Dual Credit

• Students may earn up to 42 hours of college credit before graduating from high school.
• Dual Credit increases the likelihood that a student will complete high school, enroll in and complete college.
• These programs waive tuition and fees and reduce the overall time and cost to complete a college degree.
• Graduates can enter the workforce earlier and begin earning wages.

Student Responsibilities 

1. Communicate your interest to your high school counselor
2. Complete Apply Texas as a Dual Credit Student
   Linked is the step by step guide for completion of Apply Texas application for Dual Credit Students. 
3. Log into ACES
   ACES is the official online student portal for Alamo Colleges. ACES allows students access to: college resources, course content, student email, and general student information. (Counselor or Advisor will provide your ACES user name and Banner ID) 
4. Complete Alamo Enroll Modules
   Students must complete the two modules below:
   1. GO FAARR module
   2. Test Prep module (must complete before taking the TSI Assessment).
5. Complete TSI
   Texas law requires students to complete assessments in reading, writing, and mathematics before enrolling in college. The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) mandates that any new undergraduate student entering a public institution must be assessed for readiness to enroll in college coursework. Coordinate with your high school counselor on TSI test dates and testing requirements. 
6. Information for Home School Students
   Home School students interested in Dual Credit will follow the same process: ApplyTX, ACES login, Alamo Enroll Modules, and TSI testing as any Dual Credit student. Please contact the Home School Dual Credit Advisor upon completion of enrollment process or if assistance is needed to complete enrollment process.

Counselor Responsibilities

Information session
Schedule Dual Credit Information Sessions with Palo Alto College Dual Credit staff at the high school.

Application and Modules
Schedule ApplyTexas application and AlamoENROLL modules completion days.

TSI examination

• Schedule students to take the TSI Placement Exam in writing and essay, reading, and math.
• Communicate TSI Placement Exam and qualifying scores to prospective Dual Credit students.

Documentation Submission
Submit the following completed documents to Palo Alto College Dual Credit office:

• Parent Consent Forms (PDF)
• Verification of Eligibility (Word Doc)

Course Recommendations
Dual Credit Student Recommendation List with all eligible student information and course recommendations

Advising

Advising Syllabus
The Advising syllabus details the topics the Dual Credit Advisor will review with student by semester. 

DC Advising Syllabus

TAGS Link
Transfer Advising Guides (formerly called 2+2 Plans) provide information on courses to complete prior to transferring to a university. Students should use the transfer advising guides to determine what courses to take at Palo Alto College, as these plans list the requirements within each degree. Transfer advising guides can be accessed here.

Texas Common Core Numbering System (TCCNS)
The Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) is a voluntary, co-operative effort among 137 Texas community colleges and universities to facilitate transfer of freshman and sophomore level general academic coursework. TCCNS provides a shared, uniform set of course designations for students and their advisors to use in determining both course equivalency and degree applicability of transfer credit on a statewide basis.

College Transcript

How to Request Official Transcripts
Students should allow 5-7 business days for the transcript requests to be processed.  Transcript Request

Transcripts are NOT printed on campus. All transcripts are printed and mailed from an off-site location after a request is made. For this reason, it is not possible to pick up a transcript in person on the same day of a request.  Please contact Credentials Solutions at 847-716-3005 if request is not processed in seven (7) business days.

Counselor & ISD Partners

High School Programs Manual
The High School Program Manual gives a detailed overview of all the policies and procedures that pertain to the high school programs department.

TSI
Below is the link detailing the TSI upload Process for Counselors

TSIA2 Revised CSV report Instructions

Information for Home School Students
Home School students interested in Dual Credit will follow the same process: ApplyTX, ACES login, Alamo Enroll Modules, and TSI testing as any Dual Credit student.

Please contact the Home School Dual Credit Advisor upon completion of enrollment process or if assistance to complete enrollment process.

Home School Parent Invoice Registration Form

HSP Forms
Below are the HSP forms that are needed in order to be in compliance with the colleges rules and regulations.

Parent Consent Form (PDF)
Verification Form (PDF)
Course Agreement (PDF)
Recommendation List (Excel)
Add/Drop Slip (PDF)

Prospective Partners

Steps to offer Dual Credit at your school
SD Partner must reach out to the HSP department. The HSP department will set up a meeting with perspective partners verify that eligible to be a part of Dual Credit and is not with any other Alamo Colleges. Then PAC will start the Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) process with the perspective partners.

What Are Dual Credit Courses?
Dual Credit courses are offered in a variety of subject areas including math, science, English, economics, history, government and a wide variety of technical courses.

Dual Credit courses are taught either at the college or at the high school. Courses are taught by college faculty or by qualified high school instructors who meet the same criteria as college faculty.

If you are interested in a Dual Credit course, check with your high school counselor for a complete list of available courses. Dual Credit academic courses are transferable to all Texas public colleges and universities and to some private and out-of-state institutions.

What Are the Benefits?
Dual Credit offers motivated high school students the opportunity to earn college and high school credit simultaneously.

As a Dual Credit student, you can: Save money on college tuition. Finish college faster. Enjoy an easier transition to college-level coursework and college life.

Who Can Enroll?
To participate in the Dual Credit program, you must:

Be enrolled in good standing in 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade of a participating high school, private, charter or home school.  Have approval from a high school counselor.  Fulfill appropriate admissions criteria to the college.  Meet minimum test scores.

Who pays for the costs of dual credit classes?
Palo Alto Community College has waived tuition and fees for dual credit students. Students living within taxing districts (In-District) may take dual credit classes at no charge. Students living outside of the taxing district (Out-of-District) do not pay tuition, but they do pay tuition out-of-district fees.

Where are Dual Credit classes taught?
Dual Credit classes are conveniently held on the high school campus or on a nearby college campus. On the high school campus, the classes are exclusively for students attending that high school. On the college campus, students are integrated into regular college courses with regular college students.

How many courses can I take?
House Bill 505 removed limitations on the number of classes a student may take. However, Palo Alto Community College recommends that students taking more than two classes per semester possess a 3.0 or higher grade point average in high school coursework.

How will I know if my dual credit courses transfer?
Students may verify the transferability of credit by asking the target university if they will accept Palo Alto Community College college-level courses in transfer. While many private and out-of-state institutions accept our college-level courses in transfer, students are advised to confirm transferability with the private or out-of-state institution. Workforce courses may or may not be transferable depending upon whether Palo Alto Community College and the college or university has a signed articulation agreement for the particular program and courses in question.

Who is responsible for purchasing the textbooks and other instructional material?
Dual credit students, like all college students, are responsible for purchasing required textbooks and other essential course materials. The exception would be in cases where the high school provides textbooks.

Can dual credit students obtain financial aid?
Dual credit students cannot receive financial aid. Students must earn a high school diploma or GED to be eligible for financial aid.

What is FERPA and who is an eligible student?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that affords parents the right to have access to their children’s education records, the right to seek to have the records amended, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records. When a student turns 18 years old, or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, the rights under FERPA transfer from the parents to the student (“eligible student”). An “eligible student” means a student who has reached the age of 18 or who is attending a postsecondary institution at any age. Once a student becomes an “eligible student,” the rights afforded his or her parents under FERPA transfer to that student.