​Dual College Credit in High School

​Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) registration opens in early April for new students taking summer classes, either online or at one of several TMCC campuses. If you are 15 or older, here’s why you might want to consider these courses:

1. Save time. By arrangement with the school district, many of these courses offered for a month over the summer will give you an entire year of high school credit for English, math, science, social studies, etc.
2. Take them online. Save a lot of commuting time by doing weekly assignments from home.
3. Get a head start on college credit. If you attend UNR another NV public institution of higher education, most of these courses count towards your NV college degree and/or general distribution requirements.
4. Replace a poor grade. Don’t like that C in freshman or sophomore English on your transcript? Replace it with college English 101 or 102. TMCC has a counterpart course for most courses taught in high school.
5. Meet some great professors and get on UNR’s radar. Is UNR your first choice for college? This is a chance for some great professors to get to know you long before you’re admitted. Find a class, then go to www.ratemyprofessors.com to find which sections are being taught by excellent professors, like Patricia Cullinan (English), Sharon Lowe (US History Since 1877), or Paul Davis (American Government).
6. Two sessions to choose from. There are two five-week summer sessions, one running from Late May to Late June, then the second from Early July to Early August.
7. Don’t forget Western Nevada College. WNC in Carson City is even more supportive of high school students, with some terrific professors like Jeffrey Downs (Math 120) and Robert Whitcomb (Intro to Retailing, a business course for Occupational Ed or Elective credit). It’s a smaller college with fewer offerings in the summer, but with many more courses to choose from in the fall with superior offerings in computer sciences/applied technology. WNC has one eight-week session, from Mid June - Early Aug .

Cost? Plan on about $100 per unit, with most college semester courses consisting of 3 units for one year of high school credit. You may use your Education Savings Account and 529 funds for these courses, but not Millennium Scholarship funds (you need to have graduated from high school to do that) and you won’t be eligible for college loans.

The fine print: finishing a semester of college in five weeks is a lot of work; plan on four hours a day for most courses. The colleges are not flexible with missed deadlines, but the My Canvas app is great about reminding you of upcoming assignments. Consider taking a WNC course over eight weeks instead of TMCC in five weeks to spread the workload over a longer time.  And while nearly all these courses will be accepted at Nevada colleges, it’s less certain they will be accepted by  colleges in other states. If you have your eye set on the UC system, try taking online courses through Sierra College in Rocklin or any other California State community college; any course designated “UC” will be accepted by any UC campus. And best of all, course fees are only $1 per unit for California residents.

For more detailed instructions on how to find a class, take a placement test, and enroll, please visit the college websites directly at www.wnc.edu. Registration for fall classes opens Early April 10 for WNC and Mid-Late April for TMCC; classes fill up quickly, so register soon.
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I∙School in Incline Village offers college counseling, ACT/SAT preparation and ACCUPLACER testing in addition to accredited courses for grades 3-12 and credit for dual credit college courses in California, Nevada and elsewhere.​

Instructions - How to Enroll in TMCC Dual-Credit College Courses Summer 

Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is a regionally accredited state community college with several locations in the greater Reno area. High school students wanting to get a jump on college, replace a high school grade, or take additional courses for high school credit can go through the Jump Start program and work towards an Associate of Arts degree or an Associate of Science degree while still working towards their high school diploma. Many classes are online, and most credits transfer to UNR and count towards general distribution requirements needed to graduate from Nevada colleges. The long list of courses approved for dual credit between WCSD, UNR, TMCC and WNC can be found at the bottom of this page.

Summer offers two five-week sessions; enrollment for new students starts Early April. You may access a complete summer course listing here. The course cost is typically $90 per credit (most classes are 3 credits) plus books. Most classes have additional fees as noted in the course catalog. English 101 (Composition I) requires you to take the Accuplacer Reading Comprehension test. All math courses require an Accuplacer math test. If you are under 18, TMCC will require you to take both Accuplacer English and Math so they know you are college ready. The minimum Accuplacer score varies by course and test, and is often indicated in the course description. You may also call the relevant academic department to inquire about passing scores. Accuplacer cutoff scores for UNR math are provided at this link.​

​Steps to Enroll:

1. The first step is to apply for an NSHE number (Nevada System of Higher Education), which takes a few days. This is the one number you will use to register for any Nevada institution of higher public education. Register online here (TMCC) through the TMCC Jumpstart program. Check the box that you are a Millennium Scholar if you have finished (or plan to finish) Algebra II. Be sure to check the box that you are NOT seeking a degree at this time as you are still in high school. In a few days, they will call or email your NSHE number to you.
2. Get a current transcript from your school of record (or your parent if you are homeschooled). You will need it to prove your GPA (generally 3.0 minimum).
3. Fill out the high school authorization form and the dual credit enrollment form at the Jumpstart site and obtain requested signatures. You will need to redo this form every semester you are enrolled in a college course.
4. Go through the TMCC list of summer courses and decide what course(s) you would like to take and in which of two summer sessions. Limit your search to web courses if you only want online courses.
5. Go to ratemyprofessors.com and look up the course professor. For the best class experience, consider limiting your choices to professors with ratings of 4 or 5.
6. Identify any course prerequisites listed in the course descriptions and be sure you have met them.
7. If TMCC says you have to take an Accuplacer test for English or math or both, go online to accuplacer.com and study for the placement test you are going to take.
8. Make an appointment to take the Accuplacer test at I∙School (775.831.2423) or at TMCC (775-673-7060). You will get the results immediately at either location. 
9. Make an appointment to meet with a TMCC counselor soon after you take the test as the counselor needs the Accuplacer results and your list of courses to meet with you.
10. When the counselor has signed off on the courses, deliver your paperwork to the Jumpstart TMCC office down the hall in Red Mountain 315 by email, fax or in person. The Jumpstart office will finish enrolling you in the classes for which you have received permission to enroll.
11. While you are there, get a student ID and purchase your books at the nearby campus bookstore. Many books can be found less expensively online or through Amazon.
12. Pay TMCC fees online with your TMCC online login and password within 48 hours of enrolling to prevent being dropped.
13. TMCC Summer Session I runs Late May -Late June. Session II runs Early July - Early August.
14. Fall enrollment starts Late April. Classes start Late August and end Mid December. More information: The TMCC registration phone number is 775-673-7111. More information can be found on the TMCC website: http://www.tmcc.edu/dual-credit or the Jump Start office at 775-674-7638.  Western Nevada College Summer School Differences: Procedures are largely the same between TMCC and WNC. Notable differences:
    1. The application for WNC may be found here https://por.shr.nevada.edu/psp/spporprd/WNC/HRMS/c/SH_TECHNICAL.SH_AD001.GBL?FolderPath=PORTAL_ROOT_OBJECT.SH_CUSTOMIZATIONS.SH_AD001&IsFolder=false&IgnoreParamTempl=FolderPath%2cIsFolder
    2. The list of WNC summer and fall courses may be found here http://www.wnc.edu/class-schedule/?term=2172.
    3. There is one eight-week session, from Mid June - Early August.
    4. Enrollment for new students starts Early April for summer and for fall.
    5. The colleges use different English Accuplacer tests. If you take your English test at one school but the course at another, be sure to notify the test center so you can be given the correct test.
    6. There are fewer offerings in the summer. Two of particular interest are Math 120 with Jeffrey Downs, and Introduction to Retailing with Robert Whitcomb, which is a business class that can be taken for Elective or Occupational Ed credit. Academic Support in Incline Village: I∙School teachers are available for tutoring over the summer to help students with their college course assignments, to assist with registration, or administer Accuplacer tests. Instruction hours may be purchased individually or in discounted blocks of 10 hours.​

IMPORTANT: The colleges will restrict communication to the student only. Parents and I·School will not be given any information if we call the college. You will need to share the student’s login information with I·School if you would like our help with enrolling or monitoring student progress.

Please contact I∙School at [email protected] or 775.831.2423 if you have any questions, and feel free to share this information with any person or group for whom you think this information would be helpful. Kindly let I∙School know of any corrections needed to the above information as procedures do change.

Kathryn Kelly’s contact information: [email protected] or 775-544-5023.​

​PUBLIC COLLEGES OFFERING ONLINE COURSES FOR HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS

Truckee Meadows Community College (Reno), 13,000 students, www.tmcc.edu

• Summer school has two five-week sessions, May 30-June 30 and July 10-Aug 11. You can do both sessions for more credit.
• Has the most online offerings.
• Easy to transfer credit for most courses between other Nevada colleges and high schools.
  

Western Nevada College (Carson City), 5,000 students, www.wnc.edu

• Summer school is one eight-week session, June 12 to Aug 5.
• Fewer course offerings in summer; many more courses offered in the fall. Registration opens April 10.
• Is more supportive of high-school students and is easier to reach by car than TMCC.
• Easy to transfer credit for most courses between other Nevada colleges and high schools.

University of Nevada Reno, 21,000 students, www.unr.edu

• Summer school runs three months, from May 22 to August 17, in different sessions.
• Limited offerings for summer.
• Most courses require you to take the final on campus.
• Easy to transfer credit for most courses between other Nevada colleges and high schools.

Sierra College (California), 20,000 students, www.sierracollege.edu  

• Based in Rocklin and has a small campus in Truckee; “feeder” school to the UC system.
• Courses are $1 per unit for high-school students who are California residents.
• Requirements: be at least 15 years of age and have completed the tenth grade (your official transcript MUST reflect completion of ALL 10th grade courses) with at least a 3.0 GPA. You have to take Accuplacer placement tests at Sierra College in Truckee (or TMCC or WNC or ISchool) and assess into the appropriate transfer level courses
  • English (English 1A)
  • Reading (English 11)
  • Mathematics (if required for course placement)
• Most courses transfer to the University of California system.
• High school credits transfer via I·School to WCSD, not directly from Sierra College to WCSD.

Bellevue College (Washington), 37,000 students, www.bellevuecollege.edu

• Summer school is late June-mid August (six weeks).
• Located just east of Seattle; “feeder” school to the University of Washington.
• Offers eLearning Waiver for non-resident students.
• High school credits transfer via I·School to WCSD.

download instructions and forms here: 

• Overview of Dual College Credit
• Enrollment Instructions
• Public Colleges Offering Summer Courses

 Important!

1. This is NOT a complete list of all online college offerings. Many more courses offering high school credit for other summer college courses are available. Please see I·School if you don’t see the one you want.
2. Not all college courses transfer to all colleges. Please check with your intended college to confirm which colleges will accept your course.
3. Colleges will not issue refunds for summer school or extend deadlines. Plan accordingly!