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Rancho Santiago Community College’s early college program makes higher education attainable

Monday, August 05, 2024
Orange County Register

A partnership between the Rancho Santiago Community College District and the Orange Unified School District provides students, particularly students from traditionally underserved backgrounds, the opportunity to earn transferable college credits while still in high school. The RSCCD’s Dual Enrollment program, also referred to as Early College, allows students to take community college classes taught by college instructors. Dual Enrollment offers many benefits, said Jason Parks, vice president of Academic Affairs for Santiago Canyon College. In a presentation to the RSCCD board of trustees recently, Parks informed the board that OUSD students in middle/high school who were enrolled in dual enrollment have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by not going directly to UCLA and millions of dollars by not going directly to USC. Most importantly, Parks said, Dual Enrollment is about reaching those high school students who believe college is unattainable for a variety of reasons, especially their backgrounds. 

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