Studying While Saving: Cooley Completes Tuition-Free Coursework Through PTC’s Dual Enrollment Program

Jonah Cooley overcame a speech impediment by watching the evening news on television and modeling his enunciation after the anchors and reporters. Nowadays, the Abbeville High School graduate speaks in a smooth baritone and can clearly articulate his plans for the future.

“I’m majoring in political science and then I’m planning to go to law school and become a government lawyer,” he said. He’ll be entering Clemson University as a sophomore thanks to Dual Enrollment at Piedmont Technical College.

Dual Enrollment is an advanced-credit program for high school juniors and seniors. Students earn both high school and college credit in Dual Enrollment classes. Different courses are available online, at the student’s high school or on the PTC campus. There are four ways to participate:

• Traditional Dual Enrollment courses are taken at the student’s high school with their high school instructors.
• OnDECK classes are offered on a PTC campus and let students earn high school units and college credit at the same time.
• PTC has partnered with some school districts on a Middle College that allows high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn 48-plus college credit hours.
• Early admission is available for students looking to earn credit through PTC, but not through their high school.

Cooley took a combination of PTC classes in Greenwood and at the Abbeville County campus, plus some online courses. He said he liked that many college instructors are professionally active in the subjects they teach.

“I definitely enjoyed it,” he said.

Dual Enrollment is an opportunity to take courses at the college level, so students should understand the amount of work necessary to succeed is usually much greater than in high school.

Cooley balanced his coursework with extracurricular activities such as marching band, pep band and the robotics team.

“Jonah’s an excellent student,” said his father, Bruce Cooley. “I think Jonah can do anything he sets his mind to.”

Jonah Cooley also qualified for a University Studies Certificate. It’s designed for PTC students who plan to transfer and recognizes students who have earned 30 transferable college hours, including many of the introductory courses students must take at a four-year college.

Piedmont Technical College offers more than 80 courses approved to transfer to any senior public institution in the state by the South Carolina Commission of Higher Education. Many private colleges in the state also accept them.

Some students, like Cooley, are planning for advanced degrees. Others are seeking a credential that will allow them to begin a professional career as soon as they leave high school.

Courses offered through the Career Quick Start program prepare students for work in a critical workforce area of their choice. In some cases, students can obtain industry-recognized credentials while still in high school.

Dual Enrollment at PTC is designed to be affordable. South Carolina residents attend tuition-free if they take at least six credit hours per semester (generally at least two classes) at their high school, on campus or online.

“That is one of the best parts of it,” Cooley said. “I just saved a whole year’s worth of tuition – a whole year’s worth of debt.”

Bruce Cooley was familiar with Dual Enrollment from having previously worked for PTC. He said “it’s a great thing to do” if a high school student is thinking about college. “It saves the student and the parents a lot of money.”

Jonah Cooley said students at rural schools don’t always have access to the variety of advanced placement courses offered at schools in affluent communities.

“Dual Enrollment bridges the gap,” he said.

And unlike other programs in which college credits depend on high-stakes testing, Dual Enrollment students can be sure their work will count toward their studies when they’re ready to apply to college. Hundreds of high school and home school students all over the region are already taking advantage of the program to jump-start their college careers.

Dual Enrollment is available at high schools throughout the PTC footprint. Also, students outside the service area can seek approval to attend from their local technical college.

Students should talk with their high school guidance counselor if they think Dual Enrollment might be right for them. Learn more online at www.ptc.edu/dualenrollment or contact PTC’s Dual Enrollment Office at (864) 941-8315.