Eastern Iowa families saved nearly $3.4 million last year.
How did they do it? Their students took college credit while they were still in high school.
During the 2012-13 school year, more than 4,500 high school students in Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington counties took 25,000-plus college credit hours through Kirkwood Community College. At $133 per credit hour, Kirkwood’s tuition during that academic year, the total savings were nearly $3.4 million.
“Through a partnership with area school districts and the state’s Senior Year Plus programs, college credit opportunities are offered at no cost to students,” said Tera Pickens, director of Kirkwood’s Washington County Center. “This is a great way for students to jump start their college career and start earning transferrable college credit while still in high school. Whether students take one class or several, this program is a big cost saver in tuition expenses for students and better prepares them to enter the workforce or college.”
At Washington County partner schools, 588 students earned 3,933 credit hours while still in high school, which added up to a cost savings of $523,089.
When the Kirkwood Washington County Regional Center opens in the fall of 2014, Pickens expects the tuition savings to jump even higher.
“The new Kirkwood regional center will offer expanded programming and more opportunities for students,” Pickens said. “Some of the new high school Career Academies include Advanced Manufacturing, Criminal Justice, Auto and Transportation, Industrial Maintenance and Renewable Energy, Information Technology and Emergency Medical Services. Those will be offered in addition to the Academies we currently offer in the county in Architecture and Construction Management, Arts and Sciences transfer, Graphics and Media Communication, Patient Care and Project Lead the Way.”
“The highly technical programs that will be offered at the regional center have significant workforce demand, but are expensive to equip. By pooling resources and bringing in students from a wider region, we can provide students with state-of-the-art equipment and training and lift the burden of purchasing and maintaining expensive industry-standard equipment off local school districts,” Pickens said.
“Students in many academies can graduate high school already certified in key areas with employable industry recognized credentials,” Pickens continued. “Eventually, what we will see is a better trained workforce in the trades our region’s employers need and students who are better prepared for college.”
For more information about Kirkwood’s Washington County Regional Center, go to www.kirkwood.edu/washingtonregional.