Table of Contents (Click to navigate directly to the information of interest to you.)

College Information

Financial Aid Information

College Entrance Exams

DCPS Dual Enrollment Program Information

DCPS Distance Learning Program Information

College Financial Aid Information

Federal Student Aid  Click here to click the website for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  This is the first step to financial aid information for most colleges and must be completed annually.  It is important to complete this form as early in the year as possible (as soon as you and/or your parents get all W2s in January) because some financial aid is distributed on a first come-first served basis.  This form may be submitted online.

College Entrance Information

Registering for the SAT or ACT?  Here are the high school code numbers you will need:

Distance/Virtual Learning Information

For each website you have two ways to access the site.  By clicking on the hyperlink, the site should open automatically in a separate window from this page.  If you copy and paste the URL (web address) into your browser, the site will open in the window you select.  You will access the same site either way, but some people prefer to use the copy and paste method.

Dual Enrollment Information

DCPS students may earn both college and high school credit for courses taken while concurrently enrolled in DCPS high schools and the community colleges serving our schools. This program is generally referred to as Dual Enrollment or Dual Credit. The Dual Enrollment program allows academically qualified students to get a head start on their college careers at significantly reduced tuition, fees, and related costs. Dual enrollment opportunities are an important part of our support of gifted students in high school.

• Dual enrollment: a student is dual enrolled if he/she is concurrently enrolled at a high school and an institution of higher education, such as a community college.
• Dual credit: a course is awarded dual credit when the student is dual enrolled and earns both high school credit and 3 or more hours of college credit for completion of the same course(s) in one semester. 

• The DCPS Dual Enrollment program includes both college preparatory and career/technical courses. 
• Courses eligible for dual credit (i.e., separate credit for a high school and a college course) are offered by DCPS staff endorsed through the Virginia Community College System as well as through regional partnerships such as Elite Learning and the Holton Governor’s School. Students may be dual enrolled without earning dual credit, that is a high school student may be enrolled in both the high school and college but earn only college credits for a course. 
• College courses may not replace a course for which an end-of-course must be taken because the acceptable content of the college course may not effectively align with the Standards of Learning preventing the student from receiving instruction leading to success on the end-of-course test.
• A student’s high school transcript will show one (1) high school credit for any course or combination of dual enrollment/dual credit courses successfully completed in a single semester. (For example, a student may be enrolled in English 111 and 112—2 separate college courses—while earning credit for English 12—1 high school course.)
• Courses provided directly by the college through its regular offerings while a student is still enrolled at the high school (e.g., courses taught at night) constitute dual enrollment courses but do NOT qualify for the tuition and fee reduction. DCPS is not responsible for the cost of textbooks for courses not directly associated with the school. Dual credit may be awarded for such course when the course is pre-approved for dual credit by the high school principal and the division superintendent or his/her designee.
• Letter grades awarded for dual enrollment/dual credit courses are based on the college grading scale. The grades for dual enrollment courses are not weighted. (Dual enrollment courses provided by Holton Governor’s School are an exception to this procedure and are weighted.) 

• Dual enrollment is available to qualified juniors and seniors. 
• Students must meet all admissions requirements of the college including minimum scores on placement tests administered by the college and/or college entrance exams as well as any prerequisites for specific courses. Placement tests and/or college entrance exams are not required for career/technical courses that do not lead to a degree but are required for all other dual enrollment courses.
• Students seeking dual enrollment must demonstrate academic knowledge and skills as well as the appropriate level of maturity and motivation for success in a college course. 
• The principal, with input from guidance counselor and high school faculty, must approve each student for participation in a dual enrollment courses. Information to be considered will include grades as well as attendance and disciplinary records.
• The superintendent or his/her designee must also approve students for dual enrollment.
• Parents/guardians must approve in writing a student’s participation in the dual enrollment program. (A form does not need to be signed for each separate dual enrollment course a student takes but should be completed annually.)
• Students in the dual enrollment program will enroll in the Early College Scholars Program.

Dual Enrollment Costs

• DCPS offers dual enrollment classes for students at a significantly discounted rate through an agreement with our community college partners, Mountain Empire and Southwest Virginia Community Colleges. Through these agreements, the students' share is only 10% of the actual rate for tuition and fees. For 2012-2013 the rate is $12.50 per credit hour, making the student's share of tuition/fees for a 3-hour class $37.50. For the students’ convenience, each high school will collect the students’ share of tuition (checks should be made payable to the school) within the first 3 weeks of the class.
• Because the dual enrollment classes offered by the Governor’s School are part of our service to students in the DCPS Gifted/Talented program, there is no cost to students in Governor’s School classes.