Early College Credit

Goochland County Public Schools

Early College Credit 

Descriptions and Fee Schedule

2025-26

All charges are subject to change.

Goochland County Public Schools is pleased to offer a broad range of opportunities for students to earn transferrable college credit while in high school. The term dual enrollment refers to high school students (typically juniors and seniors) taking college courses with the goal of earning college and high school credit simultaneously.  Additionally, high school students may earn college credit for some rigorous courses through testing. The various pathways available to GHS students to earn early college credit through either dual enrollment or testing are listed below.  Please be aware that most have requirements for participation. These vary by program and institution.  Please contact your child’s school counselor for more information. 

Advance College Academy (ACA)

This program allows students to obtain a transferable Associate of Science degree (60 college credits) in Social Science while earning a high school diploma. Students take honors-level high school classes during their freshman and sophomore years, then college classes during their junior and senior years. ACA students who begin to earn high school math and world language credit in middle school may even begin dual enrollment prior to their junior year. The A.S. degree is conferred by Reynolds Community College. Eligible students are encouraged to apply in the fall of their 8th grade year, though opportunities do exist to apply in 9th and 10th grades. Once accepted, students must earn and maintain a minimum 3.0 high school GPA and 2.5 college GPA to maintain their program participation. A minimum grade of C in Algebra II prior to junior year is also required.

Program Cost: $420-600 per student

Textbook Purchase/Rental: $0

Uniform Certificate of General Studies (UCGS)

The Uniform Certificate of General Studies (UCGS) is a community college program that equals roughly a year of transferable college credit (30+ credits) that satisfies lower-division general education requirements at any Virginia public college or university. These courses may also transfer outside of state and to private institutions. To satisfy the UCGS at Goochland High School, students are required to take a minimum of ten dual enrollment courses from specific categories prescribed by Reynolds Community College. College course selection should be carefully considered since the UCGS program is not designed to capture the complexities of individual programs of study/majors at the four-year institutions. Participants must earn and maintain a minimum 3.0 high school GPA and achieve a grade of C or higher in all dual enrollment classes to qualify. Additional requirements may apply by course.

Program Cost: $0

Textbook Purchase/Rental: $0

Passport+

The Passport is a community college program that equals roughly one semester of transferable college credit (15+ credits) that satisfies lower-division general education requirements at any Virginia public college or university. These courses may also transfer outside of state and to private institutions. To satisfy the Passport+ at Goochland High School (18+ credits), students are required to take a minimum of five dual enrollment courses from specific categories prescribed by Reynolds Community College, plus (+) an additional transferable dual enrollment English course to meet high school graduation requirements. This additional course is the “plus” of the Goochland Passport+. Participants must earn and maintain a minimum 3.0 high school GPA and achieve a grade of C or higher in all dual enrollment classes to qualify. Additional requirements may apply by course.

Program Cost: $0

Textbook Purchase/Rental: $0

Á la Carte Dual Enrollment

Students may wish to enroll for many reasons in only one or two of the dual enrollment courses offered at GHS without completing any of the full programs above. For instance, they may have a specific area of strength where they want to challenge themselves. Or perhaps they want to try out a particular college class now to help them to decide on a future college major down the road. They may even prefer simply to get a required college credit out of the way in high school to make room for classes they would rather take once they get to their future campus. Whatever the reason, á la carte dual enrollment puts the student in the driver's seat, allowing them to sample college curriculum and earn college credit in the area of their choosing. Participants must earn and maintain a minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Additional requirements may apply by course.

Course Cost: $0-$240 (varies by course)

Textbook Purchase/Rental: $0

Advanced Placement

Goochland High School offers a broad selection of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in such diverse content as computer science, economics, English, geography, math, science, and world language. Each course culminates in an AP exam. One benefit of taking the AP exam is the opportunity to earn college credit and/or accelerated class placement at the university level based on the score. In some instances, AP exam credit may also be applied to the ACA, UCGS, or Passport+ programs. Most institutions of higher education grant credit for AP exam scores that meet their threshold (generally, a score of 3 or higher). While there are broad consistencies among colleges and universities in their recognition of AP exam scores, each institution makes its own policies about awarding AP credit and/or placement, and high schools cannot guarantee any specific award.

Course Cost: $0

Textbook Purchase/Rental $0 

College Board Exam Fee $99.00*

* This represents the most recent amount published by College Board. Late tests may incur an additional fee.

Blue Ridge Virginia Governor’s School (BRVGS) 

BRVGS offers a challenging curriculum that combines specially-designed Governor’s School courses with rigorous GHS courses, including Advanced Placement (AP) and college coursework. Available college courses for BRVGS include select courses from Germanna Community College, Piedmont Virginia Community College, the University of Virginia, and Shenandoah University. See the BRVGS Program of Studies for the most updated list of course offerings. Note: Students accepted into BRVGS may also participate in any of the dual enrollment programs listed above. Students apply to BRVGS in fall of the eighth grade year.

Program Cost: $0 

Textbook Purchase/Rental: $0

Virtual Learning Opportunities for Dual Enrollment Credit

Additional opportunities for dual enrollment credit may be available online beyond those outlined above. Please contact your child’s school counselor during the course selection process to discuss potential options. While Goochland County Public Schools has no affiliation with a particular online college course provider, virtual courses through the University of North Dakota, Northern Virginia Community College, Tidewater Community College, Reynolds Community College, and Virginia Peninsula Community College have been utilized in the past. 

Course Cost:   Varies by institution

Textbook Purchase/Rental:  Varies by course and institution

Tuition assistance for most programs is available for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. For more information, speak to your school counselor or Dr. Beth Fowler, GCPS Coordinator of Student Advancement.