SCCC COLLEGE
IN THE HIGH SCHOOL
Schenectady County Community College gives high school students an opportunity to get a jump start on their postsecondary careers by offering credit through approved courses at area high schools. These credits are offered without cost to the students. Students concurrently gain both high school credit and college credit through one course, taught on the high school campus. Currently, about 20 high schools have partnered with SCCC through the SCCC College in the High School program. |
In order for high school courses to qualify for the program, SCCC reviews the course outline, assessment methods, textbooks, and the teacher qualifications to ensure that the course and instructor match the standards for the course on the SCCC campus.
Students in the approved SCCC College in the High School courses register for the course through SCCC. There is no tuition charge for the students, and upon successful completion of the course, the students earn college credits.
The college credits the students earn can be applied to an SCCC program of study or transferred to other postsecondary institutions. Per SUNY agreement, transfer credits of a “C” or higher are accepted for transfer by other SUNY colleges and universities; however, many other public and private postsecondary institutions also accept the credit.
Advantages for high school students taking these courses include the significant savings by not paying tuition, the reward of obtaining and accumulating college credits, the opportunity to experience college-level courses, and an insight into future career and study options. Because students are considered members of the SCCC community, they have full access to college facilities, including the library, student computer labs, the Learning Center, Language Lab, tutoring services, and athletic activities.
Students must be scheduled in and taking an approved CHS course in order to register for the program. They should talk to their guidance counselors about course demands and if they meet the requirements for taking the courses. In addition, students need to be in tenth grade or above to participate in the program.
Once in an approved CHS course, students are expected to register for the program, and to maintain their goal of succeeding and obtaining the college credits. They will receive instructions and materials for registering into the program during the first few days of class.
Students will need to submit a county certificate of residence in addition to a completed registration form. Those who live in Schenectady County will receive a certificate of residence form to be filled out and signed. Students who reside in other counties receive application forms for a certificate of residence. These out-of-county applications need to be filled out and taken to the local county treasurer’s office or local township clerk’s office, and an official certificate of residence will be issued to them. The following link is for an out-of-county application.
http://www.sunysccc.edu/academic/acadser/certresi.htm
Once registered, students receive Student Guides outlining the benefits and expectations for the program, as well as explaining how to transfer the credits.
IMPORTANT: If a student withdraws from a course at the high school, that student must also contact SCCC to withdraw from the course at SCCC. If not, the student will still be on record at SCCC as taking the course, and an “F” grade will be assigned for not finishing the course.
Where do I have these credits?
Students who have enrolled in the program and have successfully completed the courses have earned the credits at Schenectady County Community College. This credit is already accounted to them if they enroll as students at SCCC. If students choose to go elsewhere for their postsecondary education, they can request the credits be transferred to the other institution.
If students do not earn a “C” grade or higher, they will not be able to transfer credits. The grade students receive in the CHS program is the same as the instructor gives them in the high school course.
How do I transfer the credits?
After high school graduation, those students who want to transfer the credits to another institution can make a request with the Office of Academic Services by filling out a form at the college, or by downloading the form and sending it to the college. Students also may write a letter requesting the transfer, making sure the letter includes all necessary information, including the address for sending the credits. There is a $4 fee for transcript requests. Students need to remember to request that the credits be transferred – it will not happen automatically. Here is a link to the page regarding the transfer procedure:
http://www.sunysccc.edu/academic/acadser/tscript.htm
Will other colleges and universities accept my SCCC credit?
Every college or university has the prerogative to decide whether or not to accept credit from another institution. SUNY guidelines, however, do provide for acceptance of credit in all two-year and four-year institutions within the SUNY system, as long as the student earned a “C” or higher in the course.
SCCC conducts annual surveys of former students in the SCCC College in the High School program to gain statistical information about the success of transfer credits. Generally, results indicate that about 90 percent of the courses in the CHS program are accepted as transfer credit at other institutions, including SUNY, private, and out-of-state.
SCCC does not offer a listing of institutions that accept CHS credit because when evaluating whether to accept credit, colleges and universities look at the students’ transcripts on an individual basis. For any number of reasons, an institution could choose to accept the credits for one student and not another. However, SCCC will be happy to let you know historically how well credits are accepted at any particular institution if you contact the CHS coordinator.
What if my credit is rejected?
Students should contact SCCC if they encounter any problems in transferring the credits, and SCCC may be able to contact the institution on the student’s behalf to discuss the transfer of the credits. Also, students need to remember that the credit is not lost, and stays with them throughout their lives. If they should transfer to another institution or go back to school later in life, they can still request the credit be transferred. The experience of taking and succeeding in a challenging course helps prepare students for their future college careers, and this also is not lost.
SCCC is an accredited member of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). SCCC is the only accredited institution in the Capital Region. In order to receive the accreditation, SCCC demonstrated that it adheres to national standards regarding course and faculty approval and program processes. NACEP oversees the accreditation process, and also serves as a link between colleges and universities that offer concurrent enrollment programs such as SCCC College in the High School. More information about NACEP and its standards can be found at www.nacep.org. SCCC also is affiliated with NYCEP, a partnership of colleges in New York State that mutually promote and support concurrent enrollment programs.
If you have any questions about the SCCC College in the High School program, or would like to learn more about it, please contact Sandra Gonzalez, Associate for Continuing Education, at (518) 381-1318 or gonzalsk@gw.sunysccc.edu.
Read All About It!
Interested in possibly applying to SCCC? See our Viewbook. Want to know more about academics and being a student? Try our Catalog. These publications and more are on our Publications Page.
