College Before Graduation

Prior to spring of the junior year, we recommend students who are taking college classes for the first time start with a college-level class offered in their high school/Boulder TEC (AP/IB, FRCC, MSU, Aims, UNC or CU Succeed) or in the BVSD District Select program.

In order to save time and money, you will need to plan strategically so that your credits not only transfer but also apply to future academic or industry requirements. Learn more about transferability. 

Students may take courses that are part of the Colorado Guaranteed Transfer program, apply to a postsecondary degree or industry certificate, or is a gateway course. For the student interested in preparing for ASCENT or getting a head start on college general education requirements, here is a checklist to track progress.

To learn more about the difference between degrees and certificates, click here.

Many students save lots of money by getting their Associate's Degree at a Community College before transferring to a 4-year University in Colorado. To get started while in high school, learn more about the Statewide Transfer Articulation Agreements. 

Classes must be aligned with the student's ICAP.  Based on documented student need, at this time remedial courses may be approved for 12th graders only. 

Audited courses (courses taken for "No Credit) will not be approved

Although a few students may start taking college courses in the fall of 9th grade, we encourage most students to have at least one year of high school completed. Most colleges will require students under age 16 to complete additional paperwork ensuring they understand the rigors of college courses. 

To receive both high school and college credit, your course must be approved by BVSD. To let us know you are interested in being approved, complete the CBG Agreement Request Form with your parent/guardian. Within 2 weeks of submitting your request, you will receive an approval email with information on how to register for courses. Earn a 'C' or higher to receive college credit.

It starts with some self reflection and discussing your abilities and motivation with your parents, a counselor or a Grad+ Site Lead.

• Why do you want to take college level courses?
• What type of classes will you be taking? Do they align with your career interests? Do you already have some experience in that subject area or taking those types of courses?
• Are you motivated and disciplines to stay on task in between class sessions? Some classes only meet once or twice a week. You are responsible for your own learning which happens mostly outside of class time.
• Are you able to complete assignments and projects on time or with appropriate accommodations?
• Are you willing to acknowledge when you might be struggling with the material or are falling behind and can ask for help?

Being a college student is being an adult. It comes with responsibilities and consequences. Course material is presented at a quicker pace than in high school. In college, you might move on to new topics with every class session. It is up to you to stay on task.

It's important to understand the difference between accommodations and modifications. Accommodations affect how you access learning material without changing what you are required to learn to pass the class. Examples of accommodations are extra time for tests and assignments, quiet testing location, access to lecture notes and many others. Modifications change what you learn and alters the course content. Examples of modifications include doing fewer or shorter assignments, and being graded based on different criteria. 

Colleges can provide for accommodations but not modifications. To earn college credit, you must be able to meet the same learning outcomes as all of the other students. Please meet with the disability services office at the college to get set up for accommodations. Although colleges are not required to honor IEPs and 504s, they will use these to work with you in determining what accommodations are right for you. 

It depends on whether your class is concurrent or dual enrollment. In the example below, FRCC and MSU are concurrent enrollment class; CU Boulder is a dual enrollment class.

If you take a class through CU, you will be responsible for paying the difference; in Colorado this is referred to as Dual Enrollment.  Additionally, families need to cover the cost of fees and books at CU Boulder. Please note that many institutions are no longer mailing a bill, but providing it on the online student account.

All high school students have access to COF funds regardless of their residency status for Colorado. Students who do NOT authorize COF funding be applied to their tuition will be responsible for what COF would have paid which is currently $116/credit. Usually COF is authorized when the student applies to the college, however, it is the student's responsibility to confirm that COF has been applied to their tuition. Usually this information is available through the college's online portal.

*MSU allows high school students to take classes on their campus at the community college tuition rate.

No. Students taking classes over the summer at their own expense should receive approval from their principal prior to taking the class if they want the class to count toward high school requirements.

A student will first meet with their counselor or a Grad+ TOSA (at BoHS, BrHS, CHS, FHS and MHS)  to discuss the appropriateness of taking college level courses. These courses must align with the student’s ICAP. The proper forms must be completed and submitted (see checklist for Front Range Community College or University of Colorado). The district will provide final approval to all courses. 

Students receiving a "D", "F", "I", or "W" in prior college courses must petition to the Career and College Connections office to stay in the program.

We encourage students start with taking one class at a time. A student may take 2 college courses a semester. Exceptions will be made for CTE programs that require more than 2 courses a semester. Other exceptions may be made with the counselor and building administrator’s recommendation. 

No. Placement into a course is determined by the college and may require a placement test or approval from an instructor.

Also, students are allowed into courses on a space-available basis. Please register for your courses as soon as the college allows. See the calendar here. CU does not open their course registration to High School students until shortly before courses begin.

BVSD pays the tuition for the courses after the withdraw deadline. If you are not sure what your portion of the bill is, please contact the college.

Colleges and universities determine which credits they will accept. Colleges issuing credit do not determine which credits will transfer to another school. If you are concerned about college credits earned while in high school transferring, please check with the accepting college. Some universities have policies that limit the number or type of credits they will transfer in. Transferology is a tool you can use to find out what courses will transfer. Save the syllabus from each college course as the receiving college may use these to determine transferability.

All public Colorado colleges and universities participate in the Guaranteed Transfer program. Credits earned in these courses are guaranteed to be accepted as long as they align with your college program of study. GT courses are marked as GT with another pair of letters and a number, i.e. GT-MA1, GT-CO1. Usually only a select number of credits in a GT category are needed. 

Often other colleges and universities, especially those in Colorado, will accept FRCC transfer credits, however, we cannot guarantee transfer of credits. We recommend you contact the college/university you plan to attend to inquire about transferability of credits. Also, keep a copy of the syllabus for every course you take.

Yes, you may. Students taking CBG courses and participate in any CHSAA regulated activity are responsible for reporting in-progress college grades directly to the school athletic director or designee.

Students can expect to spend 3 hours per week in class and  6-9 hours per week outside of regular class time on homework in a 3 credit course. This may vary depending on the type of class, your learning style, reading and writing skills, and how prepared you are for the class.

Be aware of Drop and Withdraw deadlines every semester. Drop deadlines usually are within the first week to ten days of class starting. If you drop a class before this deadline, the class will not show up on your high school or college transcript. Withdraw deadlines are later in the semester. If you withdraw from a class a "W" will be recorded on your college transcript but will not count in your GPA. Note to drop or withdraw from a class you must do so through the college's online system. Also, please let your counselor know if you are dropping. If you are a senior, it may affect your ability to graduate on time. Also, receiving a "W" on your college transcript may affect future federal financial aid. See your college's financial aid website for details.

Students who have already applied to the college do not need to complete another application. They do need to complete the  BVSD enrollment process (Request Form and CBG Agreement) each semester and register for the course in the college online system.