Frequently Asked Questions

The College Now program offers high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while still attending high school. 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 - Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses are hands-on courses that move students along a Career Pathway, a Program of Study, or lead to a certificate or Associate of Applied Science degree. Options include courses in allied health, automotive, baking, business administration, criminal justice, culinary, early childhood education and manufacturing.

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. Options include biology, film, history, math, health and human performance, psychology and writing,

Not every course is offered at every high school. View which College Now courses are available at your high school.

Yes. You must be enrolled in high school at the time you register for COCC College Now credit, and enrolled in a high school class that offers College Now credit.

College Now classes are usually limited to seniors and qualified juniors. Exceptions may be made but it is up to your high school counselor and the high school instructor for the class.

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

College Now courses are just $25 per credit. You can save up to $553 per course over regular COCC tuition. Plus there are no other fees or books to purchase. COCC does not offer any scholarships, but some high schools have funds to help students. Check with your high school counselor to see what funding may be available. COCC tuition waivers (for dependents of COCC employees) do NOT cover College Now, since it is a fee, not tuition.

Classes are taught by your high school teachers at your high school during school hours. College Now high school instructors must meet the same criteria as regular COCC faculty and be approved by the COCC department in which their course is taught. See our Teacher Approval Process for more information.

College Now courses are regular college courses, that meet the same outcomes as courses taught on a COCC campus. Your high school instructor will work with a COCC faculty 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 a COCC campus. Whether you will find them hard or not depends on your preparation, study skills background and work ethic. Speak with your high school counselor or teacher if you have questions on the rigor, talk to your high school teacher or counselor.

AP Comparison - There are many College Now courses that are both College Now and AP. The majority of high school students report that they see no difference between the two when comparing difficulty and workload.

Earning college credit through College Now means you will establish a college GPA and have a COCC transcript showing the courses you took and the grades you earned. Earning college credit in high school can give you an affordable way to get a jump start on your college education or career. Taking this type of initiative looks great on a college admissions application and a resume. It is also a great way to explore an area of interest before committing to a particular college, program or career.

No! To earn COCC credit, you must register for the College Now course. If you don't register, you won't earn college credit, but you still earn credit towards high school requirements.

If you aren't doing well in a College Now course, you will want to meet with your high school instructor to consider dropping the course. You will still stay in the high school version of the course if you drop the College Now course. Staying in the College Now course and earning a D or F will negatively impact your GPA which can impact future college admissions and financial aid eligibility.

If you drop a course before the drop deadline then it will not show on your transcript. Select your high school to see exact drop deadlines as each school has a different schedule.

If you drop the course after the drop deadline then you will have a grade of W on your transcript. W's aren't calculated into your GPA, but they do impact your completion rate, which can impact your future financial aid eligibility after you graduate. The good new is, if you transfer to another school, most colleges will not hold a W 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.

Submit a drop form before the withdrawal deadline (usually a week before finals) to have a W on your transcript. Select your high school to see exact withdraw deadlines.

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

Download a fillable Drop Form.

COCC faculty and high school instructors meet before the class begins, to align course outcome requirements for each 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.

COCC will transcript credits and post grades to your Bobcat Web Account after we receive and process grade rosters from your high school instructor. Grades are posted at the end of each COCC term (approximately five days after COCC's finals week). View COCC's academic calendar for official dates when grades are posted.

You are not notified when grades are posted and are not mailed a transcript or grade report. Check your Bobcat Web Account to view your grades and/or request a transcript. Directions for checking grades are found at Grades and Student Records. This video shows you how to check your grades and send a transcript.

You can view and print an unofficial transcript at no cost from your Bobcat Web Account. This video shows you how to view and print your unofficial transcript.

Request an official transcript through your Bobcat Web Account. Visit request a transcript for more information. This video shows you how to request an official transcript.

Yes! There can 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 completion rate below 66.67% of credits at the end of each term.

When you apply for financial aid, the Financial Aid office at the college you plan on attending evaluates all prior grades and credits on your transcript. This includes grades and credits you earned or attempted in College Now courses. In addition, students are limited to financial aid eligibility for 150% of the published credit length of a selected academic program. All credits listed on your 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 90 credits which includes College Now credits, even if Oregon Promise doesn't pay for the those credits. For more information, see COCC's Financial Aid web page.

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

If you have a balance due we will contact you by phone or email. We will also contact your parent or guardian. You will remain enrolled in the course, but failure to pay will prevent you from registering for future COCC or College Now courses.

Yes! You can use COCC's Library resources and associated databases. Here is a link to more information on accessing the Library as a College Now student.

Here is a video for Library Access. Here is a guide specifically for English & Literature with links to relevant databases. If you run into errors, this webpage describes the most common reasons why.

There is no refund if you drop a College Now course. There is a petition process available to request a refund if there is an extenuating circumstance and are unable to pay for College Now course fees. Please contact the College Now office at collegenow@cocc.edu for more information.