College Credit

There are a number of ways students can earn college credit while in high school.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

The purpose of the Advanced Placement (AP) program is to offer college-level courses to high school students. Administered by the College Board, the AP program includes both courses as well as a testing program that colleges and universities may utilize to grant credit to students who have performed well on AP examinations. The College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) will coordinate the national administration of the Advanced Placement exams during May. Students who choose to take an AP course are required to take the AP exam in May pending continued funding of NCDPI.

CAREER AND COLLEGE PROMISE

Through Career and College Promise (CCP), qualified students in North Carolina have the opportunity to pursue classes at community colleges tuition free while they are in high school, allowing them to get a jumpstart on their workplace and college preparation. CCP provides three pathways to help advance eligible students' success beyond high school.

1. College Transfer pathways provide tuition-free course credits toward the Associate in Arts (AA) • Associate in Engineering (AE) • Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) - Music • Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) - Visual Arts • Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) • Associate in Science (AS) degrees which will transfer seamlessly to any public or participating private college or university. To be eligible for enrollment in the College Transfer Pathway, a high school student must
   • be a junior or senior,
   • have an unweighted GPA of 2.8 or higher, or
   • demonstrate college readiness on an assessment or placement test (PLAN, PSAT, Asset, COMPASS, Accuplacer, SAT or ACT) in all domains.
   To maintain eligibility for continued enrollment, students must continue to make progress toward high school graduation, maintain a 2.0 GPA in college course work after completing two courses and complete 80% of their attempted course work.
2. Technical Careers pathways earn tuition-free course credits at an NC community college toward a job credential, certificate or diploma in a technical career. To be eligible for enrollment in the Career/Technical Education Pathway, a high school student must:
   • be a junior or senior,
   • have an unweighted GPA of 2.8or higher or have the recommendation of the principal/his or her designee
   To maintain eligibility for continued enrollment, students must continue to make progress toward high school graduation, maintain a 2.0 GPA in college course work after completing two courses and complete 80% of their attempted course work.
3. Cooperative Innovative High Schools offer tuition-free college credits for high school students who attend one of these schools. See descriptions of options below.  The application and admission process for the CIHSs occurs in the spring of the 8th grade year. 

Most information about the CCP program can be found online at the NC Department of Public Instruction website  & Craven Community College CCP website

To support high school students earning college credit while in high school through Career and College Promise, NCDPI has determined dual credit allowances for courses included in the Universal General Education Transfer Component (UGETC) of the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA). UGETC courses will transfer for equivalency credit from NC Community Colleges to UNC Institutions. Students who enroll in and pass these college courses also will receive high school course credit based on the Dual Credit Allowances for Career and College Promise Document. For purposes of calculating student Grade Point Averages on the high school transcript, courses included on this chart are weighted in accordance with SBE policy GCS-L-004.

Dual Credit Allowances for Career and College Promise

COOPERATIVE INNOVATIVE HIGH SCHOOLS (EARLY COLLEGES)

Craven Early College High School

Craven Early College (CEC) was created out of a strong partnership between Craven County Schools and Craven Community College. Students who attend this five-year program will have the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit toward a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree (at no cost to student) in one of the following pathways: Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Engineering.
 

Early College EAST High School

The Early College of Eastern Applied Sciences and Technology (EAST) is an innovative educational opportunity for selected high school students in the Craven County School System. Partnering with Craven Community College and NAV Air aboard Cherry Point Marine Air Station, ECE is a unique educational experience, merging real-time project based learning and technology. Students who attend this five-year program have the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit toward a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree.