At December’s Texarkana College Board of Trustees meeting, members heard a report from Dr. Dixon Boyles, Vice President of Instruction, about the success of TC’s dual credit partnerships with area school districts. Dr. Boyles said more than 2,600 area high school students are enrolled in dual credit courses this fall semester.
“We have been working closely with our area school districts to maximize the dual credit experience for high school students,” said Dr. Boyles. “The leadership from superintendents, high school principals, counselors, and teachers has helped us build a valuable dual credit program for students to provide a seamless and affordable pathway toward attainment of a higher education credential. By taking college-level courses during high school, there is a tremendous opportunity to save money and earn credit towards an associate or bachelor’s degree while at the same time fulfilling high school course requirements for graduation. We encourage all dual credit students to aim for completion of at least five dual credit courses which is equivalent to 15 semester credit hours, or one full-load college semester.”
Dr. Boyles said that recent Texas legislation established the FAST (Financial Aid for Swift Transfer) program to provide funding for educationally disadvantaged public high school students to take college-level courses at no cost. More than 60% of Texarkana College’s dual credit students qualify for this program. Students who do not qualify for FAST funding are eligible to receive a substantially reduced rate of $41.00 per semester credit hour.
