An announcement from the U.S. Department of Education this week has named Northeastern Technical College (NETC) as one of a few dozen colleges nationwide selected to be part of an experimental program allowing Dual Enrollment students to participate in the Pell Grant program.
NETC’s dual enrollment/dual credit program provides high school juniors and seniors in Chesterfield, Marlboro, and Dillon Counties the opportunity to earn college credit that transfers to NETC and other two and four-year colleges, and also prepares students for careers in the fields of science, math and technology.
“Until now, high school students who enroll for college classes have only been able to receive funding for tuition under the Lottery Tuition Assistance program,” said Ron Bartley, president of NETC. “For most students, this only covers about 60% of the class tuition and doesn’t cover the cost of text books.”
This experimental program can help eliminate financial barriers for high school students who want to earn college credit in high school and get a head start on their college degree.
NETC currently has students from all three of its service areas enrolled in college credit programs. In Fall 2015, the college saw record enrollment in the dual enrollment program with nearly 200 high school students, enrolling in 450 classes, to earn more than 1,280 college credits.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for high school students,” said Bartley.  “It’s well documented that students who participate in dual enrollment classes have a much higher success rate in college after graduating high school.”
The next opportunity for students to enroll in the dual enrollment/dual credit program at NETC will be for the Fall 2016 semester.  Interested students should apply before June 30.  For more information on the dual enrollment program at Northeastern Technical College, contact Valerie Gargiulo at 843-921-6995, or talk to your high school guidance counselor.