Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1357477
ontana and the Great Falls community have invested significantly in the state's Dual Enrollment program providing high school students the opportunity to enroll in postsecondary courses to earn college credits. That investment pays dividends for our community. Dual enrollment is a strategy that helps more students gain confidence to pursue college, often staying in state after high school graduation. 63% of dual enrollment students choose college in the Montana University System versus 38% of traditional Montana high school graduates. Additionally, dual enrollment students go on to college and outperform their peers in retention, grade point average, and credits earned. All colleges in the Montana University System are part of the One-Two-Free program, which provides students the option to take two courses, up to six credits, tuition-free. Once they have used the six free credits, students may continue taking dual enrollment courses at half the cost of regular tuition. This saves Montana families hundreds of thousands of dollars each year! In addition to the money saved, our school district invests in our students by utilizing our best educators to teach college-level courses. One dual enrollment option unique to Great Falls College MSU is the Welding Dual Enrollment Cohort. The cohort allows high school seniors to attend college welding classes on campus. These students complete their Certificate of Applied Science in Welding Technology & Fabrication before they graduate with their high school diploma, often going straight to work in our community. As with other dual enrollment students, welding students may stay local after high school to complete their Associate of Applied Science. Overall, dual enrollment helps students save time by exploring different areas of interest and satisfying general education courses and money by taking tuition-free and reduced-price courses. It also helps students ease into postsecondary education so they can get a head start on college habits and have a smoother transition when they attend full time after high school. To learn more about how to start in dual enrollment, email Great Falls College MSU at dual@gfcmsu.edu, call (406) 268- 3700, or visit admissions.gfcmsu.edu/dualenrollment. 49 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org E D U C AT I O N Dual Enrollment Helps Students Save Thousands M