• AACPS students in the 11th or 12th grade designated College and Career Ready (CCR) may take a maximum of four college courses per academic year at no cost.

• AACPS students in the 11th or 12th grade, not designated as CCR, with a minimum cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.0, may take one college course per semester, maximum of 2 per academic year, at no cost.

• AACPS students in 8th- 10th grade who are identified by AACPS as Gifted and Talented. See our GT page for information.

• Students participating in the Signature Pathway AACC courses are not required to meet the above criteria to be eligible to enroll. The only requirement is that you have at least a 2.0 GPA and are 16 years old. Please speak with your school counselor to find out what Signature Pathway courses SHS offers.

• AACPS will not approve paying for college classes for students who do not achieve a grade of C or higher in a completed college class unless the student can demonstrate extenuating circumstances. In such cases, the student and their family must submit a formal request to the Assistant Superintendent Office of College and Career Readiness.

Designated courses approved by AACPS for dual credit may allow students to earn both college and high school credits at no cost. If a student seeks to earn dual credit, a student must obtain consent from the school counselor and principal through the ECAP process, before registering for the college course.

• Students who receive an Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) course grade of 'A', 'B', 'C' or 'D' on their college transcript will be awarded the corresponding letter grade on the high school transcript.

• An AACC course grade of 'F', 'FX' or 'I' will be converted to an Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) grade of 'E' on their high school transcript.

• Students must complete AACC credit courses with a letter grade of a 'C' or better to be deemed successful in a college course.

• High school transcripts will reflect high school credit for passing grades and no credit will be granted for 'F', 'FX', or 'I' grades. Grades for these courses will be factored into the student's high school GPA. Students who fail to complete an AACC course successfully will not have earned credit towards high school graduation requirements through dual credit.

• Grades earned in AACC college courses for dual credit will be calculated into the high school transcript as a weighted grade on a 5.0 scale. The additional quality point will be awarded, equivalent to the weighting of Advanced Placement (AP) course grades.

• Unsuccessful College Course: If a student is unsuccessful in a college course, they should refer to the FAQ page for guidance on next steps.

The cost of participating in ECAP is the responsibility of AACPS for eligible students, as defined by the requirements. 

Students who are eligible through Blueprint have the following paid by AACPS:

• AACC tuition for district-approved credit-bearing, non-credit career certificate or license program, or courses that are a part of a school’s signature program

• Registration, lab, parking, activity, and other miscellaneous fees

• Assigned books, supplies and materials that are necessary to complete a course, such as art supplies

• AACC Bookstore will ship required course materials directly to AACPS students

Students not meeting the eligibility criteria or enrolling in a course not approved for ECAP by AACPS may request a 25% tuition discount from AACC.  Click here for the tuition discount request form.

AACPS will not approve funding for additional college classes for students who do not achieve a grade of "C" or higher in a completed college class unless the student can demonstrate extenuating circumstances. Similarly, students who withdraw from AACC classes after the drop period will not receive funding from AACPS for any further classes unless the student can demonstrate extenuating circumstances. In such cases, the student and their family must submit a formal appeal to the Director of Workforce Development, Joe Rose.