Early Online College
Start college early with no tuition cost, online courses
The Early Online College program allows Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) students in 11th and 12th grade to take college classes and earn college credits at no tuition cost.* Some Early Online College courses can be used as dual enrollment credit.
Early Online College courses are asynchronous Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) courses with weekly due dates. Students can take up to two courses online each semester.
*PWCS pays the tuition for Early Online College courses; however, students are responsible for purchasing required textbooks or course materials.
Benefits of Early Online College
- Get a jump-start on college – 11th and 12th grade students can complete up to two college courses per semester.
- Save money – tuition is no-cost, students just pay for course materials.
- Highly transferable – NOVA has transfer agreements with Virginia state colleges, ensuring that credits transfer to Virginia four-year public colleges.
- Access to collegiate opportunities – students have access to campus resources and participate in college events and activities.
- Set your own schedule – courses are asynchronous so students can still participate in activities, jobs, and sports.
Target Students and Course Expectations
Early Online College is open to juniors and seniors in PWCS. Students must meet college readiness requirements, must maintain good academic standing at NOVA (2.0 GPA for NOVA courses), and may not exceed a total of 18 NOVA credits per semester. Students should speak with their school counselors to ensure they are not taking an overload of NOVA credits between dual enrollment and Early Online College courses.
Since Early Online College courses are online and asynchronous, it is important that students are self-starters who find success with online learning. Students will be responsible for meeting weekly due dates.
During a 12-week semester, students can expect to spend 8-12 hours studying for and working on each three-credit course. Students can expect to spend 3-4 hours per week for each one-credit course.
Criteria for Participation
Students interested in participating in Early Online College must be a junior or senior in PWCS and meet the criteria for participation established by NOVA. Students should speak with their school counselor to ensure that this program is a good academic fit.
Costs
Prince William County Public Schools covers the cost of tuition for students enrolled in Early Online College courses. Students may receive an invoice reminder via email, but these should be disregarded for Early Online College courses.
Some Early Online College courses may require students to purchase textbooks. These courses are noted in the session details for each Early Online College session. Costs for the textbooks range between $40-250 per course.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many classes can I take each semester?
- Students can take up to two classes each semester through Early Online College. Remember that these classes are in addition to a student's high school course load, so balance is important.
- How do I decide what classes to take at my high school and what classes to take in Early Online College?
- Students should talk to their school counselor and families when considering Early Online College courses.
- Which courses count as dual enrollment courses
- Students should check the list of courses each semester to see what courses are considered dual enrollment credit.
- How do I get these courses on my high School GPA?
- Prior to enrolling in an Early Online College course, students need to complete the attachment for Regulation 681-2, allowing the course to be used as dual enrollment credit. Students are responsible for submitting their grades at the end of course.
- How much do these classes cost?
- Prince William County Public Schools covers the cost of tuition for students enrolled in Early Online College courses. Students may receive an invoice reminder via email, but these can be ignored for Early Online College courses.
- Do I need to purchase books for these courses? How much will they cost?
- Some courses may require students to purchase textbooks. These courses are noted on our Early Online College course lists. Cost for the textbooks range between $40-250 per course.
- What four-year institutions will accept these courses as transfer credits?
- Courses offered through Early Online College are highly transferable courses through Virginia to four-year public institutions. Students should look at the transfer policy at colleges and universities they're interested in applying to.
- Does NOVA provide accommodations?
- Students wishing to receive accommodations for a NOVA course must request accommodations with NOVA. NOVA makes reasonable accommodations in providing course, program, and building modification and/or auxiliary aids and services in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008. IEP and 504 accommodations are not guaranteed for college coursework.