~Frequently Asked Questions~
Dual Credit and College Classes Taken by High School Students

What is dual credit?
If students take college classes while in high school, dual credit may be awarded by the high school for the high school equivalent of the college class. (For example: If a high school student takes ENGL 110 College Composition I from NDSCS, their high school may award high school credit for the class.) Not all high schools award dual credits so students should contact their high school administrators about their school policies.

Can I take a class from NDSCS and not get dual credit for it?
Yes, students may take college classes while in high school without requesting dual credit from the high school for the class. Students need approval from their high school administrator to take college classes while in high school.

When do college classes meet?
College classes taught by NDSCS instructors to high schools follow the college Academic Calendar which can be found on the NDSCS Web site under the “Academics” section. If all high schools will be closed on a scheduled class day, this college class meeting date would also be canceled. High school administrators will provide their schedules to the Distance Education Office to coordinate the ITV/IVN schedules.

What is the cost of college classes?
Cost of courses taken from NDSCS by high school students may vary depending upon the high school financial support provided. NDSCS has a variety of high schools receiving college classes over ITV/IVN as well as high school students attending classes on campus or taking classes in their own high school.

NOTE: College credits are not usually the same as high school credits. For example, a high school may award one credit for Senior English while NDSCS English classes are three credits each. Tuition/fees are charged according to the college credits awarded.

• Some course costs are partially funded by the high school consortium which lowers the tuition/fee costs paid by the student.
• Some courses are taught by high school instructors for college credit which lowers the costs to the student.
• Some schools provide no financial support for the college classes but students may still choose to take the college classes at the regular college rate to get an early start on their college education. (Students pay the regular college student rate for tuition and fees.)
• Books may be paid by the high school, the high school consortium or the student. It is recommended students contact their high school administrator about their procedure.

Will students receive a bill for college costs?
The NDSCS Business Affairs Office will send bills out to all registered students who have not paid at the time of the billing cycle. After six months, a 1% finance charge will be added to the account.

How many credits are the college classes?
The credits awarded for college classes varies depending upon the course. Below is a list of classes typically taken from NDSCS by high school students.

Drafting Classes (taught by NDSCS instructors via ITV and on-campus):
CAD 120 Introduction to AutoCAD, 3 credits (fall and spring semester)
CAD 220 Intermediate AutoCAD, 3 credits (fall and spring semester, only on campus)
TECH 101 Engineering Drawing, 2 credits (fall and spring semester)

CISCO and Other Computer Classes (taught at high school or Fargo STTC by high school instructors):
CIS 265 Cisco Networking, 4 credits (fall semester)
CIS 267 Cisco Switching and LAN Topologies, 4 credits (fall semester)
CIS 266 Cisco Routing, Configuration and Troubleshooting, 4 credits (spring semester)
CIS 268 Cisco Switching and Project Management, 4 credits (spring semester)
CIS 218 Microcomputer Hardware I, 3 credits (fall semester)
CIS 219 Microcomputer Hardware II, 3 credits (spring semester)

General Education Classes (taught by NDSCS faculty via IVN/ITV):
ENGL 110 College Composition I, 3 credits (fall semester)
ENGL 120 College Composition II, 3 credits (spring semester)
MATH 103 College Algebra, 3 credits (fall semester)
MATH 146 Applied Calculus I, 4 credits (fall semester)
MATH 147 Applied Calculus II, 4 credits (spring semester)

Other General Education Classes (taught by Fargo and West Fargo high school instructors):
BIOL 220 Anatomy and Physiology I, 3 credits (fall semester)
BIOL 220L Anatomy and Physiology I Lab, 1credit (fall semester)
BIOL 221 Anatomy and Physiology II, 3 credits (spring semester)
BIOL 221L Anatomy and Physiology I Lab, 1credit (spring semester)

Other Classes (taught at Fargo STTC by high school instructor):
BOTE 171 Medical Terminology, 4 credits (fall semester)

Does NDSCS have entry-level requirements?
Yes, students must be in grades 11 or 12 (must be at least 16 years of age) with a minimum GPA of 3.0 or who have permission of the high school administration.

NDSCS also has specific requirements for students taking college English or math classes.

• Students taking college English classes must have an ACT score of 18 or higher on the English and reading sections of the ACT exam.
• Students taking college math classes must have an ACT score of 20 or higher on the Math section of the ACT exam.

Students with scores below the requirement will need to take a COMPASS exam. This can be done at NDSCS or at another approved COMPASS testing site. Contact NDSCS for additional information or to make an appointment for the exam.

Can students take college classes for high school credit only and not pay the college tuition and fees?
No, a class taught by an NDSCS instructor is an actual college class, not a high school class. In some instances, there are classes taught by high school instructors for college credit. Students may take these classes for high school credit and the college credit is optional. Students pay for the number of college credits awarded, not the number of high school credits.

Ex: CISCO, Drafting and Anatomy and Physiology classes are commonly taught by high school instructors for optional college credit.

Does the college transcript specify which courses are dual credit courses?
No, the NDSCS transcript does not differentiate between a class taught on the regular campus from those taught to high school students as dual credit classes.

Do the classes taken from NDSCS for college credit transfer to other colleges?
We recommend you always check with the receiving institution as it is their decision whether to accept classes from another college and how to count them if they are accepted. NDSCS general education classes are designed to transfer and if they don't count toward your program major, they usually count as general electives.

Transferability of career and technical education classes should also be checked with the receiving institution. In some cases, the NDSCS department teaching the classes may have some knowledge of how colleges accept career and technical education classes from NDSCS for their career and technical education programs, i.e. Drafting classes, CISCO.

How does a student know which classes are available for their particular high school or high school consortium?
Students should contact their high school administrator (principal or superintendent) who will then contact the Distance Education Office at NDSCS to discuss the possibility of teaching college classes to their high school.

NDSCS requires a minimum of 10 students per class. High schools within the same consortium may benefit by working together to request the same class(es) each semester to ensure adequate enrollment.

There may also be a limitation on the number of classes scheduled to be taught to high schools depending upon availability of instructors. It is important that the high schools begin communicating with the college early in the spring of each year for their needs/requests for the coming school year. NDSCS prepares fall class schedules in mid-February and spring schedules are prepared in mid-September.

How does a high school get approval for their instructor to teach a class for college credits?
The high school administrator should contact the Director of Distance Education to discuss the process for approval to teach a college class to high school students.

How do high school students get books for the college classes?
This may also vary by high school so students should contact their school administrator. Some schools order the books from the NDSCS Bookstore and pay for them for the students; some schools order or pick up the books but students need to pay for them.

When does registration need to be completed? How do students get the registration and application forms?
Registration needs to be completed before each semester begins. Early each spring, students need to inform high school administrators which class(es) they intend to take from NDSCS in the coming year. NDSCS classes are offered by semester. The same class does not run all year like they might in high school. For example, students may take the same high school English class all year; but they may take two different English classes from NDSCS in that same year’s time.

Registration forms will be mailed from the NDSCS Distance Education Office either to the high school administrative liaison or directly to the student. Forms for the fall semester will be mailed in April and need to be completed, signed and returned to the Distance Ed Office as soon as possible.Forms for the spring semester classes will be mailed late fall semester (approximately November) and need to be completed, signed and returned to the NDSCS Distance Ed Office as soon as possible.

How do students apply and register for NDSCS classes?
Students must complete the college Application for Admission and pay the one-time, non-refundable application fee of $35.

• Complete and sign the NDSCS Credit Registration form
• Students requesting dual credit from the high school for college classes must complete the North Dakota University System Dual Credit Enrollment Application form and have their parent and high school administrator sign the form before sending it to NDSCS. (You may wish to make a copy for your records before sending the form to the college.)

  NOTE: The form MUST be signed by both parent and high school superintendent before sending it to NDSCS.

Once the class is completed, NDSCS will enter the grade, sign and date the form and send a copy to the North Dakota University System office. NDSCS keeps the original form.

• Once all signed forms and the application fee are received, NDSCS will enroll the student in the class(es) indicated on the Credit Registration form.

How do students get final grades for NDSCS classes?
At the end of the semester, final grades are entered into the college system and a transcript is sent directly to the student.

How do students drop a college class once they have registered?
Students who wish to drop a college class must contact the NDSCS Distance Education Office.

• If a student is taking more than one course and is only dropping one course, they may receive 100% refund of tuition if the class is dropped within the first 8.99% of instructional days of the semester. After this time, there will be no refund for a dropped class.
• If a student is dropping all courses, a sliding scale tuition refund process is used. (Contact the Business Affairs Office for specific information, as needed.)

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