Gifted high school students interested in getting a head start on college credit can take Continuing Education credit courses at the University Park campus and at our locations in Lewistown and Williamsport.
You will need the support of your high school counselor and the approval of the Undergraduate Admissions Office to enroll in a Continuing Education course. Please send us the information listed below—our academic advisers will assemble all your information and forward it to the Admissions Office.
Important: If you have not entered your senior year of high school, we encourage you to begin the enrollment process early, since approval may take additional time. For more information, contact one of our academic advisers.
Guidelines for High School Students Enrolling in Continuing Education Courses
1. You must meet the prerequisite for any Continuing Education credit course you choose. Check our course listings to see whether your course has a prerequisite.
2. Like all Penn State students, you are required to take a Penn State online placement exam before enrolling in CHEM 012, ENGL 015, MATH 004, MATH 021, MATH 022, MATH 110, or MATH 140. You can find more information about these courses in our course catalog.
3. You will be able to enroll in only one Continuing Education course at a time.
4. We will monitor your progress in the course; if you'd like to work with a Continuing Education academic adviser, one will be made available to you, in accordance with University policy.
5. You may not enroll in a course equivalent to one already available at your high school.
6. You must remain enrolled in a supervised high school program and be making progress toward completing all the credits required for your high school diploma. Our courses are available to high school students who have completed eleventh grade and can predict a 2.0 or better college grade-point average.
7. Your application must be accompanied by a copy of your current, official high school transcript and SAT/ACT or PSAT/PLAN scores. A letter from your high school counselor—verifying that (a) you are capable of work beyond the high school level and (b) you will benefit from the challenge of the course—must also accompany your application.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
If you are doing advanced work in high school, you can earn credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) program. You must arrange for your official score reports to be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to our Undergraduate Admissions Office.
For additional information about credit awarded through AP exams, contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office.
