CASC Offers Free Tuition to High School Juniors

The value of concurrent enrollment has been a given to the officials of Carl Albert State College for many years. The statistics speak for themselves: 86 percent of LeFlore and Sequoyah county students who take college courses while they are in high school will continue their education the following year as a first-time freshman student. Less than 30 percent of local students who do not take concurrent courses while in high school will begin college after their graduation. That is a difference of more than 50 percent. 

For this reason, CASC has offered free tuition to qualified high school juniors and seniors for many years and expanded its course offerings into area high schools through the use of Zoom technology. 

At CASC, qualified high school seniors are eligible to enroll in up to 18 tuition-free-hours for the year, and qualified high school juniors can enroll in up to 12 tuition-free-hours for the year.

“In recent years, through the leadership of our local and state legislators, we have received partial reimbursement rates for the concurrent education program geared towards high school seniors. We have taken it upon ourselves to extend financial incentives to high school juniors, as well,” said Dr. Jay Falkner, CASC President. “Thanks to a new pilot program from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, our fellow colleges and universities are beginning to expand their concurrent enrollment offerings to now include high school juniors. 

“Up until now, CASC has incurred the cost of up to six hours of tuition for high school juniors each semester. We’ve done this because we know how important it is to get our local students in the educational pipeline and thinking about college long before they graduate. We’ve seen first-hand the positive impact our investment has made in our communities and are thrilled about the new pilot program from the OSRHE,” he said.

CASC’s fall classes begin on Aug. 12, and students can enroll through Aug. 16. High school juniors and seniors who are interested in taking advantage of this program can contact their high school counselor or call the CASC Admissions office for more information at 918-647-1300. 

KXMX News Staff

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