FAQ

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What is College Now?

The College Now program offers high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while still attending high school. The classes are taught at the high school, during the school day, by COCC approved high school teachers. There are two different types of courses offered through this program.

College Now/CTE courses are selected career technical courses which will move students along a Career Pathway, in a Program of Study, leading to a certificate or Associate of Applied Science degree. Options include courses in allied health, automotive, biology, business administration, criminal justice, culinary, early childhood education, emergency medical technician, forestry, manufacturing and nursing.

College Now/Transfer courses can be used to meet COCC certificate or degree requirements or transferred to many other community colleges and universities across Oregon and the U.S. COCC is currently articulating the following courses: math, science, literature, writing, health & human performance, film and history.

Not every course is offered at every high school. Check out our listing of courses by school to see what classes you can take.

 

Do students have to be enrolled in high school to take these courses?

Yes. A student must be enrolled in high school at the time he/she applies for COCC College Now credit.

 

Do students need to be of a certain status to be eligible i.e., Seniors, Juniors, 15 credits toward graduation, etc.?

College Now classes are usually limited to seniors and qualified juniors. Exceptions may be made for other students, deemed by their high school teachers to meet the prerequisite skills/aptitudes for each particular course. If you're interested in a particular class, ask the teacher if you're qualified to take it.

 

Is a College Now student officially admitted to COCC?

No. College Now is a unique program that doesn't require official admission to the college. To be officially admitted to COCC a student is required to fill out a COCC application and pay a $25 application fee.

 

How much does it cost?

At a cost of $15 per credit, students saved up to $320 per course over regular COCC tuition. COCC does not offer any scholarships, but some high schools have funds to help lower income students. Check with your high school counselor. COCC tuition waivers (for dependents of COCC employees) do NOT cover College Now, since it is a fee, not tuition.

 

Who teaches College Now courses?

Classes are taught by regular teachers at your high school. They must meet COCC's criteria for instructors and be approved by the COCC department in which their course is taught.

 

Are these courses hard?

College Now classes are real college courses, that must meet the same outcomes and objectives as courses taught on campus. Your teacher will work with a COCC mentor to make sure the course covers the same material as an on-campus course. As a result, College Now courses are as rigorous as the courses taught on our campus. Whether you will find them hard or not depends on your preparation, background and work ethic. If you're worried, talk to your high school teacher. He or she can help you decide if you're ready for College Now.

 

What does it mean to get college credit?

When you earn credit through College Now, you will have a permanent COCC transcript showing your courses and the grades you earned. You will establish a GPA. Other colleges may or may not accept the transfer credit; you'll need to check with them, but you will always have credit through us.

 

If I want to take one of these courses, but DON'T want college credit, do I have to sign up?

No! To earn COCC credit, you must register. If you don't register, you don't earn the college credit, but you still earn credit towards high school graduation and learn all kinds of amazing stuff.

 

What if I'm not doing very well in the class?

If you aren't doing well in a college course, you'll want to drop it. Staying in the class and getting an F will dramatically decrease your college GPA, and that GPA stays with you forever. So if you aren't doing well, your teacher can help you drop the COCC portion of the course, while completing the high school part.

If you drop the class before the "drop date," it will not show up on your transcript. Click on the College Now Calendar page for your high school to see exact drop dates; each school has a slightly different schedule.

If you drop after the drop date, you will get a grade of W on your transcript. Ws aren't calculated into your GPA, but they do impact your completion rate, which could hurt you later on when you try to get financial aid. To get a W, you need to submit a drop form before the withdrawal date (usually a week before finals, but check the College Now Calendar page to be sure.)

If you drop the high school course, you must also drop the college course, using our drop form, or you will earn an F.

Drop forms are located here.

 

What if I get an F or a W?

If you think you're headed towards an F, talk to your teacher. You don't want an F on your college transcript, because a bad GPA can impact your future eligibility for financial aid for years. Unless you wait until the very end of the term, you should be able to withdraw from the class. If you do that, you'll have a W on your transcript. A W doesn't impact your GPA, although it will affect your COCC completion rate, which also plays into your financial aid eligibility. The good new is, if you transfer to another school, most colleges will not hold a W from COCC against you. See this Financial Aid page for more information. Or check the financial aid pages of the school to which you're considering transferring.

 

How will documents be transmitted between the high school and the community college?

At the beginning of the course the high school teacher will send the completed registration form and class fee for each student to the College Now office. Students must register with the high school teacher by the deadline. No late registrations are accepted. At many schools (Crook County, Culver, La Pine, Madras, Redmond, Ridgeview, and Sisters) registrations and fees are collected by the high school bookkeeper. At other schools (Bend, Marshall, Mountain View, Summit, RPA and schools outside Central Oregon,) registrations are collected by the individual teachers.

At completion of a class, the high school teacher will send the final grade roster and any other documentation specific to the course to the College Now office. Documentation will be routed to the appropriate college department for review and approval. Documents may be mailed, faxed, e-mailed or hand-carried by the teacher, an administrator or COCC staff member. Students may not hand-carry their own materials to COCC.

 

How are College Now courses graded?

COCC faculty and high school teachers meet before the class begins, to align course outcome requirements for each articulated course. All course requirements must be agreed upon before the course is offered. Students are graded according to these pre-determined course outcome requirements. Course grading is explained on the course outcome checklist or syllabus. The COCC Grading Policy must be followed for all classes. For more information see: College Now Grading Policy.

 

Who transcripts the credit earned, and how will students be notified?

COCC will transcript eligible credits when the following items have been received for each registered student: a final grade roster any required outcomes checklists, and any other documentation specific to the course such as a final exam or journal. COCC will record the grade and post it online at the end of each term approximately five days after COCC finals week. (For some courses, the grades may be delayed -- your teacher can tell you if this is the case.)

 

Will the college send the student a grade report?

No. End of term grades are available via the students Bobcat Web Account and will not be mailed. Grades are available approximately five days after the end of each college term. Exact dates are printed on each high school's calendar. Directions for checking grades are found at Grades and Student Records.

 

How can a student print an unofficial transcript?

You may print an unofficial transcript from your Bobcat Web Account.

 

How does a student request a copy of a COCC official transcript?

Students may request an official transcript via their Bobcat Web Account or in writing. See Request a Transcript.

 

Can College Now credits affect future financial aid?

Yes! There may be future financial aid implications for unsatisfactory academic progress (grade of D or F) in a College Now class. Unsatisfactory academic progress includes a cumulative college GPA below 2.0 and a cumulative completion rate below 66.67% of calculated credits at the end of each term. When a student applies for federal financial aid, the Financial Aid office at the college evaluates all previous grades and credits on that students transcript. That will include grades and credits you attempt in College Now classes. In addition, students are limited to financial aid eligibility only for 150% of the published credit length of a selected academic program. All credits listed on a students transcript, including college credits attempted in high school, count toward the 150% limit for your selected program. The limit is approximately 135 credits for a two-year degree. Oregon Promise covers only the the first 90 credits -- which includes any credits earned in high school, even if Oregon Promise doesn't pay for the those credits. For more information, see COCC's Financial Aid web page.

 

Will my classes transfer to another college?

Students often ask if their College Now credits will transfer to other institutions. Classes can be used to meet COCC certificate or degree requirements and may transfer to community colleges and many universities in Oregon and across the U.S. While many of the credits will transfer, that decision is up to the accepting institution. We encourage you to check with the school you're considering to see if your coursework will transfer. Here we've posted links to Oregon's public universities.

 

What happens if there is a payment problem?

For students who pay through their school (currently Crook County, Culver, La Pine, Madras, Redmond, Ridgeview, and Sisters high schools,) payment issues will be handled by the high school bookkeeper. For students who make payment to COCC, it can take up to 4 weeks after the registration deadline for us to process payments.

If your credit card is rejected for any reason, we will contact the student by phone and email. If the student has given us permission to contact their parent (i.e. they listed their parent(s) on the registration form AND signed the form) we will also contact the parents with payment options. Teachers will be notified there is a problem with a student's registration, but not the nature of the problem. Bounced checks will be handled by the COCC Fiscal Services department and result in a penalty fee. The student will remain enrolled in the class, but failure to resolve the payment issue will prevent the student from registering for any other COCC classes, and may prevent the student from requesting transcripts.

 

Click here for an introductory video.