Dual enrollment soars at Cleveland State Community College

photo Students walk to class at Cleveland State Community College in this file photo.

FOR MORE INFORMATION• Students can take courses at any of Cleveland State Community College's three campuses, online courses through the Regents Online Degree Program or, depending on the high school and the courses, students may be able to take some classes at their high school.• To learn more about Cleveland State's dual enrollment program, visit www.clevelandstatecc.edu or call 423-614-8734.ELIGIBILITY• For students to be eligible for dual enrollment, they must be a high school junior or senior, have a 3.0 high school grade point average and meet appropriate ACT or ACT PLAN scores in the subject area they wish to take -- English-18; Math-19; Reading-19.Source: Cleveland State Community College

Aleksandr Migovich has completed Calculus I, II, III and Differential Equations at Cleveland State Community College -- basically his math requirements for an engineering degree.

And he hasn't even finished high school.

In his junior year, Migovich, 17, said he was pushed by his sister, who is graduating with an electrical engineering degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, to take advantage of dual enrollment -- a program in which high school students can earn college credits.

"The college work is a bit more demanding but the high school has been very understanding," said the Cleveland High School senior who was born in Ukraine and moved to Cleveland, Tenn., with his family 12 years ago.

Dual enrollment at Cleveland State has quadrupled in the last decade, from 122 students in 2003 to more than 500 this spring, according to Jason Sewell, Cleveland State director of student relations.

"I don't know what pushed the college to start it, other than it's a win-win for the student," said Sewell. "It helps them move along and save money because tuition continues to go up."

A three-hour class at Cleveland State costs $457.50, but students can get up to $300 per class (with a two-class limit) from the state's Dual Enrollment Lottery Grant.

And next semester, Cleveland State is going to make up the difference, with only new students having to pay an additional application fee, Sewell said.

Dual enrollment is also good for students who are not sure if they can succeed in college, Sewell said. Ninety-eight percent of the students who register and complete a dual enrollment class later enroll in college, he said.

By the time Migovich graduates in May, he will have six college courses under his belt -- including two English classes -- to start his mechanical engineering degree at either UTC or the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, he said.

"If you learn at a faster rate, such as I do in math, then [dual enrollment] is wonderful because you always have something to stimulate you," he said. "You always have a new challenge to go higher and you are actually working toward your career goals."

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