1154 Early College

Definition

Early College is a program that allows students from selected high schools to enroll at Georgia State. Early College students enrolled in a participating high school may earn a high school diploma with the potential to earn an Associate's degree or two years of college credit towards a Bachelor's degree. Unlike Move on When Ready (MOWR) and Joint Enrollment (JE), Early College enrollment is open only to students enrolled at an Early College high school that has partnered with GSU.

Deadlines

Applicants must submit the application and required documents by the appropriate deadline. Early College deadlines are set by joint agreement of the GSU Office of Admissions and the Early College high school. Students should consult their Early College liaison for applicable deadlines. Early College students do not pay an application fee.

Admission Requirements

Because of the demanding nature of college-level course work at a research institution, Early College students must have a high degree of academic potential and maturity. To be considered for admission, a student must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Have spent the entire year prior to enrollment at an Early College high school in Georgia.
• Be currently enrolled at an Early College high school that has partnered with GSU.
• Be high school sophomore (to apply to be an Early College student as a second semester sophomore or as a junior) or a high school junior (to apply to be an Early College student as a senior).
• Obtain the recommendation of the student’s high school guidance counselor.
• Obtain the approval of the student’s parents or legal guardians.
• Be on track to complete all CPC requirements.
• Achieve a minimum high school GPA of 2.75 in college prep (CPC) courses. (Note: In 2012 when Georgia high schools go to a single diploma, CPC (College Prep Curriculum) courses will be renamed “Required High School Curriculum (RHSC)” courses.)

In addition, the admission decision will also consider:

• A personal essay to be reviewed by the high school guidance counselor making the recommendation.
• The student’s attendance record in high school. Normally, a minimum attendance rate of 90% is required to be permitted to take classes at Georgia State.

Students must also provide a copy of their most recent high school transcript showing all grades completed to date.

Admission to Georgia State under Early College does not imply admission to any other status. Early College students who later wish to enroll at GSU outside the Early College program must reapply.

Academic Regulations

Early College students must follow the following academic regulations in addition to all the other academic regulations of GSU.

• They may not attend classes during the summer semester except by special permission of the GSU Student Advisement Center.
• They may attend for a maximum of five semesters. (However, students should be aware that the ACCEL program will only pay for four semesters. See Financial Regulations below.)
• The courses in which they are enrolled must be part of GSU’s core curriculum and must count towards their high school graduation requirements.
• They must pass any placement exams required for the courses they wish to take.
• They may not take any courses at any other institution of higher education while enrolled in the program.
• They may not live on campus but may participate in some student clubs and other student life activities with the advance permission of the Office of the Dean of Education.
• Early College students may only enroll in GSU courses approved by their high school guidance counselor and GSU Student Advisement Center.
• If they earn a GSU cumulative GPA below 2.0, in next semester students must either attend a USG 2-year institution (that is a GSU Early College partner) or attend only high school. They may return to GSU only after taking at least six hours at the 2-year institution and earning a GPA of 3.0 (or better) or earning a high school semester GPA of 3.25 (or better).
• Students must participate in the Early Alert program. Faculty who have Early College students in their courses must participate in the Early Alert program.
• College credits earned while in the Early College program are transferable to other USG institutions.

Early College students should be aware that they must meet all state high school graduation testing requirements, including End of Course Tests and the Georgia High School Graduation Tests. GSU courses are not designed to prepare students for these tests.