Frequently Asked Questions

The College Now program offers high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while still attending high school. Classes are taught at the high school, during the school day, by COCC approved high school teachers. There are two different types of courses offered through this program.

College Now - Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses are hands-on courses that move students along a Career Pathway, a Program of Study, or lead to a certificate or Associate of Applied Science degree. Options include courses in allied health, automotive, baking, business administration, criminal justice, culinary, early childhood education and manufacturing.

College Now - Transfer courses can be used to meet COCC certificate or degree requirements or transferred to other community colleges and universities across Oregon and the U.S. Options include biology, film, history, math, health and human performance, psychology and writing,

Not every course is offered at every high school. View which College Now courses are available at your high school.

Yes. You must be enrolled in high school at the time you register for COCC College Now credit. Only students scheduled into the College Now courses at their high school are able to register.

College Now classes are usually limited to juniors and seniors. Being scheduled into a College Now course is up to your high school and counselor.

No. College Now is a unique dual credit program that doesn't require official admission to the college. To take other credit courses through COCC (not College Now) you will need to apply to COCC and complete COCC's enrollment steps.

College Now courses are just $25 per credit. You can save up to $553 per course over regular COCC tuition. Plus there are no other fees or books to purchase. COCC does not offer any scholarships, but some high schools have funds to help students. Check with your high school counselor to see what funding may be available. COCC tuition waivers (for dependents of COCC employees) do NOT cover College Now, since it is a fee, not tuition.

Courses are taught by your high school teachers at your high school during school hours. College Now high school instructors must meet the same criteria as regular COCC faculty and be approved by the COCC department in which their course is taught.

College Now courses are regular college courses, that meet the same outcomes as courses taught on a COCC campus. Your high school instructor will work with a COCC faculty mentor to make sure the course covers the same material as an on-campus course. As a result, College Now courses are as rigorous as the courses taught on a COCC campus. Whether you will find them hard or not depends on your preparation, study skills background and work ethic. Speak with your high school counselor or teacher if you have questions on the rigor.

AP Comparison - There are many College Now courses that are both College Now and AP. The majority of high school students report that they see no difference between the two when comparing difficulty and workload.

Earning college credit through College Now means you will establish a college GPA and have a COCC transcript showing the courses you took and the grades you earned. Earning college credit in high school can give you an affordable way to get a jump start on your college education or career. Taking this type of initiative looks great on a college admissions application and a resume. It is also a great way to explore an area of interest before committing to a particular college, program or career.

No! To earn COCC credit, you must register for the College Now course. If you don't register, you won't earn college credit, but you still earn credit towards high school requirements.

If you aren't doing well in a College Now course, you will want to meet with your high school instructor and/or counselor to consider dropping the course. You will still stay in the high school version of the course if you drop the College Now course. Staying in the College Now course and earning a D or F will negatively impact your GPA which can impact future college admissions and financial aid eligibility.

If you drop a course before the stated College Now drop deadline then it will not show on your transcript. Please note drop deadlines vary from school to school so be sure to check COCC's College Now Dates and Deadlines webpage or check with your high school instructor. 

If you drop your College Now course after the drop deadline then you are withdrawing from the course and will have a grade of "W" on your transcript. W's aren't calculated into your GPA, but they do impact your completion rate, which can impact your future financial aid eligibility after you graduate. The good new is, if you transfer to another school, most colleges will not hold a "W" against you. See COCC's Financial Aid webpage for more information and/or check with the financial aid department of the college you plan to attend.

If you change high schools or drop the high school course, you must also drop the COCC College Now course, using our drop form, or you will earn an F.

COCC faculty and high school instructors meet before the class begins, to align course outcome requirements for each course. All course requirements must be agreed upon before the course is offered. Students are graded according to these pre-determined course outcome requirements. Course grading is explained on the syllabus or course outcome checklist. The COCC Grading Policy is followed for all College Now courses. For more information see: College Now Grading Policy.

COCC will transcript credits and post grades to your Bobcat Web Account after your high school instructor enters final grades. Grades are posted at the end of each COCC term (approximately five days after COCC's finals week). View COCC's College Now Dates and Deadlines webpage for official dates when grades are posted.

You are not notified when grades are posted and are not mailed a transcript or grade report. Check your Bobcat Web Account to view your grades and/or request a transcript. View instructions for checking your grade(s) for more information.

You can view and print an unofficial COCC transcript at no cost from your Bobcat Web Account. View COCC's Transcript Request webpage for more information on viewing and printing an unofficial or official transcript.

Request an official transcript through your Bobcat Web Account or through COCC's Transcript Request webpage. Both places direct you to the National Student Clearinghouse to order an official transcript. Official transcripts are $7 each.

Yes! There can be future financial aid implications for unsatisfactory academic progress (grade of D or F) in a College Now class. Unsatisfactory academic progress includes a cumulative college GPA below 2.0 and a completion rate below 66.67% of credits at the end of each term.

When you apply for financial aid, the Financial Aid office at the college you plan on attending evaluates all prior grades and credits on your transcript. This includes grades and credits you earned or attempted in College Now courses. In addition, students are limited to financial aid eligibility for 150% of the published credit length of a selected academic program. All credits listed on your transcript, including college credits attempted in high school, count toward the 150% limit for your selected program. The limit is approximately 135 credits for a two-year degree. Oregon Promise covers 90 credits which includes College Now credits, even if Oregon Promise doesn't pay for the those credits.

If you are unable to pay for your College Now course due to a financial barrier, please connect with your high school counselor to see if there are scholarships or funding available. You will remain registered in the COCC College Now course if you are unable to pay, but failure to make payment will result in future registration holds for any College Now or COCC courses. Unpaid account balances are eventually sent to collections. Payment is due after your registration has been processed 1-2 business days.

Yes! You can use COCC's Library resources and associated databases. View College Now's Accessing Library Services for more information. 

We also have a video tutorial for Library Access as well as a guide specifically for English and Literature. View our Why Can't I sign In webpage if you run into issues.

COCC will issue a refund if you drop a College Now course by the stated College Now drop deadline. Please note, there is no refund when withdrawing from a College Now course. There is a petition process available in cases of exceptional circumstance where you were unable to drop a course by the stated deadline and/or would like to request a refund of College Now fees. Please view the College Now Dates and Deadlines webpage for drop and withdraw deadlines or contact COCC's College Now office at collegenow@cocc.edu for more information.

College Now students have access to COCC's tutoring services, both in-person and online. Please note, tutoring is only available during COCC term dates. Tutoring is available in-person before College Now registration opens. Students can simply let tutoring staff know they are a high school College Now student. Once College Now registration opens and student's have been issued a COCC email address, they can access online tutoring through their COCC Canvas account. Students interested in accessing additional online tutoring via Western eTutoring can contact the College Now team at collegenow@cocc.edu. View COCC's Tutoring webpage for more information.

Many College Now courses are also AP courses. The main difference is how you earn the credit and where the credit is transcripted. With College Now, as long as you pass the course, you will earn college credit. The college credit is transcripted through COCC. In general with AP courses, you must register and pay to take the AP exam AND earn a certain score to earn college credit. AP credit is issued through the College Board.