Programs for High School Students

High school students are offered the opportunity to enroll in Wiregrass Georgia Technical College courses. Enrolling in college early provides Georgia high school students with the ability to take college-level courses and earn concurrent credit toward a high school diploma and a college degree. Participation in dual enrollment eases the transition from high school to college, provides students an early start on their college careers, and offers meaningful and challenging academic experiences to qualified students, including those who might not otherwise have access to early college opportunities. Early college enrollment can help increase the number of high school graduates who are both college and career ready.

Enrollment Options for High School Students

Dual Enrollment

Dual Enrollment allows high school students to take either academic degree level core courses that may transfer to any TCSG or USG college or university, occupational courses, and diploma level core courses. Some students may choose to enroll fully into a degree, diploma or technical certificate of credit program, or they may choose to just take a few courses. All college coursework taken through Dual Enrollment will be fully covered through Dual Enrollment funding, and students will not be required to pay out of pocket for tuition, college fees, or textbooks. The only fees students may be responsible for are course-specific fees determined by the college. No hours taken through the Dual Enrollment program will count against a Georgia Grant or Scholarship Cap. Participating in the Dual Enrollment program is a great incentive for high school students to get ahead on their college coursework!

Eligibility
Any 9th – 12th grade student enrolled in an eligible Georgia high school or home study program, who has met program or course admission requirements, is eligible to take part in the program. There are NO residency or citizenship requirements. Dual Enrollment is available during the 4 years of high school attendance. Fifth year seniors are excluded from participation unless an approved IEP is in place granting a graduation extension.

Coursework
Occupational and core courses approved for the Dual Enrollment program can be found on the GA Futures websites. Courses may be taught face-to-face on the college campus, the high school campus, online, hybrid, or via Tandberg distance education. Students will be allowed to take up to 15 total credit hours per semester . Students can enroll in Wiregrass courses during Fall, Spring, or Summer Semesters.

Application Process
High school students wishing to enroll in the Dual Enrollment program must:

• First meet with their high school guidance counselor to gain approval to participate in the Dual Enrollment program.
• After gaining approval from their high school to participate in the program, Dual Enrollment students will be asked to complete a Wiregrass Dual Enrollment Application packet which will include all of the required forms needed to participate in the program and meet with Wiregrass’ High School Coordinator.
• The application fee for all Dual Enrollment students is waived.
• Take the required placement test or submit valid ACT PSAT, SAT, ELA PSAT, Milestone, high school GPA of 2.0 or HOPE GPA of 2.6 or higher score. Students will be required to meet regular admission scores for associate degree, diploma, and TCC programs. Students enrolling in degree level core courses will be required to make regular admission test scores for the area in which they wish to enroll.
• Students will be asked to go onto the GAFutures website to apply for their financial aid. Once a student has done this, his/her high school counselor will then add the approved classes in STARS, and the Wiregrass Financial Aid office will approve the courses in SURFER. Dual Enrollment students must complete the online Dual Enrollment funding application each semester they are enrolled at the college and failure to do so will result in them being billed for and/or dropped from their Wiregrass classes.

Tuition, Fees, and Books
Tuition and most fees are covered by Dual Enrollment for every eligible student in the program. Books will also be provided to Dual Enrollment students at no charge to the students. Because students are eligible to participate in almost all Wiregrass programs, they may be responsible for course-specific fees in some program areas; however, most Wiregrass programs do not require such fees. Students should speak to the High School Coordinators to find out specifics about course-related fees.

Concurrent Enrollment

Concurrent Enrollment (CE) provides high school students the opportunity to take college-credit courses through Dual Enrollment that are taught by high school teachers. The high school teacher is also a credentialed Wiregrass college instructor. CE instructors are approved through the college’s Academic Affairs department. CE courses are taught on the high school campus during the regular school day. Many CE credits will transfer to a student’s future postsecondary institution. CE courses through Dual Enrollment are available to all 9-12th graders. Students wishing to enroll in the program should complete the Dual Enrollment Application Packet.

Joint Enrollment

Another enrollment option for high school students is called Joint Enrollment. Joint Enrollment provides high school students the opportunity to take courses at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and receive college credit ONLY for the courses that they take at the college. Joint Enrollment students usually attend college classes in the afternoon or evening after they have attended high school an entire school day. Joint Enrollment students are allowed to take academic core and occupational program courses for any technical certificate or diploma program in which they are eligible. A portion of the tuition will be paid by the HOPE Grant for Georgia residents. Wiregrass will exempt other tuition and fees. Hours taken through Joint Enrollment do count against a student’s Georgia Grant and Scholarship caps.

SB2 Alternate Diploma Path

Senate Bill 2 offers an alternate path to high school graduation for students who have completed certain requirements at their high school. In order to participate in SB2 ADP, students must have completed the 10^th grade and successfully completed the two English, Math, Science, and Social Studies courses as well as one Health/PE course in addition to all associated test requirements. High school counselors will provide guidance about which specific English, math, science, and social studies courses are required.

After completion of these courses, students must then complete ONE of the following:

• Any Wiregrass Associate Degree program
• Any Wiregrass Diploma program
• 2 of the Wiregrass Dual Enrollment Technical Certificates of Credit that are approved for SB2

Students interested in pursuing the Alternate Diploma Path option should contact their High School Guidance Counselor or the Wiregrass Technical College High School Coordinator.

Articulated Course Credit

Locally signed articulation agreements are in place between Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and local service area high schools for the purpose of allowing high school graduates to receive advanced technical college course credit for certain high school classes completed that were taken while they were in high school, taught by a high school teacher. Articulated course credit creates a “seamless” transition for high school students to bridge over to technical college programs of study while reducing duplication of work. Within 24 months of the student’s high school graduation date, the student must meet all the college admissions requirements, including submission of an official high school transcript for articulated course evaluation. Students will also have to score 85 or higher on a subject test or assessment to receive technical college course credit. The type of subject test and passing score is determined through agreements between the WGTC faculty and high school teachers. Credit by articulation will appear on a student’s college transcript as a grade of “AC.” It will count toward college graduation requirements, but will not be calculated into the student’s institutional GPA and may not transfer to other colleges/universities should the student decide to later transfer from Wiregrass.

Graduation Information

Dual Enrollment students who complete a program while still enrolled in high school can be awarded a college credential prior to high school graduation. Upon graduating from high school, all Dual Enrollment students are encouraged to present official sealed high school transcripts for review for additional awards.