Dual Enrollment

About Dual Enrollment

New River Community College’s dual enrollment program gives qualified high school students the opportunity to kick start their college careers by enrolling in college course work while still in high school.

NRCC gives everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills, so lives and communities are strengthened. The college believes that all people should have a chance not only to develop and extend their skills and knowledge but also to increase awareness of their roles and duties as citizens. The college serves the educational needs of the public and assumes a responsibility to help provide the requirements for trained workers in the New River Valley through a combined effort with local industry, business, professions, and government, including economic development efforts. NRCC is also dedicated to organizing programs with senior institutions, as well as with those of local public school systems. It is because of these commitments that NRCC partners with high schools in our service region to offer a dual enrollment program.

Some of the key benefits of dual enrollment are

• Quality education close to home
• Opportunity to enter college after high school with credits applicable to a degree program
• Increased understanding of the rigor of college work as well as college faculty expectations

Dual enrollment courses are taught by full or part-time high school faculty who meet Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Conference on Colleges (SACSCOC) credentialing requirements. Dual enrollment credit applies toward NRCC degrees, diplomas, and certificates. Students should consult four-year institutions of their choice to determine the transferability of classes taken.

The learning outcomes for the dual enrollment courses are the same as those for courses taught on campus, and the level and rigor of content are the same as well.

Students (and their parents or caregivers) must recognize that dual enrollment courses require greater time and effort than regular high school courses. Dual enrollment courses become part of a student’s permanent college transcript, so it is essential that students do well in these courses.

To be eligible for the dual enrollment program, interested students must meet the following criteria:

• Be a high school junior or senior attending a high school in the NRCC service region or the Southwest Virginia Governor’s School (exceptional freshman and sophomores may be eligible with approval from both high school principal and college president);
• Meet or exceed college placement requirements;
• Receive a recommendation from a high school official;
• Provide a signed parental consent form prior to enrollment.

Dual Enrollment Courses