Pulaski Technical College trustees approved new concurrent-enrollment fees Monday for the 2016-17 school year.
The fee adjustments will begin Aug. 22 and are in addition to the tuition-and-fee rates approved in January 2015.
Concurrent enrollment allows students who have completed their education through the eighth grade to take courses for college credit while in high school.
Pulaski Tech, the state's second-largest community college, offers concurrent-enrollment options to select schools in Saline County, Little Rock School District, Pulaski County Special School District, North Little Rock School District and Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District.
Margaret Ellibee, president of Pulaski Tech, said the concurrent enrollment option allows high school students to jump-start their college education.
"I think that is the beauty of early college and our educational pathways here at Pulaski Tech," she said. "It allows students the choices to continue on with education, go into the world of work or do both."
Students in those high schools will be able to take Pulaski Tech classes offered at their school and taught by a teacher employed by the school district for an administrative fee of $15 per credit hour.
Students can also take online classes that are taught by a teacher employed by the school district for the same administrative fee of $15 per credit hour and an additional online course fee of $12 per credit hour.
Students also can opt for online classes sponsored through Pulaski Tech.
In-state students can take an online course taught by a Pulaski Tech instructor by paying $85 per credit hour and an online course fee of $12 per credit hour.
In-state students who prefer the traditional classroom setting can enroll in classes at a Pulaski Tech location for $95 per credit hour and a concurrent-enrollment fee of $45 per credit hour plus any course-specific fees.
Students, particularly those who are home-schooled, are able to take a hybrid online and on-campus class taught by a Pulaski Tech instructor for the same price as an on-campus course, with an additional online course fee of $12 per credit hour.
The program offers students the ability to take classes online while also having access to on-campus resources, like laboratories, that might not be available otherwise.
Additionally, students enrolled in courses covered by Pulaski Tech's drug-testing policy will be charged a $10 drug-testing fee.
Courses covered by the drug-testing policy include the school's technical, industrial and allied-health programs.
Erin Dail, Pulaski Tech's coordinator of early college programs, said this year will be the college's second official school year of offering concurrent enrollment.
She said she already has seen an increase in enrollment.
Tracy Courage, a Pulaski Tech spokesman, said she has met students who had earned 28 credit hours through the program, which is halfway to an associate's degree.
"So many students who enroll in the programs graduate with credits toward an associate's or a bachelor's degree," she said.
"They're getting a great head start toward their college careers."
Ellibee said the program leads to better educational opportunities for students.
"It's great for them, great for their families and great for the school districts," Ellibee said. "It's a win-win-win for everyone."
State Desk on 08/02/2016