College Opportunities for High School Students
Get an early start on your college education at Wilkes Community College with...
Concurrent Enrollment through the North Carolina Career and College Promise program
Wilkes Community College and all of the North Carolina community colleges are participating in the North Carolina Career and College Promise program, which became effective on January 1, 2012.
Choose your pathway - Under the Career & College Promise program, high school students may enroll in a College Transfer Pathway
or in a Career Technical Education Pathway.
Courses in the College Transfer Pathways will transfer to most 4-year colleges in NC, and will also count towards a 2-year community college transfer Associate degree.
Courses in the Career Technical Education pathways will count toward a community college 2-year degree or a diploma.
Free Tuition - High school students may take college courses listed within their pathway tuition-free. High school students taking these courses are only responsible for the cost of transportation to and from the college, their individual school supplies, and a $20 per course (maximum of $40 per student per semester) materials fee. Textbooks for college courses will be issued by their high school and must be returned at the end of the semester.
High school students will not be charged tuition for courses within their selected pathway.
Eligibility
College Transfer Pathways
Students registering for courses in the College Transfer Pathways must:
- be a high school junior or senior
- have at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average in their high school courses
- demonstrate college readiness in Reading, English and Math on an approved assessment or placement test. (See NCCCS benchmarks)
- In order to maintain eligibility, students must continue to make progress toward high school graduation and maintain at least a 2.00 GPA in college coursework after completing two courses
Career & Technical Pathways
Students registering for courses in a Career & Technical Pathway must:
- be a high school junior or senior
- have at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average in their high school courses OR have the recommendation of the high school principal
- meet course prerequisites
- In order to maintain eligibility, students must continue to make progress toward high school graduation and maintain at least a 2.00 GPA in college coursework after completing two courses
Options for High School students to earn high school AND college credit:
- College Courses offered at the Wilkes Community College Campus
- Online Courses
- College Courses Offered on the High School Campus
- Career & Technical High School courses
- Wilkes Early College High School
College Courses offered at the WCC Campus
Participating high school students attend classes at their high school for part of the school day and college courses at Wilkes Community College (WCC) for part of the day. These concurrent enrollment students earn both high school and college credit for the college courses they successfully complete. WCC offers a variety of courses at times that correspond to the high school afternoon class periods. High school students may also take courses in the evening or at other times that fit their schedules.
Online Courses
Many of the courses in the pathways are available for students to take online. These courses are best suited for students who have good study habits and are self-starters. Coursework for online classes may usually be completed at any time and location with computer and available Internet service.
* To find out if online courses at WCC may be right for you, go to the Distance Learning page or the FAQ Section.
College Courses Offered on the High School Campus
Some college courses may be offered on the high school campus either during the normal school day or immediately afterward. Check with your high school counselor for a list of courses to be offered on your campus.
College Credit for High School Technical Education Courses
High school students can also earn college credit for certain high school courses they complete. Please talk to your high school guidance counselor or WCC high school representative for further details.
Save Time!
High school students who plan carefully and start taking college courses early in their high school careers can earn a substantial amount of college credit toward a two-year associate degree by the time they graduate from high school. Many courses at WCC are transferable to all four-year member colleges of the North Carolina University system and a number of private colleges.
Want more information?
Talk to your high school counselor or the WCC representative at your high school to learn what options might be best for you.
Contact at Wilkes Community College:
Becky Kennedy (336) 838- 6484 for all Wilkes County High Schools
Chris Robinson (336) 846-3900 for Ashe County
Jayne Boger (336) 372-5061 for Alleghany
Frank Wonsavage (336) 838-6441 for Home School / Private.
The four College Transfer Pathways and the courses within each pathway are listed here.
How to Register
High school students will need to complete the following:
Textbooks
Textbooks for college courses will be provided for high school students living in Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties. Students may check out their textbooks at the beginning of the semester and must return them at the end of the semester.
Wilkes County students attending East Wilkes, West Wilkes, North Wilkes and Wilkes Central will check out their textbooks from their high school's media center. Eligible students who do not attend one of these schools may check out their textbooks from the WCC Media Center, located on the second floor of Alumni Hall.
High school students living in Ashe or Alleghany counties should contact the Business Office at the WCC campus in their county.
"Get Connected" Early
It's important for you to get connected to your college courses as soon as the semester starts, if not earlier. Access the following link for additional information. "How To Get and Stay Connected"
Start building your college transcript now at Wilkes Community College!