College in the High School serves Northwest Minnesota by providing high-quality Northland credits to aspiring high school students, helping them prepare for and succeed in college.
Earn College Credits in High School
Get a head start by earning college credits in your high school classes with College in the High School (CHS) at Northland! By taking CHS classes, you can get a jump on your future education and earn college credits. You also gain confidence by experiencing college-level coursework. And taking CHS courses is free!
Benefits of College in the High School
CHS is a great way to experience what it’s like to take a college course and can set up students for success once they enroll in college.
- Earn college credits at Northland.
Saving time and college tuition costs. - Stand out in the Northland admission process.
Demonstrating you’re prepared for college-level coursework. - Get an early start on introductory college courses.
Allowing you to graduate sooner or add a second major, minor, or elective course to your Northland education. - Go beyond the traditional high school curriculum.
Taking CHS courses will enhance the amount, level, and diversity of learning in high school – all while staying right at your high school. - Promote your self-confidence.
Taking college-level courses while in high school tends to promote your self-confidence, a trait that will serve you well as you move on from high school. - Save money on tuition.
By taking CHS courses at Northland, you will lower your total costs to attend college. You do not personally pay tuition for Northland CHS courses.
Explore your options to earn college credit at Northland, and visit your high school counselor or a Northland admissions rep for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Liberal Arts & General Education Courses
- High school juniors or seniors.
- Take the Accuplacer assessment or have appropriate ACT, MCA, or SAT scores in math and reading or English.
- Combination of approved Accuplacer assessment, ACT, MCA, or SAT scores with required high school GPA (Minnesota State System Multiple Measures Standards – Procedure 3340P)
Technical Courses
- High school juniors or seniors with a 2.5 GPA
- Sophomores with a 2.5 GPA may be eligible to take one technical course per term.
- Students are required to demonstrate that they have the ability to successfully complete college-level coursework at a “C” level or higher.
- Take the Accuplacer assessment or have appropriate ACT, MCA, or SAT scores in math, reading, or English.
- Combination of approved Accuplacer assessment, ACT, MCA, or SAT scores with required high school GPA (Minnesota State System Multiple Measures Standards – Procedure 3340P)
To take a Northland CHS college course at your high school, you must be admitted as a Northland student.
If you intend to take CHS courses, you need to meet Northland’s enrollment requirements, follow college procedures regarding incoming assessment and placement, and satisfy course prerequisites, if there are any, for the course you want to take. Your high school guidance counselor will be able to tell you about that.
A full-time college student’s standard semester credit load is 15-18 credits, although full-time is considered 12 credits. The maximum number of credits that a student can take in any one semester is 22. A student may petition to take more than this if they meet the criteria related to academic progress. See Policy 3270 Maximum Credit Load.
CHS course cancellation could occur if there is low enrollment in the CHS course or the CHS instructor has left the school. If there is a CHS course cancellation, the notification is sent from the CHS school to the Northland CHS Coordinator. The Northland CHS Coordination notifies the Student Services staff, and the Student Services staff processes the drops from the course.
Your CHS course at Northland is a college course. You are considered a college student taking a college course. Given this, Northland CHS credits will generally transfer to colleges and universities in the same manner that any other college credit would transfer.
But as with any transfer of college credits, it is the decision of the receiving institution whether or not to accept them. Therefore, as you enroll in the college of your choice, especially if it is a private college or outside of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, be sure to check with that college’s Student Services staff during the admission process to determine whether these credits will transfer.
And finally, if you decide to attend Northland, you can be 100% certain that any course successfully completed as a Northland CHS course while you were still in high school will be accepted – one less course to worry about while you’re here, and several less tuition dollars that come out of your pocket!
A transcript is a record of all courses and grades you have earned each semester.
Your High School Transcript
Every high school handles this in its own way. Check with the guidance counselor at your high school if you are wondering exactly how this course will appear on your high school transcript. What is certain is that you will receive both high school and college credit for your CHS course, assuming you complete the course successfully. Students who drop or do not complete their course will generally receive an “F” for that course on their high school transcript.
Your College Transcript
In order to receive college credit for a concurrent enrollment course, you must successfully complete the requirements of the course and earn a passing grade. Your Northland transcript is exactly the same as the transcript that our traditional students receive.