Maine Township offers Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment courses in partnership with multiple colleges and universities including Oakton Community College (OCC), Eastern Illinois University, Harper College, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment courses provide students with an opportunity to study college level courses offered through official agreements between Maine Township High School District 207 and partner colleges, universities, and post-secondary institutions.
For more information regarding Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment courses, students should visit their Student Services Offices, review our course catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
- What is Dual Credit?
- How do I get started?
- What are the benefits of Dual Credit Classes?
- Who are our college partners?
- Do I have to pay tuition for these Dual Credit courses?
- Do I have to attend Oakton or one of the other college partners to benefit from dual credit at the college level?
- How do I let colleges know that I have earned Dual Credits?
- How do I transfer my credits?
- Want to learn more about our partnership with Oakton?
- How are Dual Credit courses different from high school AP courses?
- Is there anything else I will need to do or know?
What is Dual Credit?
When you take a dual credit course, you earn both high school and college credit for the same class. You go to class at your high school and you earn college credit without paying college tuition – please see FAQ regarding tuition for more information.
Note: There is a minimum requirement that you pass your dual credit course(s) usually with a “C” or better in order to earn college credit.
How do I get started?
Talk to your counselor to see what dual credit classes might be a good fit for you.
What are the benefits of Dual Credit Classes?
- Earning college credits now means you may not have to take that class (or a related class) in college. This could save you time by reducing the number of courses you need to take in college.
- Dual Credit classes can save you money! You don’t have to pay the college price for these classes (see FAQ regarding cost/tuition). For example, the average cost of tuition for a single credit hour at the University of Illinois is $646. Even at OCC, the in-District cost will be at least $137 dollars per credit hour. When a student takes a dual credit class partnered with Oakton, they only have to pay a one-time application fee, saving you hundreds of dollars.
- Dual credit classes earn accelerated credit and can help improve your weighted GPA.
- Students get a taste of college rigor. It is helpful to experience these challenging classes while still having all the support services available in the high school.
- Students begin their permanent college GPA and transcript while in high school.
- Students who earn 15 hours or more of college credit before graduating from high school are two times more likely to complete a post-secondary program.
- Many of our dual credit classes provide career exploration opportunities.
Who are our college partners?
District 207 has partnerships with a number of colleges and our main partner is Oakton Community College (OCC). Other college partners include Eastern Illinois University, College of DuPage, Harper College, Lake Forest College and the University of St. Francis.
Note: You do not have to attend these dual credit partner schools after high school graduation to benefit from dual credit. Many colleges and universities accept dual credit courses from Oakton and our other college partners. See FAQ regarding other colleges for more details.
Do I have to pay tuition for these Dual Credit courses?
There is a one time application fee to enroll as a dual credit student with Oakton. The application fee for Oakton is $25. Students who decide to attend Oakton after high school do not need to pay this fee again.
Other partner colleges have a course fee to earn college credit. For example, the cost is $300 to earn a class credit with Lake Forest College. That may seem high, but this fee is still a significant savings over costs per class once in college. The course fee with Eastern Illinois University is also discounted down to $90 for our students.
Note: For classes with higher fees, financial assistance may be available. Contact the class teacher for more information.
Do I have to attend Oakton or one of the other college partners to benefit from dual credit at the college level?
No. Dual credit classes are recognized and accepted by many universities and colleges. Check with your university to determine their policy as every college and university reserves the right to determine whether or not they will accept dual credits and how they will apply the credits toward graduation requirements.
You will need to send your college transcripts to your university upon graduating from high school. These are transcripts from each of the colleges with which you earned credits through dual credit courses while in high school.
It is important to note that some dual credits from technical classes do not transfer into four year degree requirements. However, they can help those earning an Applied Associate degree in a technical area.
How do I let colleges know that I have earned Dual Credits?
You will need to send your college transcripts to your university upon graduating from high school. You will send a transcript from each college with which you participated in a dual credit class.
How do I transfer my credits?
Each college has a process for sending a transcript. See the links below for directions on how to request transcripts from each of our partner schools:
Oakton College
Eastern IL University ( information page, please see note for Dual Credit students) Parchment Site for Transcripts
College of DuPage
Harper College
Lake Forest College (information page) and Parchment Site for Transcripts
University of St. Francis
Want to learn more about our partnership with Oakton?
Oakton’s Early College Catalog
Oakton’s Early College website
Direction from OCC on how to create an account for DC courses
How are Dual Credit courses different from high school AP courses?
Both types of courses are taught at the college level. However, students in dual credit courses earn college credit as soon as they successfully complete the course. In an AP course, students must pass the AP exam with a certain score to be eligible to apply for college credit once they graduate from high school.
Note: A student must also enroll in the college portion of the dual credit class in order to earn college credit. They must pass with a minimum grade (usually a “C”).
Is there anything else I will need to do or know?
There may be specific steps to take in order to enroll in the college offering credit for your course. Teachers will provide directions on how to apply and/or enroll.
Remember that this will be part of your permanent college record. It is important to keep your grades up as a poor grade can have an impact on your financial aid. If for any reason you cannot maintain the minimum required grade (usually a “C”), be sure to talk to your teacher BEFORE the college’s withdrawal deadline. Then follow the steps to remove the college portion of your class.