High School Concurrent Enrollment

What is concurrent enrollment?

• Concurrent enrollment allows high school students to take college courses and in most cases, those courses can to count towards both high school graduation credits and college credits at the same time.

Who is eligible for concurrent enrollment?

• At OCCC, all high school juniors and seniors are eligible for concurrent enrollment if they either have a 3.0 unweighted GPA; ACT Composite or Pre-ACT score of 19; or SAT/PSAT score of 990.
• Some students may be part of a state approved early college program that allows for high school freshmen and sophomores to take concurrent classes. To inquire about eligibility for this program, talk to your high school counselor.

Is concurrent enrollment easier than traditional college classes, since it's for high school students?

• No. Concurrent classes are the same content, taught the same way as our traditional college courses. Additionally, concurrent students are treated like our adult college students. OCCC expects the student to be responsible for their own work and management of time. Concurrent students are not given special academic or financial privileges for being younger. There are tutoring services on campus to support academic success. However, if your student lacks the maturity for this level of independence, they may not be a great fit for the program or may need additional parental/guardian support to be successful.

What is the parent/guardian's role in supporting a concurrent student?

• All college students, including concurrent students, are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which means OCCC employees are not allowed to communicate with any individual but the student and affiliated high school about the students' academic records. Thus, OCCC employees may not communicate with parents/guardians without the students' explicit consent. Each student has the right to waive this protection with a FERPA "Authorization to Release" Form found in the student’s Self-Service account, but it is the students' choice and one that OCCC respects and honors for concurrent students.
• Some students need more help than others transitioning to the adult responsibilities associated with concurrent enrollment. OCCC expects the students to understand add/drop deadlines, grading and plagiarism policies, student conduct policies, and the financial responsibilities associated with being a college student. We consider parents/guardians great partners to help our concurrent students understand these adult responsibilities.

What is a Drop Deadline?

• Every term there is a deadline for the last day to add or drop a class and receive a refund or no charge at all to the student's bill. We recommend students who do not believe they can keep up with the academic or financial commitment of a course to drop that course prior to this deadline. Deadlines can be found here.

Does a student need to reapply each semester?

• No. Once a student is admitted to OCCC as a concurrent student, they are admitted to OCCC as a COLLEGE student. They will need to maintain a 2.0 college GPA to continue taking courses as a concurrent student.
• After graduating high school, a concurrent student can continue taking courses at OCCC as a traditional college student without any additional application.

How does concurrent enrollment save a student money?

• The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education waive tuition for all junior and senior Oklahoma residents that are concurrent students. For seniors up to 18 credit hours and up to 9 hours for high school juniors. OCCC waives an additional 9 hours of tuition for high school juniors to take up to 18 hours tuition-free. Typically, students are expected to pay for the fees and books associated with their courses. Sometimes high schools agree to pay for books and fees of students, but the student will need to confirm this benefit with their own high school.

How will students know what to pay?

• Concurrent students can view their account information and make a payment by logging in to their account in the OCCC Experience application. Information regarding How to Make a Payment, Payment Plans, and How to Add an Authorized User are available on the Bursar webpage. By adding a guardian as an authorized user will provide them with their own unique login information to be able to view account balances and to make payments. Please be aware the concurrent tuition waivers are added no later than the first Monday of each term. If a concurrent tuition waiver is missing, please email or call the Bursar Office. Additionally, please note that it is the responsibility of the student and guardian to view account activity and make timely payments to avoid any payment plans or late charges. Tuition and fees that concurrent students are responsible for are due the first day of instruction for each term. Any balances that are not paid in full by the first day of instruction will automatically be enrolled into a payment plan for $25 additional charge. Each payment installment is subject to a $20 late charge.

How do students get credit for high school graduation?

• Each school district has the authority to award dual credit as they see it best for their students. Districts will award 0.5-1.0 units of credit for a 3 credit hour course depending on the subject. Common courses approved are general education courses that have high school core course equivalents (i.e., U.S. History, American Government, Biology). We recommend that you check with your approving high school counselor/principal for more specifics as to how they will apply dual credit for any course.

What do concurrent students need for their classes?

• All OCCC courses will have an online component to them for things such as submitting assignments or taking exams. Students will need ready access to a computer that can connect to high-speed internet that has a camera and microphone accessible or attached. Devices issued by the high school may not meet all of the needs for the courses.
• Additional materials may be needed, depending on the course. It is recommended that students check the OCCC Bookstore website to find their required: textbooks, online access codes, recommended study materials, or lab manuals.

Will the college courses show up on a high school transcript?

• Yes. Schools are required to transcribe the course grade on the student’s high school transcript as it appears on the college transcript. Schools may award additional GPA points on a 5.0 scale for class rank purposes, but they cannot change the grade recorded.

Are excused absences for the high school also considered excused for the college course?

• No. Professors will have their own policies for absences that all students in the course are expected to adhere to. It is best for students to be proactive and communicate regularly if they are needing to miss a course.