The Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program is a state-wide program which provides additional options for students to take college courses while still in high school. Like everything else, there are positives and negatives to this program. It is going to be very important that read through the available materials completely as well as setting up a meeting with our school counselor to ensure this is the correct path to take. It is a positive opportunity for some students; however, we want to be clear on some important items about the PSEO program as you start to consider this as an option:
Any transportation to or from classes, meetings, or other required items at the post-secondary school is the responsibility of the student and their family. The district does not provide transportation to PSEO classes.
Acceptance into a PSEO program is at the sole discretion of the post-secondary institution. They are the ones who set the requirements and rule on any appeals. La Crescent-Hokah School District does not approve nor deny any PSEO applications.
All tuition and fees are paid by the state of Minnesota. Payment is made directly to the post-secondary institution. Money paid to the post-secondary institution is deducted from the state aid that the school receives for the student. In other words, every PSEO class takes money away from La Crescent-Hokah School District. For this reason, we encourage students to only take PSEO classes which are NOT offered at the high school.
The school district does not have the ability to track student progress, grades, or anything else for PSEO classes. We also do not have the ability to intervene on behalf of any students regarding their PSEO classes as they are considered college students by the post-secondary institution. Students need to be the ones to advocate for themselves and seek out help at the post-secondary institution if there is a concern.
All grades and credits earned in PSEO classes will go on not only the student's high school transcript but will also be the start of their college transcript. This includes any withdrawals or failures.
Post-secondary classes often run on a different schedule than La Crescent-Hokah High School. This means that your PSEO classes could start before our school year begins, your 1st semester high school classes will likely overlap with 2nd semester PSEO classes, and that you might have PSEO classes on days where the High School is not in session. Students are responsible for coming up with a plan to navigate these unique situations.
The state has set deadlines for admission into the PSEO program which are roughly 2-3 months before the start of the PSEO class. Any student wishing to participate in the PSEO program for the fall semester must have all paperwork completed and notify the school district by May 30th of that year. Students wishing to do PSEO for the spring semester must have all paperwork completed and notify the school district by October 30th.
Attending college is an important life decision and should be carefully considered. PSEO students are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as all college students, and must be able to:
Take full responsibility for managing time and assignments
Make room for more study time outside of class, with fewer instructions on how and what to study
Handle multiple deadlines without reminders
Take initiative to seek help when needed
Students can expect to spend two hours outside of class in preparation for every one hour of classroom lecture. Students should realize that PSEO classes are independent in nature and that high school staff unable to monitor progress. Social maturity is also important in working with older students, professors and in handling the academic challenge of college.
Each College or University participating in PSEO sets their own eligibility requirements and application deadlines.
Traditionally La Crescent High School students attend local area schools in Winona, MN.
Click on each school to find out their specific requirements and deadlines.
Students may look into other Minnesota schools if they wish to participate in those PSEO programs.
Here is A list of postsecondary institutions approved to participate in the PSEO program. Please contact each campus directly for specific PSEO program information.
Any student interested in PSEO is required to schedule a meeting with the High School Counselor and their parent(s). During this meeting we will:
Ensure understanding of important PSEO information and expectations.
Perform a credit check to figure out remaining credits needed for Graduation.
Discuss possible college course options.
It is strongly recommended to meet with the counselor PRIOR to attending orientation and/or PSEO Registration at the college. The meeting must occur prior to the state required cutoff dates of May 30th and October 30th. Depending on circumstances, the PSEO process and registering for courses may involve several meetings with the counselor.
These items need to be completed and turned into the Guidance Office to start the application process.
PSEO Notice of Student Registration (NOSR) Forms
The PSEO Notice of Student Registration must be completed for each semester by an eligible student and signed by the student’s parent or guardian (if the student is under the age of 18) in section one. The school completes and signs section two. Students then forward the form for the appropriate academic year to the postsecondary institution they plan to attend; the postsecondary institution completes section three and submits a copy to the Minnesota Department of Education.
If public school students do not notify the enrolling district of their intent to enroll in PSEO by May 30, and the enrolling district does not waive the deadline in section two of the form, the family may be responsible for the postsecondary tuition expense.
For the 2025-2026 school year - THIS NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED EACH SEMESTER YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN PSEO
La Crescent High School PSEO Agreement Form - This form needs to be signed by the student and parent.
Transcript Release form - Most colleges will a require a transcript be sent. Fill out the Transcript Release and bring it to the Guidance Office.
These things may also need to be completed depending on each College's criteria:
College Application - Many of the colleges and universities require students to apply to their schools using their Online College Application. You will need to check each individual school you are interested in to see if they require this.
ACT Scores - Some colleges may require ACT scores for admission into the PSEO Program. We can include ACT scores on our High School Transcript, if students have already taken the ACT. Some colleges may require ACT scores to be officially sent from ACT. If that is the case, students need to log in and/or create an ACT account at actstudent.org and have scores be officially sent to the college they are applying to. There will be a fee from ACT to do this.
Placement Test - If your ACT scores do not place you into courses you are interested in taking, some colleges will offer a placements test to be taken, such as the ACCUPLACER.
Once all application materials are submitted to the college, a student will be notified by mail or email from the college if they have been accepted.
They will typically also receive information regarding PSEO Registration or Orientation for the college. This is the responsibility of the student/parent to attend registration and orientation. They will also usually require a meeting with an advisor at the college level. This may happen at orientation.
Once a student meets with the college advisor, they will be able to register for college courses.
A student must meet with the High School Counselor after registering for their college courses and turn in an official schedule of their PSEO courses, which includes the student's name, courses taken and amount of credits for each course. This can usually be found in the student's e-services account set up at the college when registering.
Once the schedule is turned in to the Counselor and approved, a student's high school schedule will be changed to include the PSEO courses.
Per Minnesota Department of Education, to assist the district in planning, students must notify their school by May 30 if they want to participate in PSEO for the following school year.
Section 1 of the Minnesota State Department of Education PSEO Notice of Student Registration Form must be completed by the student and parent before registration for each college semester and the La Crescent High School PSEO Agreement Form and Transcript Release form must be filled out and returned to the Guidance Office. Students need to check each school they are applying to for eligibility requirements and if any additional applications or forms are needed. Many schools require PSEO students to fill out their college application that can usually be found on the school website.
Per Minnesota Department of Education, to access PSEO, a student must first give up one class at the high school during the core school day. This allows a student to participate on a part-time or full-time basis – and enroll in classes during the day, evening or weekend – in an online or face-to-face setting.
Students are required to sign up for the PSEO courses that are college level (developmental level classes are not covered by the state). PSEO courses must be pre-approved by the school counselor in order for the student to receive credit. Students must meet all La Crescent High School graduation course requirements. Students will be awarded ½ of the college credits earned towards their high school diploma. i.e. 3 college credits = 1.5 high school credits
All PSEO students are required to maintain full time credit status each semester, which is 6 credits at LHS or 12 at the college. Students may enroll in only 10 college credits (equal to 5 high school credits) if they are on track and have enough credits to graduate. This needs to be approved by the High School Counselor.
All grades earned in PSEO will be averaged into the student’s high school GPA for the semester in which they have enrolled for the class(es).
A student must meet and discuss with the school counselor before they can drop a college class to ensure all graduation credits are being met and to avoid any unnecessary penalties on transcript. i.e. Withdrawal (W) or Withdrawal-Fail (WF). La Crescent High School’s Drop/Add Policy is still in effect for PSEO courses. “Dropping a course after the end of one (1) week of a semester will result in a withdrawal fail (WF) on the student’s transcript. WF’s are calculated into the student’s cumulative GPA as an “F”.
Students should contact the School Counselor as soon as their college registration is complete so that their high school schedule can be adjusted. La Crescent High School class schedules will not be changed until the student turns in their official college schedule, which includes the student’s name, courses taken and amount of credits for each course.
It is the student’s responsibility to contact the designated college regarding registration, orientation, assessments, credit transfer information and the appropriateness of course selection.
A diploma will not be awarded until all fines are paid and college transcripts are received and evaluated for graduation requirements. PSEO students will not receive their diploma on the day of graduation if a final transcript is needed to verify required credits for graduation.
Transportation, class attendance and meeting all PSEO requirements are the responsibilities of the participating student. Parents accept the responsibility of students who drive to a college.
Funds are available to help pay transportation expenses for qualifying students to participate in PSEO courses on college campuses. For more information on these funds, access the PSEO Mileage Reimbursement Program Instructions.
Students enrolled in PSEO are responsible for maintaining contact with the high school, especially regarding all senior and graduation related events. They MUST continue to check their LCHS email as important information is shared via school email throughout the year.