Concurrent Enrollment

Earn Free College Credit While in High School


What is Concurrent Enrollment?

Concurrent Enrollment gives high school students a jumpstart on their college career allowing them to simultaneously earn credit toward a high school diploma, along with college credit toward an Associate Degree or certificate, tuition-free! What could be better?

Concurrent enrollment programs may also reduce the need for remediation, improve high school completion rates, improve matriculation rates to higher education, reduce the costs of higher education for students, provide an alternative to dropping out of school and provide equal access to higher education.

Authorized in 2009 the Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act (CEPA) enables high school students to take tuition-free college courses, taught by college-level instructors at their high school or on a college campus. Since the launch of the program, CCCS’s 13 colleges have become the state’s largest provider of Concurrent Enrollment, creating a supportive pathway to higher education for thousands of high school students, especially those from underrepresented communities.

The primary purpose of a concurrent enrollment program is to increase the educational options and opportunities for Colorado high school students. Concurrent enrollment programs allow well-prepared students to earn credit at the secondary and post-secondary levels simultaneously. Concurrent enrollment programs may reduce the need for remediation, improve high school completion rates, improve matriculation rates to higher education, reduce the costs of higher education for students, provide an alternative to dropping out of school and provide equal access to higher education.

Celebrate Concurrent Enrollment in Colorado with CE Week, February 20-24, 2023!


Find concurrent enrollment information for your school district on Colorado Department of Education’s website.

If you are a high school teacher who is interested in becoming qualified to teach college courses for concurrent enrollment, CCCS has identified some convenient and affordable opportunities for you to earn a full Master’s or some (or all) of the required 18 graduate credit hours in the content area! Follow this link to see more information from our excellent 4-year partners:

In order to teach high school classes for college credit, instructors must have the same qualifications required by the colleges’ accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission. Often those requirements include a Master’s degree in the content area or a Masters (in any discipline) plus 18 graduate credit hours in the content area. Our 4-year partners have created convenient and affordable options to earn those degrees or credits!  Please be sure to check with your local community college to ensure that this coursework will fulfill their requirements.




Regis University

Regis University offers a Master of Arts program designed for busy, working adults. Classes are offered 100% online in an accelerated, 8-week format. Start dates are offered multiple times throughout the year in January, March, May, July, August and October to maximize flexibility. Additionally, all educators receive 10% off of tuition.

Regis offers at least 18 graduate credit hours of accelerated online asynchronous programming in the following areas:

Here are links to each of the graduate specializations:


 


This document provides a set of standards for all concurrent enrollment programs to ensure quality for all students while allowing the flexibility needed for colleges to design programs that meet the needs of state recognized secondary institutions in their service areas.

Concurrent Enrollment Statement of Standards

For a detailed look at Concurrent Enrollment, visit the 2021 Concurrent Enrollment Report

Concurrent Enrollment Academic Philosophy Statement for K12 Districts

The ability for students in Colorado to take concurrent courses and earn college credit at that student’s high school is a beneficial tool for early college success. It is also part of a significant partnership between the state’s many K12 districts and the Colorado Community College System, with all 13 CCCS colleges taking part in offering concurrent enrollment on high school and college campuses. To provide this service, all CCCS institutions hire qualified instructors in their discipline to ensure that each course meets the rigor and scope at the college level. This process and the associated qualifications are in accordance with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) criteria for accreditation with the additional expectation that the content is designed for college students, including traditional college learners and concurrent high school learners. Because of these factors, and as academic leaders, we believe in the academic freedom of these instructors to deliver course appropriate, college-level material in a concurrent setting. Furthermore, we believe that this freedom is nonnegotiable regardless of district level governance decisions made by local boards or administrators. We look forward to continuing to serve Colorado’s concurrent students in a successful manner for years to come.

For information on Local Community Notification requirements, please visit:

https://internal.cccs.edu/academic-affairs/program-approval/service-areas/