TUITION-FREE CLASSES FOR
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is committed to a strong partnership with our local K-12 school systems.
The College and the school systems work together to support three early college programs and nearly 1,100 traditional high school juniors and seniors who are taking college-level courses through the Career & College Promise program.
Changes at the state level have made taking classes at Rowan-Cabarrus even more attractive for high school students.
This year, for the first time, the state has recognized the added value that community colleges bring to the K-12 public education system. Now, the college transfer courses offered through Rowan-Cabarrus are weighted at the same level as Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
“I found the courses at Rowan-Cabarrus to be a better fit for me. I wasn’t excited about taking an AP class and having to take a test at the end of the year. This way, when I pass the class, I earn the college credit right away,” said Emma Ryerson, senior at West Rowan High School.
The highly successful Career & College Promise tuition-free program at Rowan-Cabarrus provides the opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to get a “jump start” on their degree while still in high school. Rowan-Cabarrus is leading the state as the largest provider of these offerings to high school students.
“This fantastic program allows students to simultaneously enroll in high school and college so that they can receive both high school and college credit for courses taken as part of the program,” said Cyndie Mynatt, vice chair of the College’s board of trustees.
Unlike the early college high school programs, Career & College Promise allows students to remain very involved in their current high school. They can still play sports and engage in all of the regular extracurricular activities.
“One perk of this opportunity is getting to experience real college classes – students ultimately feel better prepared when they transfer because they’re confident in their ability to do college-level work,” said Dr. Michael Quillen, vice president of academic programs at Rowan-Cabarrus.
There are two tracks for the Career & College Promise program – one allows students to specialize in a career or technical pathway, while the other allows students to prepare for general transfer.
In addition to general education college transfer classes, Rowan-Cabarrus offers options for students to get a head start in careers like criminal justice, machining, cosmetology, IT, welding and more. Students can take as many classes as their schedule allows, with some students taking as many as four college classes in a single semester.
“We look forward to seeing further expansion in this area as more parents and students become aware of what very well may be the best kept secret to getting ahead while still in high school,” said Dr. Janet Spriggs, chief operating officer and leader of the Division of Student Success. “I also hope this program will continue to convince more and more young people to come directly to Rowan-Cabarrus out of high school to further their education.”
The College’s three early colleges are award-winning and high-achieving, the latest of which opened in the fall of 2016 at the College’s Cabarrus Business and Technology Center (CBTC). This early college also allows students to explore technical career paths such as IT and engineering. They will see their first graduating class in 2020.
These popular, prestigious high school/college programs allow students to earn a high school diploma and an associate degree simultaneously. Many graduates of these successful programs go on to earn significant scholarships and transfer as college juniors to highly respected universities.
Not only are these students successful, with both of the long-standing early colleges graduating 100 percent of their seniors from high school in 2017-18, but the schools themselves are remarkable.
Another exciting development in 2017 was the expansion of the on-site programs in high schools for Career Technical Education (CTE). These technical education programs bring highly trained and qualified college faculty into the local high schools to teach college courses. The programs include IT mobile application development, drafting, nurse aide II, early childhood education, welding, advertising and graphic design, and IT essentials.
“Bringing these dynamic, hands-on classes directly to the schools is a win-win-win for the College, the schools and the students,” said Dr. Quillen.
Finally, the College was awarded a NC Works Career Coach grant which has allowed the College to partner with the Rowan-Salisbury School System to provide two career coaches in three high schools to help students gain career clarity, and to support students who do not have a plan for post-graduation.