High school students find $812k value in RLC’s dual credit program

INA, Ill. – Rend Lake College’s dual credit program just wrapped up its 14th year of helping local high school students save in both money and time. This year, a total of 2,845 students (duplicated) saved approximately $812,820 in tuition by enrolling in the program.

RLC’s dual credit program offers tuition-free courses with a reduced rate for textbook rental for in-district high school students. Each credit hour at RLC costs $95, so for the 2,845 (duplicated) students who earned a total of 8,556 credit hours in the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 semesters, the savings in tuition alone adds up to approximately $812,820. Students who enroll in both semesters are counted twice for official reports.

Through this program, juniors and seniors take general education courses during the day at their high school, meeting graduation requirements at both the high school and RLC. The courses are taught by both college and high school instructors.

Lisa Price, RLC Vice President of Student Services, said students who take advantage of the dual credit program have many benefits to look forward to.

“Dual credit courses can give high school students a very unique opportunity to see first-hand what college-level classes are like, while helping them figure out what they want to focus their studies on,” said Price. “On top of that, the savings for each family really adds up over the semesters. This year, our local students saved over $800,000 in tuition – that’s something to be very proud of.”

This was especially true for Christopher High School graduate Courtney Young of Buckner who graduated from RLC before receiving her high school diploma in May. Young joined the ranks of those dedicated students who used RLC’s dual credit and dual enrollment programs to help knock two years off their collegiate careers.

In May, Young said, “Reaching this achievement has been very surreal for me. Graduating from Rend Lake College before I graduate from high school has been a goal of mine since the summer after my sophomore year… I first heard about dual credit and dual enrollment courses through my high school. When I first began taking classes, they were fairly easy, only there was a little more work involved. In my last two semesters, however, I found the classes to be a bit difficult, but not unmanageable. Overall, I really enjoyed the challenges that came with taking courses at Rend Lake. I feel they helped enhance my knowledge and furthered my education while I was still enrolled at Christopher.”

In total, 88 (duplicated) Christopher High School students enrolled in RLC’s dual credit program this year, earning 370 credit hours and saving approximately $35,150.

Mt. Vernon Township, Benton Consolidated, and Pinckneyville Community high schools had the most participants in the dual credit program this year at 888, 526, and 376 (all duplicated) respectively. Mt. Vernon Township students earned a total of 2,415 credit hours in two semesters, saving approximately $229,425 in tuition.

Benton Consolidated followed with 1,677 credit hours earned and savings of approximately $159,315. Pinckneyville Community students earned 1,304 credit hours, saving their families approximately $123,880 in tuition.

The biggest jump in participants and savings this year was from Webber Township High School. Last year, Webber only had 56 (duplicated) participants, which increased to 235 (duplicated) this year. The difference in tuition savings between the years is $43,225.

HIGH SCHOOL	STUDENTS ENROLLED  (Duplicated)	TOTAL CREDIT HOURS	SAVINGS TO STUDENTS    ($95 per credit hour)
Benton	526	1,677	$159,315
Christopher	88	370	$35,150
Hamilton Co.	155	482	$45,790
Mt. Vernon	888	2,415	$229,425
Pinckneyville	376	1,304	$123,880
Sesser-Valier	50	98	$9,310
Thompsonville	66	204	$19,380
Waltonville	135	380	$36,100
Wayne City	133	370	$35,150
Webber	235	639	$60,705
Woodlawn	113	336	$34,770
Zeigler-Royalton	80	251	$23,845
TOTAL	2,845	8,556	$812,820

All 13 public high schools in RLC’s district are registered with the program, and 12 participated last year including Benton Consolidated High School, Christopher High School, Hamilton County High School, Mt. Vernon Township High School, Pinckneyville Community High School, Sesser-Valier Community High School, Thompsonville High School, Waltonville High School, Wayne City Community High School, Webber Township High School, Woodlawn High School, and Zeigler-Royalton Community High School.

Students must meet placement requirements and prerequisites prior to enrolling in the courses. Approval for students to participate in dual enrollment must be obtained by a high school official. Students also must adhere to the RLC drop policy. The grade will become a part of the college transcript.

Tuition is waived for eight hours per semester. For those wanting to take additional classes, approval from the Vice President of Student Services is required.

For more information on dual credit, contact the Student Services Department at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1266.