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University Credit Options for High School Students

High school students and their families should thoughtfully consider the options available to receive credit towards a university degree. Well-designed dual enrollment programs can improve high school achievement, increase university graduation rates, and potentially reduce the cost of a higher education degree. Dual credit courses go on a student’s permanent university record, so it is important that the student is ready for the demands of a university class. Withdrawing from a class taken for dual credit could impact high school graduation. Parents and students should carefully consider the value and risks of any such course before enrolling.

Walla Walla University offers three pathways for high school students to earn college credit. These options are available to accredited local and NPUC high school students. WWU is a member of the NACEP and bases its program on the NACEP standards. NACEP is the only national accrediting body for dual enrollment programs.

Three Options:

  1. College Provided Faculty (CPF)
    1. Online course, synchronous or asynchronous, taught by WWU faculty 
    2. Can count as dual enrollment or early university credit
    3. NACEP standards require that CPF courses be identical in rigor, numbering, and processing, as all other courses provided by the university
    4. Students are responsible for discounted tuition, course fees, textbooks and course supplies, per course requirements
  2. Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) 
    1. Dual enrollment courses taught at a participating NPUC high school by university-approved high school teachers as a partnership between relevant WWU department and each high school 
    2. NACEP standards require that participating high school teachers have the same qualifications as the university has for its adjunct professors
    3. Dual enrollment courses at the high school extend over an entire semester. This can convey a false sense of the pace compared to a quarter-system university course
  3. High School Enrichment (HSE) 
    1. On-campus face-to-face WWU courses
    2. This program is for qualified high school students from the local Walla Walla area who wish to take a course on the WWU campus
    3. Can count as dual enrollment or early university credit
    4. Students are responsible for discounted tuition, course fees, textbooks and course supplies, per course requirements

Student Qualifications and Requirements:

  1. Be enrolled at a local or NPUC high school and have junior or senior status
  2. Have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.25 or higher
  3. Obtain permission from the academy principal/vice principal/registrar prior to enrollment
  4. Maintain a WWU GPA of 2.0 or higher to remain eligible for future courses through the WWU dual enrollment program
  5. Complete placement examinations for some WWU courses (such as Math) and receive an acceptable placement score in addition to satisfying the general criteria above
  6. Be enrolled in a maximum of eight university credits per high school semester (16 credits per year)

Advantages:

  1. Save time and money by earning credit for both high school and university at a 90% discount of the per-credit WWU tuition rate, though course specific fees remain the same for all students
  2. Qualify to receive academic advising from WWU to avoid earning college credit that may not count toward a desired degree
  3. Receive university-level courses, during high school, from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective

Disadvantages:

  1. Course instruction will be at the university level, requiring roughly two hours of homework outside of class for every hour in class
  2. Students will begin an official college/university transcript that will positively or negatively impact future financial aid and academic standing based on course performance
    1. Students who obtain a term GPA below a 2.0 will go on academic warning and will be required to enroll in GNRL 102: On Course their first quarter as a regular WWU student
  3. Once a course has begun, there is no refund

Other Information:

  1. Withdrawal: A student who stops attending a course from any of the above programs is not automatically dropped from the class
    1. To withdraw from a CPF or HSE course, a student must submit a Change of Registration form. The instructor, advisor and the Academic Records office must approve the request before the class is dropped.
    2. To withdraw from a CEP course, a student must contact the high school principal or registrar (as the academic advisor) who will then inform the WWU Academic Records Office. 
  2. WWU ID card: HSE students will be issued an ID card which can be only used at the library, gymnasium, and WWU events that are free to WWU students. The card cannot be used for charging at the University Bookstore, Express, cafeteria, campus clubs, etc.