollment, high school students must meet the same qualifications; i.e., test scores, as any student for enrollment in a college level course.

Secondly, they must have a letter of recommendation from their high school counselor. And lastly, they must be prepared for the demands of a college curriculum.

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