Qualifications
Qualifying to be an ASCENT Scholar takes some planning & hard work. Check out numbers 1 thru 5 to see where you are at in the process...
1) On track to meet high school graduation requirements by end of 12th grade
View graduation requirements HERE.
2) On track to complete 9 college credits by end of 12th grade *all credits must be reflected on transcript by June 30th
Review your CCA credits by logging into My CCA > Degree Check
1 semester at Pickens typically earns a student 12+ college credits (executive internship & early childhood education are the exceptions)
AP, IB, & CLEP credits count if scores are transcribed to college credit
3) College ready in English & math for your desired career pathway (see charts below)
This can be a little tricky to figure out so reach out with questions
Test Scores & high school grades can qualify you
Students pursuing ASCENT at Pickens do not need to meet this requirement
4) Apply for FAFSA or CASFA
ASCENT may or may not be the best financial choice for you. Completing FAFSA or CASFA will help you make the best decision for YOU
Your College & Career Center Coordinator can assist you with the application process
*CASFA is specifically for students who are not eligible to apply for FAFSA
5) Received no grades of F and no more than 1 grade of D in Concurrent Enrollment/Pickens coursework
Falling short of this standard does not automatically disqualify you. If you do not meet this standard, you must complete the ASCENT recommendation form, along with your counselor, in order to be considered for the program. Form HERE.
Additional College Credit Opportunities
CLEP
CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program. CLEP is a group of standardized tests which assess college-level knowledge. Students can take a CLEP exam in one of 36 subject areas and, with the necessary score, earn college credits without taking college courses.
*For example, if a student takes the Spanish Language Level 2 CLEP exam and scores a 63+, they receive college credit for Spanish 1111 & 1112 & 2111, a total of 13 college credit hours.
To view the CLEP exams offered at CCA, along with registration and cost information, click HERE .
Information on how to transcribe your test score into college credit can be found HERE .
IB
IB stands for International Baccalaureate. A score of 4 or higher on an IB exam earns a student college credit.
*For example, if a student scores a 4 on the English A Language & Literature HL or SL, he or she will receive 3 college credits at the Community College of Aurora for English Composition I (ENG 1021).
Additional information on IB cut scores for Colorado Public Colleges and Universities can be found HERE.
Information on how to transcribe your test score into college credit can be found HERE .