News Release

PROGRAM NEWS / February 1, 2008

Boise State Concurrent Enrollment Program Offers High School Students College Credit

February is the time of year when high school sophomores and juniors begin deciding which classes they will take in the fall. A growing number of them are participating in the concurrent enrollment program at Boise State University.

Also known throughout the state as dual credit, concurrent enrollment is a collaborative partnership between high schools in the Treasure Valley and Boise State to provide college courses at the high schools. Academically motivated students simultaneously earn high school and college credits for these rigorous courses.

Boise State’s program is 10 years old and has grown by 36 percent in just the past year, according to director Fabiola Juarez-Coca. More and more students — 1,188 of them this semester — are taking advantage of the jump-start on college, she said.

Concurrent enrollment is offered in a wide variety of classes, from art to biology, foreign language to political science. Credit from these academic classes can be applied to any degree a student chooses upon entering college. The credits are also transferable to all Idaho colleges and universities, and most institutions outside of the state.

Students in concurrent enrollment classes study the same topics and complete the same requirements as those studying on campus.

There are a number of incentives for students to participate. For example, they can earn almost one full year worth of college credits through the program at a much reduced-cost. The students pay $65 per credit, meaning that a typical 3-4 credit class costs them $195-$260. The same class would average about $900 if they were enrolled as a part-time college student this year.

Along with the benefit of college credits, high school students have access to the Boise State library for research, some campus events, the Writing Center, tutoring labs, and are issued a student ID card and an e-mail account.

An additional benefit is that participating students can be introduced to college-level work in a comfortable environment – their own high school classroom — and earn credit without driving to the university, Juarez-Coca said.

High school teachers who meet qualifications as university adjunct faculty oversee the courses, and several of those teachers report that enrolling in a concurrent enrollment class for dual credit often changes a student’s perspective on school.

“High achievers in high school need to be challenged beyond what is good enough to make the grade,” said Melinda Lathrop, an English teacher at Homedale High School who teaches concurrent enrollment classes. “When they are expected to write and think like college students, their attitude changes. No longer are they cruising through high school. They’re reaching for excellence, and they’ve got the credits to show for it.”

For more information about Boise State’s concurrent enrollment program, call 208-426-2281, send an e-mail to fjuarez@boisestate.edu or visit www.boisestate.edu/concurrent_enrollment.

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Media Contact: Sherry Squires, University Communications, (208) 426-1563, ssquires@boisestate.edu

Boise State University is emerging as a metropolitan research university of distinction. This transformation is being powered by the university’s first comprehensive campaign to support students, faculty, strategic initiatives, research and infrastructure. That’s why the campaign to raise $175 million in private support is called Destination Distinction.

 

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Last reviewed on Friday, February 01, 2008