Eligible students can graduate from high school with up to 25 tuition-free credits toward an associate’s degree from FMCC
Fonda-Fultonville High School students who aspire to attend Fulton-Montgomery Community College after graduation will have a debt-free pathway toward getting their associate’s degree under a new partnership.
New in 2020-21, FFCS students can participate in the Advanced Pathway College Credit Program (APC) and graduate from high school with up to 25 credits toward an associate’s degree from FMCC. Program participants have the option of taking select College in the High School courses for free, so long as they meet the program’s criteria.
“This new opportunity will allow all of our students to access college-level courses, regardless of their socioeconomic status,” Superintendent Thomas Ciaccio said. “It will help expose our students to the rigor of college-level coursework and help them start building a relationship with FMCC to prepare them for life after high school.”
This program is the first of its kind in the region under a new partnership between FFCS and FMCC. The program is geared toward students who expect to attend FMCC after they graduate from high school. The APC credits that FFCS students earn in high school can be transferred to FMCC for up to two years after graduating from high school.
The APC program builds upon FFCS’s existing College in the High School program that is offered to students in partnership with FMCC. FFCS already offers a wide variety of College in the High School courses to all students who qualify academically and meet the program’s existing prerequisites. Students who take College in the High School courses have the option of paying reduced-rate tuition to earn college credits, many of which are transferable to other colleges.
The APC program is different from the existing College in the High School program because students who qualify for APC do not have to pay tuition, and the credits are only valid if they pursue their post-graduation studies at FMCC. To earn APC credit, students must complete articulated courses with at least a grade of 85, successfully graduate from high school, and they must apply to FMCC and enroll in courses within two years of graduating high school.
The College in the High School courses that are currently offered at FFCS for the APC program include:
- Biology
- English I & II
- Survey of American History I & II
- Introduction to Statistics
- Pre-Calculus & Calculus
- American Political Systems
- Intermediate Spanish I & II
Fonda-Fultonville High School is currently working to notify eligible juniors and seniors in advance of a virtual information session this month. Eligible students will receive an email with an invitation to this session.