Early College Program

Home > Degrees and Certifications > High School Partnership Program > Early College Program

Early College Program

Students from Alton, Carlinville and Roxana high schools can participate in the Early College Program, which offers students the opportunity to complete one year of an associate's degree while still in high school.

The Early College Program offers students an accelerated path to earning an associate and/or a bachelor degree. Course content, learning assessments, methods of evaluating students, textbooks, learning outcomes and faculty credentials are the same as those required in traditional L&C courses.

Students who complete the courses outlined while still attending high school will save a minimum of $4,500. This calculation is based on the cost of earning one year of college credit at Lewis and Clark, and the savings is greater when compared to earning a year of college credit at a four-year school.

The Associate in Science degree is designed to complete the lower-division (freshman and sophomore) portion of a bachelor degree. The associate’s degree includes the transferable General Education Core Curriculum and the lower-division major field core courses recommended by the Illinois Articulation Initiative.

Which one is for me?

The associate’s degree is ideally suited for students seeking a bachelor degree in many fields. Students should talk to their high school counselor for specific information.

Students from these three schools interested in entering the Early College Program must achieve qualifying scores on Lewis and Clark’s Placement Test prior to their junior year in high school. Students must also complete any prerequisite courses prior to enrolling in the Early College courses. Due to the extensive course offerings at these three high schools, students should meet with a Lewis and Clark advisor to insure that all necessary degree requirements are being met.

Students enrolled in the program must successfully complete the courses outline in their school’s brochure to earn one year of Associate in Science degree requirements while in high school. Failure to successfully complete the pre-determined course sequences will result in the student being unable to complete the Early College Program as planned.