Advance at College

Middle and High School Student Programs
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High School Students: Take College-level Courses

The Advance at College dual enrollment program is a unique initiative providing Philadelphia’s motivated and talented high school students with an early opportunity to take college-level courses and experience a college environment while still enrolled in high school or while actively pursuing a GED.

Upon completion, students will have an official college transcript on file which may be applied toward an associate degree at Community College of Philadelphia or transferred to another college or university.

Advance at College gives you several advantages:

  • Opportunities to explore exciting academic and career paths in rapidly growing fields
  • A chance to experience college life through courses and interaction with faculty
  • A chance to meet other students and become familiar with the college environment
  • Access to the College’s rich array of resources, such as the Library, Academic Computing Center, Learning Lab and Career Connections
  • An opportunity to prepare for college by taking credit or developmental education courses

Save on Tuition

In order to serve the community by expanding access to the Advance at College program, Community College of Philadelphia offers a significant reduction in tuition to eligible Philadelphia high school students. As an added incentive, the College waives fees for Advance at College students. Textbooks and instructional materials are not included.

Earn College Credit While You’re Still in High School at No Cost with Early Scholars Program

If you are a Philadelphia resident entering 11th or 12th grade or under the age of 21 and actively pursuing a GED or high school equivalency credential, you may be eligible to take college courses at Community College of Philadelphia and earn up to 12 credits a year free of charge. You will not pay for tuition, books or fees, and you can choose from a variety of courses. Early Scholars is made possible through the Octavius Catto Scholarship, a partnership with the City of Philadelphia.

How to Apply

Existing Students: If you previously applied to the Advance at College dual enrollment program, completed the FERPA form and satisfied placement, you do not need to re-apply. You will be sent an email with a link to the Early Scholars Intent form.

New Students: Follow these steps in the order they are laid out to expedite your application. Please read through these steps prior to starting the application so you have all necessary information available.

  • Create a College account providing all required information. The academic program is not required, but if answered, choose non-matriculated. Create a password and click “create account.”
  • Next, click “Start New Application” and complete the application in full.
  • The application has 5 sections. Click SAVE and CONTINUE at the bottom of each page. Your Social Security Number is required. If you do not have a social security number, please follow the instructions provided within the application.
    1. Personal: this section will be partially prepopulated with information you provided when you created your account. Complete any missing information.
    2. Demographics: Complete required information.
    3. Plans: choose Non-Matriculated as the Academic Program. Choose Dual Enrollment for the Student Type and then select Advance@College as the high school program.
    4. Academics: Provide your high school information.
    5. Signature
  • Preview your completed application before submitting it and then click “Save.”
  1. After completing the application, you will be brought back to the dashboard and you will see the application in the “My Applications” window. Please note the status of your application and edit it if needed.
  2. Complete and return the FERPA/Consent form. The PDF is editable so you can fill out the information and sign it digitally or if you have access to a printer, please follow the steps below:
  • Print the form
  • Student signs form
  • Parent/Guardian signs form
  • Scan or take a photo of both sides of the signed form
  • Email the signed form (scanned copy or photo) to your high school counselor or principal. Have them sign it and forward it to advanceatcollege [at] ccp.edu (advanceatcollege[at]ccp[dot]edu). If they are unable to sign the form, ask them to indicate in the text of the email that you have permission to participate in Advance at College.

If you have no way to access the forms to sign by hand or digitally, please send us an email and let us know. We are working daily to provide an alternative means for signature.

  1. Satisfy college placement. After completing your application, you will receive an email outlining steps to satisfy placement. Details about placement can be found here.
  2. Once the application is accepted, you will be sent an email with information about course selection and other required documents. Please check your junk/spam folder.
Questions?

If you have questions or need clarification about Early Scholars please contact Christina Dixon, Coordinator, K-16 Special Projects, at cdixon [at] ccp.edu (cdixon[at]ccp[dot]edu)

Program Requirements

High school students must currently be in 11th or 12th grade, must demonstrate the academic ability in English and/or math indicating preparedness for college coursework, and be motivated to take college courses while still in high school.

Applying

Please complete the Advance at College application online. After doing so you will receive several emails providing detailed steps for completing your application, including how to satisfy placement. After applying, please check your email regularly to avoid delays in processing your application.

Schools or organizations with questions about arranging group testing or cohort courses should contact the Advance at College program office.

For more information, please contact the Advance at College program office at advanceatcollege [at] ccp.edu (advanceatcollege[at]ccp[dot]edu).

Apply Today! Advance at College Online Application

Important Dates and Deadlines for Fall 2024

August 5, 2024Application, Ferpa and Placement Deadline for 15-week (15A) and 7-week (7A) courses
August 16, 2024Application, Ferpa and Placement Deadline for 15-week (15A) and 7-week (7A) courses
September 3, 2024Application, Ferpa and Placement Deadline for 15-week (15A) and 7-week (7A) courses
September 6, 2024Application, Ferpa and Placement Deadline for 10-week courses
September 16, 2024Course Registration Deadline for 10-week (10A) courses and 7-week (7B) courses
October 1, 2024Fall 24 10-week courses begin
October 22 24, 2024Fall 24 7B courses begin

CCP Dual Enrollment Eligibility Policy

Community College of Philadelphia Dual Enrollment Eligibility Policy:
The College’s Advance at College program (AACP) is open to students enrolled in 11th and 12th grade. The College’s Advanced College Experience program (summer ACE) is open to those enrolled as rising 9-12th grade students. A student is no longer eligible to enroll as a dual enrollment student once they graduate high school.

Advance at College may be utilized by students for a maximum of two full academic years (equivalent to 11th and 12th grades) dependent on when a student begins participating.
For example, a student entering 11th grade may enroll as a dual enrollment student in the following terms:

Year 1
Year 2
Late summer (July start date)Late Summer (July start date)
FallFall
WinterWinter
SpringSpring
Early Summer (May start date)Early summer (May start date)

A student entering 12th grade may enroll as a dual enrollment student for one year and is no longer eligible upon high school graduation. A 12th grade student may enroll in the following terms:

Year 1
Late summer (July start date)
Fall
Winter
Spring
Early Summer (May start date)

Advance College Experience (summer ACE) may be utilized by students for a total of four summers (as rising 9th-12th grade students). For example, a student entering 9th grade may enroll in ACE over 4 summers beginning in the summer prior to entering 9th grade. Students are not eligible for ACE in the July following their completion of 12th grade (or equivalent).

Homeschool student eligibility will be determined as outlined below. 

To determine eligibility, homeschool students will submit an official transcript issued by an authorized diploma-granting organization recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for review of grade-level equivalent courses or, when such a transcript can't be provided, the College will determine grade level using the student's age/birthdate:

  • Minimum age of 15 for Advance at College late summer enrollment
  • Minimum 16 years old for Advance at College fall/spring/winter enrollment
  • Minimum age of 13 for the summer ACE program

Age and Grade level equivalency is based on the state’s compulsory attendance requirement which defines age ranges for middle and high school grades. 
Age and birthdate will be validated using one of the following documents:

  • Original or certified copy of birth certificate
  • Unexpired passport
  • Unexpired federal, state or local government issued Identification card
  • Unexpired driver’s license

Note: Partner-specific programming may have different eligibility criteria determined by CCP in collaboration with the partner.