Student/Parent Information
Welcome to NCCC’s College BRIDGE dual enrollment program!
Research indicates that a student who starts college coursework while still in high school is more likely to graduate from high school, continue to college, and complete college. Completing any college courses but most importantly a full college degree, whether two-year or four-year, results in earning more money over your lifetime. We are pleased to offer this opportunity for you to begin your college work while at your high school!
For these reasons, North Country Community College and your high school have partnered to provide juniors and seniors the opportunity to take NCCC college courses that also meet the Regents’ high school graduation requirements. NCCC calls this the College Bridge program. NCCC college courses will meet in your high school and will be more rigorous than your regular high school courses, much like AP courses are. NCCC course work is rigorous, just as coursework would be in the first or second year of four-year college. This rigor is why the course credits earned may be accepted by the college of your choice.
The NCCC College Bridge course is offered at your high school during your regular day. NCCC has approved your high school instructor to teach NCCC’s college course.
This partnership allows NCCC to offer each course for $75. This fee already includes a scholarship from NCCC and contribution from your high school. This compares to a rate of $900 per course on our NCCC campuses.
As a student, you choose to select your course for college credit. This means that you will be doing college level work. Your counselor and instructor will encourage you to participate because they think you can be successful. Neither a family member nor the high school teacher or counselor can enroll a student. The student must choose to do this.
To participate, you must complete a two-step registration process at your school in September or early October under the direction of an NCCC representative. The first step is an on-line application which collects information about you, including your social security number. Under NYS Education Law, NCCC is allowed to collect this information and maintains it under strict security. You will be issued an NCCC student identification number. The second step is completing and electronically signing a form on which you select which NCCC course you wish to take.
NYS Law allows students over 14 years of age to enroll in these courses without a parent’s signature.
If you are not present on registration day, you must approach your counselor or instructor to learn how you can participate for credit.
You are officially enrolled for college credit once this two-step process is completed. You will receive a copy of your course selection form to serve as a receipt and reminder of the college course name.
Do not sign up for a course unless you are able to pay the $75.
Once you have completed the two-step process, NCCC Business Office will send you a statement or bill to your home address. You will recognize this statement because it is on green paper listing the NCCC courses you selected and your signed registration form.
You will receive your regular high school report card. Once the course is completed, you will be awarded college credits and can request a college transcript, the official record of all your NCCC course work, grades and earned credits. To complete a two-year college degree, you must earn about 62 credits; for a four-year degree, about 124 credits. SUNY allows credits from its two-year colleges to be applied toward a four-year degree, a process called transferring credits. Many private colleges in our regions accept these credits depending on their rules as do public and private colleges in other states. To receive credit, you must receive a “B” or better and request an NCCC college transcript.
College degrees of all kinds have two major components: the technical material related to your specific program of study (Business, English, History) and general electives. The courses you take through the BRIDGE program meet general elective requirements.
College credit is accumulated by credit hour (or the amount of time you spend in a class). Many NCCC BRIDGE courses earn 3 credits, but some science and math courses may earn 4 credits because the material is more advanced. Two year colleges award degrees for 60-62 credits earned over two years or 4 semesters; four year colleges for 120-125 credits earned over four years.
You must complete the full course to earn credits: there is no partial award of credit.
As a student you have several responsibilities when taking a College Bridge course.
- Complete the two-step registration process within the schedule outlined in Important Dates. Only you can register! If you do not complete this process, you will not earn college credit.
- Accumulate up to 30 college credits through this program. Know that your high school can only offer up to 15 NCCC courses.
- Bring your social security number to enroll. Your school will let you know the exact date.
- Notify your counselor that you were not present on the day of registration and enroll within the allowable time frame. Late enrollments are not allowed.
- Notify the school counselor immediately if for some reason you are not going to continue in the course (you do not feel that you are doing well enough academically; your schedule is changing; you are leaving the school district; etc.)
- Be aware of the timeline posted on the website and distributed to your instructor and counselors to ensure that you avoid financial penalties.
- Be financially responsible. If you find that there is a particular problem in paying your bill, please contact the Business Office immediately using contact information available on the bill, on the college website and in your counselor’s office.
- Request an NCCC college transcript as proof of completion of the course using the form at the nccc.edu and including your social security number. Only you can request your transcript.
- Notify the college of your choice that you have taken college credit courses and find out how to transfer the credits. Remember to use the NCCC course name; the high school course does not carry any college credits. (for example, ENG 101, not English 12) These courses do not automatically transfer. You must initiate this process.
Withdrawing from BRIDGE courses:
You can continue to take the high school portion of the course without being enrolled for college credit. However, once you register for the course, you will be responsible to inform your instructor and counselor that you do not wish to continue.
Your counselor and instructor will announce the dates by which this process must be completed to avoid being charged for the course. If you are late, you will have to pay the fee!