BCC Launches Early College Program
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PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announced the creation of an Early College program offering free college courses to Massachusetts high school juniors and seniors.
Students with a high school GPA of 2.7 or higher (or who pass BCC's Accuplacer exam) may take up to 15 credits this fall, academic schedules permitting. Tuition and fees will be waived.
Three options are offered within the program:
- Bridge to College: Available to high school seniors only, this option offers waived tuition and fees for one course per year.
- Concurrent: Students enroll in a high school course approved for BCC college credit.
- Dual Enrollment: High school students enroll in a BCC college course. Normal tuition and fees are waived.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until Sept. 7, 2021. For more information, including helpful webinars, resources, and how to apply, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/early-college.
"Early College gives high school students a chance to take challenging courses, receive college and high school credit, offset some of the costs of college, and create connections to help with their transition to college," said BCC Early College Coach Kiara Badillo, noting that early college students have access to all campus facilities and academic support.
"When you are an Early College student, you are a BCC student," she added.
Adam Klepetar, BCC Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, said that BCC has increased its efforts in promoting dual enrollment, particularly as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion.
"It is critically important to us that our dual enrollment strategy is focused on reducing achievement gaps," he said. "We are very proud that two-thirds of the students in our program come from communities of color, where we saw an 11 percent increase in participation over five years."
Klepetar said more than two-thirds of the Black and Latinx students involved in the program have continued to earn additional credits at BCC after their first dual enrollment year.
"We really believe that access to high quality and supportive courses for high school students will continue to lead to more students ultimately graduating from college and entering the workforce as lifelong learners with high skill levels," he said.
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