Earn college credit while in high school with dual credit.
Dual credit is a program that allows qualified high school students to enroll in college level classes that earn both high school and college credit.
The program is operated jointly by the high school and Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City, and students receive credit at both institutions upon successful completion of dual credit courses. These courses are primarily taught at the high school by high school instructors.
Enrollment process
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- Students who have not applied for admission will not be able to test or be enrolled. The MCC ID generated from the application is required on the ITE (intent to enroll) prior to submission.
- Applicants will receive an e-mail at the e-mail address they provide on the application;
this will contain their MCC Student ID number and temporary password to access their
myMCCKC student account.
If a student does not receive this email, they should check to make sure it did not go to their SPAM folder.
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- Dual credit students must be admitted to MCC and have all of their paperwork completed
at the time of registration. This includes having GPA confirmed by the school counselor,
placement testing completed, and intent to enroll form with signatures on file with
the college.
Students will need to act on their own behalf and will need to present a photo ID for any transactions at the college. - Students will be required to submit the following forms before being enrolled in dual credit courses:
- Student Consent to Release Information form (PDF)
- Dual Credit Student and Parent Consent Form (PDF)
- Dual Credit Enrollment Form (provided to the students from their high school counselors or their MCC campus contact)
- Official copy of ACT scores and/or advanced placement (AP) exam scores, if applicable.
- Dual credit students must be admitted to MCC and have all of their paperwork completed
at the time of registration. This includes having GPA confirmed by the school counselor,
placement testing completed, and intent to enroll form with signatures on file with
the college.
Financial information
Enrollment for dual credit courses is arranged by the high school. College tuition is paid to Metropolitan Community College at the rate of half the cost of attending courses on one of the MCC campuses. The school or the student will be billed as established in the dual credit agreement. In many cases, the high school will provide required books for the courses.
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Students who register for dual credit classes are required to pay their tuition and fees by the deadline posted. MCC will mail student statements or invoices.
Students who do not pay account balances by the applicable payment deadline are subject to courses being dropped for non-payment. High schools may set up a payment plan.
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Students are responsible for paying all college charges. If payment from an external source becomes unavailable or is insufficient to pay charges, students must pay the balance immediately.
If there are outstanding charges, a financial hold will be placed on the account restricting future enrollment and release of academic records.
MCC will begin immediate collection efforts that may include placing the account with the Missouri income tax intercept program.
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Checks returned by the bank as Insufficient are deposited a second time. If the check is returned again, the MCC account is placed on restriction and is charged the amount of the check plus a $25 fee.
Students on restriction cannot enroll, receive grades and/or transcripts. The student account will also have no check-writing privileges for one year from the point the returned check is paid. Any returned check not paid will be referred for outside collection actions.
Learn more about information on tuition and fees. The amount of tuition depends on where a student resides, in district, out of district, or out of state.
Student eligibility
Dual credit students must meet or exceed all eligibility requirements for enrolling in MCC courses. Specifically, they must meet all prerequisite requirements for any course, including satisfactory placement test scores in English, Reading, and Mathematics as required by MCC policies for all students.
Because they are by definition high school students, students enrolled in dual credit courses that are intended to transfer to other colleges and universities in the state must meet the higher eligibility requirements for enrollment in college courses established by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE). These include minimum grade point average requirements, satisfactory scores on subject matter tests, and the recommendation of the high school principal and/or counselor.
Students with high school GPAs less than 2.5 will generally not be eligible for dual credit. The final decision for student eligibility for career and technical courses rests with the Vice Chancellor of Instruction/Chief Academic Officer.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Juniors and Seniors with a 3.0+ cumulative GPA are eligible without a letter of recommendation.
- Juniors or Seniors must have a 2.5 -2.99 cumulative GPA (requires signature of high school dual credit counselor and parent on “Intent to Enroll” (ITE) and a letter of recommendation from principal or counselor.
- Sophomores must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA AND signature of high school dual credit counselor and parent on ITE and recommendation letters from the principal and school counselor.
- ACT or college placement exam scores within the eligibility range of the selected course(s).
*Note: GPA calculation is unweighted
Student support
Dual credit students have access to the same college resources that current MCC students utilize.
Frequently asked questions
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Withdrawing is a formal withdrawal from a course. It must be done by the withdrawal date provided by MCC to display as a “W” on the student’s transcript. This shows the course was attempted, but it does not factor into the student’s grade point average.
If a student wishes to drop a dual credit course, a withdrawal form must be completed and submitted as soon as possible. To have charges removed or reduced, a student must officially drop the classes within the designated refund period. After the deadline, the student will be responsible for the full cost of the course.
If the student wishes to withdraw from a dual credit course and not receive a course grade, a withdrawal form must be submitted to the high school’s dual credit coordinator by the academic assessment deadline in the first 75% of the term. A “W” will be posted on the official college transcript. Students should be aware that transcripted Ws can negatively affect financial aid eligibility in the future.
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Dual Credit -- Students enrolled in dual credit courses offered by one of the Metropolitan Community College campuses earn actual college credit by successfully completing these courses at their high school. Courses are half the cost of regular MCC tuition.
Dual Enrollment -- Students enrolled in dual enrollment courses offered by one of the Metropolitan Community College campuses earn college credit and high school credit while completing these on an MCC campus. Courses are half the cost of regular MCC tuition.
Advanced Placement -- Courses are special sections of high school courses designated by the high school to prepare students for national Advanced Placement tests. Students may earn college credits for these courses that are recognized at colleges and universities across the country based upon their scores on these tests. Generally, students must earn scores of at least 3 and often higher, (on a scale of 1 to 5) on these national exams to earn college credit.
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MCC offers a full-range of lower-division general education courses as dual credit, including introductory college-level courses in English composition, speech, foreign language, history, psychology, sociology, math, biology, chemistry, and physics. In some cases, technical and career courses in fields such as business, computer science, drafting, automotive, and child growth and development might also be offered as dual credit courses.
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Final grades for dual credit courses will be reflected on both the student’s high school transcript and on the student’s permanent college record. Final dual credit grade may differ from high school grade per course policy. The high school counselor is able to provide more information on high school credit details.
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Federal financial aid can only be awarded to students who have earned a valid high school diploma or high school equivalency credential. Therefore, dual credit students cannot access financial aid while concurrently enrolled. However, many high schools have programs for qualifying students to cover cost of tuition.
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As a college student, your records are private. You can allow anyone you select to access your student records by completing a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) form.