Dear Parent or Guardian:

If you and your children are thinking about a four-year university or two-year technical college after high school, it’s likely that you’re already getting ready both financially and academically. During the 2015-2016 school year, more than 32,000 students got a jump start on college and reducing their costs toward college degrees by participating in the College Credit Plus program, which is available free of cost to you wherever you live in Ohio.

Ohio’s College Credit Plus program offers students in grades 7-12 the chance to earn college credit from any Ohio public college or participating private college while earning high school credit for each college course, if the student qualifies academically. All associated costs are free to qualified students seeking credit from public colleges. There may be limited costs for students seeking credit from private institutions.

Ohio has never offered your child a better start on a college education. A College Credit Plus student enjoys the opportunity to pursue more challenging classes and explore college interests sooner. Your child can earn anywhere from a few college credits to a year’s worth while still in high school. Participating in College Credit Plus can reduce your child’s time in college and greatly reduce your family’s higher education costs. Beginning summer 2016, a summer term will be included in the program. A college’s summer term may begin as early as this May.

Nonpublic school and home-school students also can apply to take part in College Credit Plus. The first step is to create a SAFE account to submit a “notice of intent to participate.” Instructions for creating a SAFE account are here, and the notice of intent form can be found at www.ohiohighered.org/ccp, under “Forms.” Next, your student must apply and be admitted to a college or university. Upon receipt of a notice from the college or university stating that your student is admitted to the program, use your SAFE account to apply for state funding, required for your student’s College Credit Plus participation.

If you are interested in having your child participate, we urge you to start today. The deadline to submit the “Notice of Intent to Participate” is April 1.

Here are your next steps:

1. Talk with your child’s school. Your local school district is required to provide you with information about the College Credit Plus program. If you haven’t received an email, letter or call yet, check your district’s website. The district also must hold a public meeting before March 30 to explain the program, and it must invite participating colleges and universities in your area to attend.

2. If you have questions about College Credit Plus, visit our FAQ page to see if the answer to your question is there.

3. If your question is not answered on the FAQ page or you do not receive timely information from your school, please contact the Ohio Department of Education tollfree at (877) 644-6338 or via email at ccp@education.ohio.gov. Your child’s school and your area colleges will have the information you need to do your part on time.

In the meantime, have your child meet with his or her school counselor—you’re welcome to attend also—to talk about whether College Credit Plus might be a good fit for your child.

4. Once you have the facts, contact or check the website of participating colleges in your area. Here are all the public and private colleges in the state. Ask them for College Credit Plus application forms, instructions and a list of criteria they will use to determine if your child is college-ready for admission to that institution.

Once your child is admitted to a college under College Credit Plus, he or she will be able to register for college courses. Again, conversations with the high school counselor or a college advisor can help your child decide which of the many available college courses would match his or her needs and plans.

5. Have your child register for classes and provide a copy of his or her schedule to the high school counselor for review.

Ohio has many hardworking students, and we want to see all of them rewarded with a greater array of options for their futures. Please start talking to your child about College Credit Plus today.

College Credit Plus Process for 2016-17 Starts Feb. 15

Summer session added; students must declare intent to participate by April 1

Students intending to participate in the second year of College Credit Plus, the successful program that provides Ohio students with the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school, can begin the notification process for the 2016-2017 school year on Feb. 15. College Credit Plus debuted at the start of the 2015-2016 school year, with more than 32,000 students enrolling to take advantage of the opportunity to get a jump start on college and reduce their costs toward a college degree.

College Credit Plus provides students with the opportunity to take college classes offered by any Ohio public college or university, or from any participating private postsecondary institution, at their high school, on the college or university campus, or online. The program allows students to explore college interests sooner and to earn college credits toward a degree before graduating from high school. It is free to families when students take courses offered by Ohio public colleges and universities.

Beginning Feb. 15, public high school students may notify their principal of their interest to participate, and non-public and homeschool students may send their letter of intent to participate to the Ohio Department of Education. All students must declare their intent to participate by March 30th, including students who participated in the first year of College Credit Plus.

In an effort to give more students and families the opportunity to save on the cost of college, College Credit Plus now includes a summer term. Credits earned by taking courses through College Credit Plus during a summer term will be applied to students’ high school and college transcripts during the fall. Students and parents should check the summer term registration deadline for the college or university from which the student intends to take courses.  Additional details and participation information are available at www.ohiohighered.org/ccp.

“As a parent, I have great appreciation for how this program can save families money in their total costs for college. Strengthening opportunities for students to earn college credit in high school has been a priority for the Kasich Administration, and I am delighted with the progress we have made to create lower-cost pathways to help students get a certificate or degree for their careers,” said Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor John Carey. “Getting a jump on college gives students firsthand knowledge about the variety of courses available in college and the learning strategies associated with success in college.”

“College Credit Plus is a huge win for Ohio families, and we have seen tremendous enthusiasm for the program across the state,” said Interim State Superintendent Lonny J. Rivera of the Ohio Department of Education. “By earning college credits in high school, students can reduce the cost of and time in college. This means they can enter the job market and take advantage of exciting opportunities sooner.”

Ohio has significantly strengthened support for high school students to earn college credit over the past few years in its effort to make the pursuit of a college degree more affordable. The most recent state budget allocated $10 million to credential more teachers for college-level instruction and provide competitive grants to universities for teachers to become credentialed for College Credit Plus courses.