Dual credit courses are courses that are taught in our high schools with high school teachers.  The curriculum in these courses is aligned to a corresponding college class and thus is eligible for “dual” credit (both high school and college credit).  Instructors of these courses have completed additional graduate-level coursework in the subject area they are teaching to be eligible to teach the course.

All dual credit courses are aligned to a course with a partner college.  Currently, all but one of our dual credit courses are taught through our partnership with McHenry County College (the one outlier is our DC Calculus III class which is taught through the University of Illinois).  After successful completion of the course, students can order a transcript from the college.

No, all dual credit courses are currently taught in our high schools with high school teachers.  As our program grows, it is possible students may have opportunities to take classes on MCC’s campus.

Through our partnership with MCC, all dual credit courses that are taught in a D155 high school are tuition-free to students.  A small fee is required for some courses or when ordering a transcript from MCC.  If a student takes a class on MCC’s campus, they would be charged MCC’s standard tuition rate.  There is a fee for the DC Calculus III course through the University of Illinois (~$400).

Currently, we offer more than 25 dual credit courses in a variety of different curricular areas.  A full list of dual credit courses can be found in our course selection guide which can be found on our website.

• Save money! - These courses would cost about $500 per semester ($1,000 for the year) at MCC and $1400 per semester ($2800 for the year) at NIU.

• Save time! - Completion of these courses in high school can help students meet collegiate general education requirements.  This can free up students to take other high-interest courses in college and/or increase the possibility to graduate early if desired.

• Less stress! - Since college credit is earned for successfully completing the course and demonstrating proficiency over time rather than on a single high stakes exam (such as with AP courses), some students have shared that this is a less stressful way to earn college credit.

Most of the dual credit classes we offer are articulated within the state of Illinois meaning they will transfer to other colleges/universities within Illinois.  While we have also seen a high level of success with these courses transferring to out-of-state schools, there have been some instances where institutions did not take the transfer credit.  It is best if the student checks with the college/university they are interested in receiving their degree from to make sure the course will transfer.

Advanced Placement® (AP®) credit is earned when a student pays for and completes a test at the end of the course.  If a student receives a 3, 4, or 5, they have the ability to earn college credit for demonstrating knowledge in a particular area.  Dual Credit is an opportunity for students to take a class that has a matching syllabus with a college.  The student’s grade in this class is reported to the college and is transcripted with both the high school and college.  With both AP® and Dual Credit, colleges and universities have the ability to deny credit for a course at their own discretion.  It is best if the student checks with the college/university they are interested in receiving their degree from to make sure the course will transfer.

Dual credit classes are awarded the highest grade weights for GPA equal to an AP® class.

Yes, with the important distinction that MCC does not use +/- letter grades.  So, the percentage that is reported to MCC will be the same percentage that determines their high school grade.  This means that the letter grade may differ between the high school and college transcript (i.e. an 89% would be a B+ on their high school transcript but would be reported as a B by MCC).

What if a student doesn’t do well in a dual credit course?  Can they drop the class?

It is important to understand that grades from dual credit courses will appear on MCC transcripts and thus be part of their collegiate GPA.  Taking a dual credit class is a commitment and means that students are technically MCC students as well.  Thus, they have to adhere to MCC’s policies regarding dropping classes as well as academic probation. 

If a student wants to drop a class:

• If it’s within the first 10 days of the class, the drop can be processed without penalty and the course will not show up on the student’s transcript.

• If they want to drop the class after ten days, they can, but the course will show up on their transcript with a “W”.  This does not impact their GPA, but it does count as a course taken and thus could impact their financial aid status later.  Since they would have a course taken but not have earned a grade, their GPA would be interpreted to be zero and they may be listed as on academic probation.  They would then have one semester to earn a 2.5 GPA otherwise their financial aid status may be suspended.

• If they want to drop the class during the last few weeks of the class, it would go on their transcript as a W/F.  This is essentially the same as earning an F in the course which then assigns a zero to their GPA for that course which would impact their GPA moving forward.