Opportunities to Earn College Credit at NPHS 

Advanced Placement Courses Available:   AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP Art Studio

Students will receive weighted grades for AP courses.

• Students complete AP courses in high school and may earn college credit or advanced placement in college, depending on their score on the AP exam. 

• Advanced Placement (AP) is a nationally recognized program. 

• Benefits for students who take AP courses are many, from providing academic rigor to improving study habits. 

• The 2023 cost was $55 per exam. Students are encouraged to take the exam. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify.

• AP courses allow students to excel in areas of interest or strength while fostering leadership qualities in outstanding students. 

• These courses provide the opportunity to bypass introductory college courses. 

Students will receive weighted grades for concurrent enrollment courses. 

Concurrent enrollment courses are college courses offered at the high school, taught by a qualified high school teacher. These are offered in partnership with a specific college or university. Students who successfully complete these courses generate both high school and college credits from the partnering postsecondary institution. There is no cost to the student to participate in these courses. Acceptance of transfer credits is always guided by the policies of the college accepting the credit. Eligibility to enroll is based on one or more of the following: class rank, GPA, and ACT scores. Research shows that high school students who participate in an accelerated learning option, such as concurrent enrollment, benefit greatly from exposure to high expectations, participation in challenging courses and the momentum gained by earning college credits while still in high school.

Concurrent Enrollment Courses Offered at NPHS are: 

Minnesota State University-Mankato

• College Biology 100

• Family Housing (Housing Interior Design)

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

• CIS Literature

• CIS Composition 

• CIS Public Speaking

• CIS German 1003 & 1004

• CIS Psychology 

• CIS Spanish 1003 & 1004 

• CIS U.S. History I & II 

• CIS Physics

Southwest State University in Marshall (SMSU)

• College Political Science 

• College Algebra

• College Trigonometry 

• College Chemistry I & II

Normandale Community College

• Intro to Education

St. Cloud State University:

• German III / Intro to German Culture & History

• Spanish III/ Intro to Spanish-speaking Cultures through Film and Music 

Students in college-level courses will meet a minimum of three days a week in the classroom and will be required to complete online coursework on non-mandatory days. Students must maintain a grade of 75% or they must attend class on non-mandatory days. On non-mandatory days, students may be off campus during that class period. If students elect to stay on campus during non-mandatory days, they must either be in their assigned classroom, or in the Media Center. The amount of non-mandatory days will vary by teacher and course, as described in the course syllabus.

All PSEO course grades will be based on a standard 4.0 (unweighted)

PSEO allows 10th, 11th and 12th-grade students to earn both high school and college credit while still in high school, through enrollment in and successful completion of college-level, nonsectarian courses at eligible participating postsecondary institutions. Most PSEO courses are offered on the campus of the postsecondary institution; some courses are offered online. Each participating college or university sets its own requirements for enrollment into the PSEO courses. 11th and 12th grade students may take PSEO courses on a full-time or part-time basis; 10th- graders may take one career/technical PSEO course. If they earn at least a C in that class, they may take additional PSEO courses. 

There is no charge to PSEO students for tuition, books or fees for items that are required to participate in a course. Students must meet the PSEO residency and eligibility requirements and abide by participation limits specified in Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09. If a school district determines a pupil is not on track to graduate, she/he may not continue to participate in PSEO. Funds are available to help pay transportation expenses for qualifying students to participate in PSEO courses on college campuses. PSEO students must fulfill NPHS requirements in order to earn a NPHS diploma.

PSEO Considerations

• An annual informational meeting is held for interested students, followed by student website research and parent/guardian meeting. 

• A parent/guardian meeting with the school counselor is strongly encouraged in order to ensure graduation requirements are met.

• Students intending to take PSEO must still register for a full load of high school classes for next year. Upon successful enrollment in PSEO classes the high school schedule will be adjusted. 

• The deadline for enrollment is May 30th, 2023

Don’t take college classes in high school only for the college credit!

• Learn from the process of taking these rigorous courses.

• They require critical thinking, the ability to retain information through reading and study, tough decisions, maturity and self-discipline.

Not all Concurrent Enrollment (CE) courses will award college credit.

• Only your future college can answer transfer questions with certainty.

• Transferology is a helpful website for a preliminary exploration of what may transfer.

• Colleges may exempt you from a required college course (in lieu of granting credit).

• College may allow placement into a more advanced course (in lieu of granting credit).

At some colleges, you may need to repeat a CE course that you successfully finished in high school.

• Many colleges require you to take entry level courses in your major at their college (vs. transferring credit in).

• Taking CE courses in topics you might major in is still of benefit! Colleges report that students who are required to repeat a course in college are more likely to be successful in that course (due to exposure to the class in high school).

• Taking CE courses in topics outside of your potential major is a great idea.

Colleges want to see well-rounded students with skills in areas outside of the classroom, as well as academic skills.

• Stay involved in activities such as part-time jobs, volunteering, extracurriculars, community involvement, faith-based programs, co-curriculars, etc.

• Take what you can handle -- colleges do not expect you to take every CE course offered!

• Include rigor in your schedule, but not an unrealistic overload.