Early College Credit

High school students, did you know you can get a head start on college by earning college credit in high school? Building a career pathway will help you prepare for a career that matches your interests and abilities. Talk to your high school counselor for more information about the options to put your college career on the fast track.

Ways to Get College Credit in High School

Dual Credit / Transcripted Credit

Do the Dual! If you enroll in a Dual Credit FVTC course at your high school, you can earn high school credit and technical college credit at the same time.

Find out what college courses your high school offers: Dual/Transcripted Credit by High School (PDF)

Advanced Standing

Take a high school course that matches a Fox Valley Tech course. If you complete the course with a B (3.0) or above, you become eligible to receive advanced standing after enrolling at FVTC.

Advanced Standing Courses by High School (PDF)

Start College Now

If you're a high school junior or senior in good academic standing, you can earn credit toward a high school diploma as well as a technical college degree. Start College Now is only available during the spring and fall semesters. You must apply by March 1 for the fall semester or by October 1 for the spring semester, and all Start College Now requests must have prior approval from your guidance department.

Learn More: Start College Now

Youth Apprenticeship

Youth Apprenticeship is offered through CESA 6 and provides high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to prepare for a career while still in high school. The Youth Apprenticeship program is a rigorous one- or two-year elective program that combines academic and technical instruction with on-the-job learning.

Ways to Earn Early College Credit

Credit by Examination

Consideration will be given to any student who requests advanced standing credit by exam prior to enrollment in the related class. At the discretion of the Division Dean or designee, the evaluation of such credit is conducted through oral, written, or performance exam, portfolio development and review, or by a combination of these methods. If the student successfully completes the exam, credit will be granted for the course. Students may attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific course only once.

Students may be awarded credit for a course(s) by achieving an acceptable score on an exam with nationally recognized standards including Advanced Placement (AP) exams with a score of 3 or above and the CLEP exams with a score of 50 or above.

Credit for Experiential Learning

Credit may be granted for previous work experience, previous military education or experience, business and industry training, advanced high school courses comparable in content and level, or other prior learning experiences. At the discretion of the Division Dean or designee responsible for the course(s) under consideration, this assessment is conducted through methods such as, but not limited to, portfolio development and review, transcript and resume review, and personal interview. Skills and knowledge gained through experiential learning must relate directly to the program course(s) and be comparable in content and level of rigor; elective credit may serve as another option.

Credit through Articulation Agreements

The College has established a number of articulation agreements with the area high schools to grant advanced standing credit to recent high school graduates who have successfully completed course work and have met the requirements of these specific agreements. This is a formal process to coordinate instructional programs, enabling students to move from one instructional level to another without unnecessary duplication.

In order to be eligible for advanced standing credit, students must present official high school transcript of high school course (s) completion that meets conditions stated in the articulation agreement. Students should request an official final high school transcript and have it sent to the FVTC Transfer Credit Office, P.O. Box 2277, Appleton, WI, 54912-2277 or emailed to transfercredit@fvtc.edu. Once a transcript is processed, FVTC Enrollment Services will email the applicant regarding which courses the student will receive credit for. This information will also be updated in the student's MyFVTC account.

For students transferring from another technical college district, credit awarded for high school coursework covered by an articulation agreement at the originating technical college shall be accepted as credit toward completion of a comparable course or courses.

Advanced Standing for Youth Apprenticeship Course Work

Youth Apprenticeship instruction is granted advanced standing in associate degree or technical diploma programs. Consistent with the timeframe for articulated agreements, students must enroll at FVTC within 27 months after high school graduation to be eligible for advanced standing credit and present appropriate documentation of successful completion of the Youth Apprenticeship program.

Early College Credit FAQ

What are official transcripts?

Official transcripts are transcripts with the school's seal, sent directly from the school you attended previously.

Does my transfer credit affect my FVTC grade point average?

No. Transfer credit is designated with a grade of TC on your transcript and is not calculated in your GPA.

How do I get credit for college-level courses I took in high school?

Fox Valley Tech recognizes courses taken under formal agreements between high schools and technical colleges. To have these courses reviewed, you must submit a high school transcript after you have applied for a program at FVTC. Per the agreements between high schools and the technical colleges, you must have earned a grade of B or better for the course to be considered by FVTC. If accepted, we will process the credits as Advanced Standing (AS) on your transcript. These courses do not apply toward your academic GPA.

High School Advanced Placement courses: FVTC will accept the passing AP TEST only; you will not receive credit for completion of the course alone. Please submit the AP test results to the transfer credit office for evaluation. If accepted, we will process the credits as Advanced Standing (AS) on your transcript. These courses do not apply toward your academic GPA.

Does FVTC accept CLEP, DANTES and College Board credits?

Yes, we accept all of these credits and will transfer in the applicable courses based on the test results. Please submit test results to the transfer credit office for evaluation. If approved, the credits will be recorded as Advanced Standing (AS) on your official transcript. These courses will not apply toward your academic GPA.

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