On March 31, Johnson County Community College (JCCC) celebrated 40 years of the College Now program.
College Now is JCCC’s concurrent enrollment program, which allows high school students to take college-level classes and earn college credit, while still in their high school classrooms. High school instructors must meet certain qualifications to teach College Now classes.
Each year, concurrent high school enrollment makes up a significant portion of the JCCC student population. Many of these students never set foot on JCCC’s campus to earn class credits that can transfer to the college of their choice after graduating from high school. However, College Now students have access to the same resources as JCCC credit students – including free tutoring.
40 year look back
The first year of College Now was 1984-1985. At the time, JCCC had:
- Eight partner high schools
- Offered 10 courses
- Fall 1984 enrollment was 287 students
In the 2024-2025 academic year, JCCC now has:
- 29 partner high schools
- Offers 77 courses
- Fall 2024 enrollment was 4,302 students
Currently, JCCC offers the only concurrent enrollment program in Kansas that is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partners (NACEP). At last Monday’s celebration, Amy Williams, Executive Director for the NACEP, addressed the benefits of the College Now program at JCCC. According to Williams, concurrent enrollment students gain exposure to the academic challenges of college while still in their supportive high school environment.
Most of the courses College Now students take build into an Associate of Arts degree, which is designed for students who plan to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university. With the Kansas Board of Regents’ new Systemwide Transfer initiative, these courses will seamlessly transfer from one institution to another if an equivalent course is offered at the receiving institution in Kansas.
Other ways to earn college credit in high school
College Now is not the only way area high school students can earn college credit from JCCC. For students who want to come to JCCC’s campus, there are ways to earn college credit through the Career Ready and Dual Degree programs.
Career Ready students come to JCCC for half their school day and can earn a certificate in a career and technical education field like industrial technology, culinary arts, or cybersecurity, etc., at the same time they graduate with their high school diploma. Students must be enrolled at a partner high school to participate. In Spring 2024, 21 area high school students earned certificates through this program in:
- Automotive Technology (9)
- Cybersecurity (3)
- Electrical Technology (1)
- HVAC (2)
- Pastry (1)
- Metal Fabrication/ Welding (5)
With Dual Degree, if students start as a high school junior, they could receive their associate degree at the same time they receive their high school diploma. These students take all their classes at JCCC during their junior and senior years of high school. In Fall of 2024, JCCC had 100 area high school students enrolled in Dual Degree.
Learn more
On Thursday, April 10, JCCC will host College 101, an event for area high school students to learn more about planning for college in high school. The event will be from 5-7 p.m. in the CoLab at JCCC and will cover topics such as earning college credits while in high school, selecting the right high school classes, college financial planning, understanding dual credit versus on-campus course offerings, and enhancing college readiness. Learn more and RSVP at jccc.edu/college101.
Learn more about JCCC’s Early College programs and even more ways to earn college credit in high school at jccc.edu/earlycollege.
