Rising juniors and seniors of Cheatham County high schools looking to jumpstart their college careers can enroll in dual enrollment courses at Austin Peay State University (APSU).
APSU is partnering with the Cheatham County School District to provide an opportunity for juniors and seniors at Sycamore High School, Harpeth High School and Cheatham County Central High School to take college courses and they even have the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree by the end of their senior year of high school.
Under the partnership, students will attend college classes taught by APSU faculty in the mornings at a centralized location in Ashland City and return to their respective high school for lunch and afternoon classes.
The school district will provide transportation for students from their high schools to and from the centralized location.
If students wish to earn an associate’s degree, then they will need to begin taking classes the summer after completing their sophomore year and during the summer before their senior year.
“We are excited about this partnership program with APSU. This is a great opportunity for our students, who will enjoy both academic and financial benefits to earn college credit while still in high school,” said Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck.
Students do not have to earn an associate’s degree to participate in the program. They can take classes during the fall and spring semesters at the centralized location and could earn up to 36 hours of college credit. This would potentially classify them as a sophomore in college when they graduate from high school.
College credits earned through the dual enrollment program can be applied toward an APSU degree or transferred to other colleges or universities.
The savings gained by taking advantage of this opportunity can be in the thousands of dollars. As an example, a student’s first four dual enrollment courses are offered for free in this program.
To enter the program, a student must have a 3.0 high school GPA and earn a 19 in both the English and math subsections of the ACT. Students who do not have an ACT score can take the Accuplacer assessment offered for free by APSU. Additionally, students must maintain a 2.75 GPA in the college classes to continue receiving funding from the Dual Enrollment Grant and APSU in future semesters.
Among the courses that will be offered through the program include Early U.S. History, English Composition, College Algebra, Modern U.S. History, Introductory to Chemistry, Personal Finance, Elements of Statistics, Topics in World Literature and Introduction to Art.
“All students who participate in the program will be considered APSU students. They will be issued a student ID and have access to APSU facilities such as the library and be able to attend sporting events, etc., just like any other APSU student,” said Dr. Joseph Jones, the district’s math coordinator and who worked closely with the university on the partnership program along with K-12 supervisor Stacy Brinkley.
For more information on the program, families can contact the school counselors at CCCHS, HHS and SHS. Additional details are also available from APSU by e-mailing Samantha Mallory at mallorys@apsu.edu or calling her at 931-221-7743.
