College Credit Options

Advanced Placement (AP) is designed by the College Board and offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. USJ currently offers 17 AP courses that have been approved by the AP Course Audit. USJ teachers participate in Advanced Placement continuing education and many serve as exam graders.

Regarding high school students earning college credit, colleges and universities view AP coursework as most closely aligned with college expectations due to the AP Course Audit and the standardized test in May for each subject. Because of the close alignment with college expectations, many colleges evaluate candidates for admission and scholarships based on their participation in AP coursework. For that reason, students seeking admission to selective schools and/or honors programs will want to select AP coursework that best fits their interests and goals.

By graduation, approximately 60 percent of USJ students have participated in AP coursework with 86 percent obtaining AP's passing score of 3+. USJ adheres to the College Board's Equity and Access policy when scheduling students in AP classes.

The cost per AP course is $120 and students are responsible for any books or materials required for the class. These courses appear on the USJ transcript as Advanced Placement and are given one point additional weight on the GPA.

JSCC offers online dual enrollment coursework as well as traditional classroom options. USJ students have participated in both the traditional and online options. The traditional classroom option only works with the USJ schedule for summer school classes. Many USJ students find that their senior schedule allows them to successfully take an online dual enrollment course through JSCC. JSCC’s dual enrollment scholarship coupled with Tennessee’s dual enrollment grant covers the entire cost of the first two dual enrollment classes, excluding books. Students must have the qualifying ACT subscore in order to qualify for this scholarship. The online application and summer/fall course schedules can be found at www.jscc.edu.

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is based on the premise that some individuals enrolling in college have already learned part of what is taught in college through job training, independent reading and studying, and/or advanced high school courses. CLEP provides those individuals with the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of college-level material by taking exams that assess the knowledge and skills taught in college courses.

The CLEP Official Study Guide contains sample questions and an answer key for each exam as well as helpful advice for determining which CLEP test(s) you should attempt. In addition, CLEP has a demonstration video that walks test takers through the internet-based testing experience.

Students can take a CLEP test at any point in their educational experience. The credit is banked and does not expire. CLEP credit will not appear on the USJ transcript, and students should check their prospective colleges and universities' policies on CLEP credit. Union University is the nearest CLEP test center, for information on testing, go online here.

CLEP Website

The state of Tennessee offers a dual enrollment grant (DEG) of $500 toward four dual enrollment classes for high school students with qualifying ACT scores. That grant offsets the total cost of the coursework at a Tennessee community college, such as Jackson State Community College. In addition, application of this grant dramatically decreases the cost of a summer school class through Union University’s Summer Pre-College Program. However,the DEG can be applied at any accredited Tennessee institution offering dual enrollment credit.

Directions to applying for the DEG are below. Note: These directions are specific to Jackson State Community College. If you are applying for dual enrollment for another Tennessee institution, select the name of that institution from the drop box. Additional details can be found here. 

Union offers a summer pre-college which allows students to apply their dual enrollment grant to their coursework. Here is the link to course options and enrollment information: https://www.uu.edu/admissions/rising-seniors/

This coursework takes place in the month of June. This is a great option because you are in class with other rising seniors, not upperclassmen. The professors in those classes are aware that all the students are rising seniors, thus making this program a great first college experience. 

Any student taking dual enrollment is responsible for applying for the dual enrollment grant, any tuition and fees not covered by the grant or scholarship, and for adhering to the credit-granting school’s calendar. These dual credit institutions treat high school students taking college credit as if they are college students. The student is expected to come to class (or log into assignments if the course is online), communicate far in advance about any absences or missing work, and set up an in-person appointment during the professor’s office hours if there are questions about the course. 

USJ College Advising can help you with the applications and the dual enrollment grant, but we cannot apply for the grants for you. USJ cannot guarantee the transfer of credit to the student’s college of choice. Each college has its own guidelines regarding the transfer of credit. Most schools’ websites have a transfer equivalency table or the registrar’s office can answer questions about transferability.