The Early College Experience
Chattanooga State created the Early College Program to give motivated high school students the opportunity to get a head start on their college education while simultaneously obtaining the high school credits necessary for graduation. College credits earned through Early College can be applied toward high school and college graduation and can be transferred to other colleges or universities. Early College eases the transition to college by giving students first-hand exposure to college-level work and provides a wider range of course options for high school students.
Consider the following advantages of Early College:
- Accelerates a student's college career and provides a quality educational experience close to home
- Saves money on room/board and tuition/fees
- Allows exposure to college atmosphere
- Provides a wider range of course options for high school
- Offers challenging coursework
- Provides highly qualified teaching faculty who meet the criteria of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Students who have participated in this program have graduated from high school with 12 to 50 hours of college credit and have saved valuable time toward their college degree. As a result, they have saved money.
Feedback from students who have been involved in the Early College Program confirms that students truly enjoy the interaction, involvement, and challenge of college classes.
"I participated in Early College through Red Bank High School where I
received 30 credits. I then entered Richmond, the American International
University in London as a Sophomore. It saved me $26,000 in tuition and
board and means that I had a BA at the age of 20 from a school in the United
Kingdom. Taking classes through Chattanooga State was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made.
Many, many thanks,"
- Jennifer Line
Early College can provide enhanced curriculum opportunities that allow students to remain engaged in their junior and senior years of high school and will help prepare them for college-level work. High school students can earn college credit while enjoying the traditional rites of passage that accompany the high school experience. One of the goals of the program is to provide a positive collegiate experience for participating high school students.
Am I Eligible for Early College?
If you are a high school student and you have earned a sufficient score on the ACT or SAT, then you are eligible for Early College at Chattanooga State. Students who will not have taken the national ACT test by application deadline, may take the Residual ACT test at the Chattanooga State Testing Center.
- If you want to take any Humanities, Fine Arts, Social/Behavioral Sciences, or Business & Information Systems courses, you must have an ACT English subscore of 19
- If you want to take Introductory Statistics (MATH1530), Pre-Calculus I (MATH1710), or any Engineering courses, you must have an ACT Math subscore of 19
- If you want to take any science courses, you must have an ACT score of at least a 19 in Science and a 19 in English
- If you want to take Pre-Calculus II (Math 1720), you must have an ACT subscore of 21 in Math and two (2) high school math credits above
Algebra I - If you want to take Calculus I (Math 1910), you must have an ACT subscore of 25 in Math and three (3) high school math credits above Algebra I
Students may be admitted by exception with the recommendation of the HS principal and approval of the Chattanooga State Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs.