Get a Jump Start on College! Southern's Early College program provides high school students with the opportunity to explore courses in health care, business, education, science, or the arts and earn up to 30 college credits towards a degree. Courses are held either at your high school or on our college campus. If your school or district is a partner, tuition is waived, that’s a savings of over $2,100 per 3-credit course. If your school is not a partner, or if you are a home-schooled student, we welcome you to take courses as a non-matriculated, visiting, part-time student. See tuition and fees for current rates.
Students may earn up to 30 college credits by successfully completing Early College courses at their high school for dual credit; students earn both high school and college credit for a course. Eligible students may also enroll in classes delivered by Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) faculty on our campus for college credit, and on a space-available basis. Students must receive a recommendation from their high school counselor to participate in Early College courses. The criteria are as follows:
- High School junior or senior
- 3.0 GPA (B average) or higher
- High school counselors may recommend participation in specific courses where students have demonstrated academic promise or successfully completed related college-level coursework with a 2.0 GPA (C average) or higher.
The grades you earn for your Early College courses will start your official academic record at SCSU. Early College courses appear on the SCSU transcript and count as attempted credit calculated in the SCSU GPA. The grade you receive on your high school transcript for the course will be determined by your high school’s grading policy and may be different from the grade you receive on your SCSU transcript for the course. Credit earned at SCSU will be accepted at any public Connecticut State College or University; other colleges and universities accept your college credits at their discretion.
Once your high school counselor has approved you to take an Early College course:
- Complete and Submit the Early College Application.
- Once you are approved, you will receive an acceptance email from the SCSU Early College Office with further instructions.
All bill statements will be sent to the students SCSU email (@southernct.edu) after registration is complete.
If your school or district is a partner of our Early College program, tuition and general fees are waived for Early College courses taught at your high school or at SCSU!
- Students will be charged $65/semester for each fall and spring.
- Students will be charged $55/session for each winter and summer.
- These fees are waived for any student who qualifies for Free/Reduced Lunch.
If your school or district is not a partner of our Early College program, you will be billed part-time tuition per credit. Information on part-time tuition and payment options is available.
Registration: Each academic year, Early College students may register for up to 2 courses in the fall, 2 courses in the spring, and 1 course in the summer.
High School Classes: Early College students will be automatically registered in the classes held at their high school as approved on their application.
Southern Classes: Early College students interested in registering for courses held at Southern need to follow these steps to register for our recommended 100-level and 200-level courses:
1. Find Course Details
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Use the SCSU Class Search to find the 5-digit CRN, start/end dates, and class times for the courses you want.
2. Log In to MySCSU
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Go to MySCSU and navigate to Banner Student > Records and Registration > Registration and Schedule Planner > Current Schedule.
3. Register for Courses
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Enter the CRN and click "Register."
For assistance with course selection or registration, please contact perezn18@southernct.edu.
All Early College students taking SCSU courses at a high school are required to follow the procedures, policies, and regulations of their hosting high schools.
In addition to our Early College Office,
there are additional resources available to support our Early College students:
- Academic Support – tutors and coaching available by appointment
- Accessibility Services – accommodations available for students taking classes at Southern (please register); if you are taking an EC course at your high school, work with them to create your IEP/504
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Advising - guidance about course selection and is available at no additional cost, email Dr. Joan Weir, Early College Advisor (office hours: Mondays from 1-5p.m.) or Nilvio Perez.
- Blackboard the course learning management system can be accessed through the MySCSU portal; instructors post syllabi, assignments, and discussion boards on Blackboard.
- Library Support Services
- Student ID Card All Early College students will have an SCSU ID number. This number is required to complete the Early College application each semester. Students taking Early College courses may obtain an SCSU ID card by visiting the University Card office in the Wintergreen Building.
- Transportation students with a current SCSU ID can take the campus shuttle to and from Union Station and other local stops.
ConnCAP Pre-College Program students please contact Katie De Oliveira if you have any questions at deoliveirak1@southernct.edu
Students may elect to no longer participate in a course and "withdraw" from the course. For withdrawn courses, a grade of ‘W-Withdrawn’ will be issued on the transcript; otherwise, students will receive grades as assigned by the instructor. Academic withdrawal deadlines are not the same as tuition and fee refund deadlines.
How to Withdraw from a Course at Southern
Please visit our withdrawal website to review important information about withdrawing from a course held at Southern, including instructions on how to submit a course withdrawal and withdrawal deadlines.
How to Withdraw from a Course held at your high school
Students enrolled in an early college course held at their high school, who are no longer interested in pursuing college credit for the course, may withdraw at any time leading up to the withdrawal deadline listed on the Early College calendar for the semester by submitting the Early College Course Withdrawal form.