Date: Aug. 23, 2012
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Offers Pilot 1 + 3 Concurrent Enrollment Program

Westville – Purdue University North Central and five area high schools have signed an agreement to launch a pilot 1 + 3 Concurrent Enrollment Program.

This program will give high school students an opportunity to complete one year of college coursework while in high school, allowing them to enter PNC with 30 credit hours of credit toward their degrees. Students who enroll as full-time PNC students will be on track to graduate in three years.

“This presents an outstanding opportunity for our students,” said Chancellor Dr. James B. Dworkin. “Students who begin working toward their Purdue degrees while still in high school will be able to plan their studies so that they are able to graduate in three years. This will save them a considerable amount of tuition money and give them a competitive edge as they enter the job market a year earlier than they may have otherwise.”

The area schools participating in the pilot 1 + 3 Concurrent Enrollment Program are Westville High School, Chesterton High School, Portage High School, Michigan City High School and LaPorte High School.

Initially, four areas of study may be offered by the participating high schools: Business, Human Resources, Biology and General Education. Purdue North Central and high school counselors will work with students to ensure the right concurrent/dual credit courses selected to earn a year of college coursework while in high school.

Paul McGuinness, PNC Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Services explained that students who follow the 1+3 Concurrent Enrollment Program can meet the PNC bachelor degree requirements in three years.

"Accelerating a student's time to complete a university degree will increase the odds of a student completing a bachelor's degree and reduce the cost to attend,” said McGuinness. “This agreement gives students a concrete pathway or map of how their concurrent or dual credit course will count toward a plan of study."

McGuinness noted that for those students who change majors, decide to attend school part-time or make other program changes, they may need additional time to graduate.

Further information about the pilot 1 + 3 Concurrent Enrollment Program may be obtained by contacting Sue Wilson at PNC at 219-785-5236 or swilson@pnc.edu.