Nursing students at Midlands Technical College participate in classroom simulations as part of their college coursework. (provided by SC Technical College System)
COLUMBIA — Some 19,000 South Carolina high school juniors and seniors are simultaneously enrolled in college courses through a technical college in the state. The SC Technical College System wants to help even more students save money on college and find work faster after graduating.
The agency for South Carolina’s 16 technical colleges is asking legislators to add $5 million to its budget next year to expand its dual enrollment program, particularly in more rural areas of the state.
“We hope to be able to say, statewide, that dual enrollment courses are available for high school students with no cost to parents and their students,” system President Tim Hardee told the SC Daily Gazette.
Dual enrollment has already grown in popularity in South Carolina, Hardee said, rising nearly 27% at the technical colleges compared to just two years ago.
High school students from both public and private schools can enroll in classes that prepare students for in-demand jobs in health care, manufacturing or welding, as well as more entry-level general education courses for those planning to go on to a four-year university.
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These students receive scholarships to cover the cost of tuition. And at about half of the state’s 16 technical colleges, nearby K-12 school districts also pay for the textbooks students will need to complete the course, making it completely free, Hardee said.
Still, while 18% of the technical colleges’ student body are dual-enrolled high schoolers, the state is below the national average of 20%.
“So, while we’re doing a good job, there’s room for growth,” Hardee said, both in places where the colleges already have robust programs and in rural parts of the state.
The $5 million request would be used to hire more faculty so technical schools could educate more high schoolers, as well as fully cover more students’ expenses in districts where it’s not already free.
More than 112,000 juniors and seniors are attending South Carolina’s public high schools this year, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Education. About one-sixth of them are taking classes at the state’s technical colleges to boost their after-graduation opportunities.
Larger school districts tend to offer International Baccalaureate programs and a wide array of Advanced Placement courses, which enable students to earn college credit if they score high enough on end-of-course tests, as well as dual enrollment through the tech schools.
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But in poor, rural school districts, AP options are limited, and IB programs likely don’t exist at all. And, while high schoolers can take AP classes remotely through the state’s VirtualSC program, the technical college system provides more opportunities for students seeking in-person advanced classes that provide college credits, Hardee said.
Extra state budget funding could, for example, eliminate low-income families’ worries about how they’re going to afford a $200 textbook. And it could pay to hire more instructors to teach additional classes in those areas where districts are already short-staffed.
“Maybe right now we only offer English, math, psychology and history,” Hardee said as an example. “By being able to expand the type of courses, maybe now we move into having biology.”
These college classes come with several benefits for high school students. They can prepare the students for what college-level work will be like. And it’s a way to make a bachelor’s degree more affordable.
“If you take five courses while you’re a high school student, that’s 15 hours,” Hardee said. “That’s essentially one semester of college credit.”
By comparison, annual tuition, room and board at Clemson University can come to more than $27,000 for South Carolina graduates (out-of-state students pay more), according to data from the state Commission on Higher Education. The in-state costs for Winthrop University and College of Charleston are both above $25,000. And at the University of South Carolina, it’s more than $24,000.
By taking a semester’s worth of classes while in high school, students can shave upwards of $12,000 off the cost of a four-year degree.
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“It’s good on the front end for you to have the opportunity to get started with college and feel like your college material,” Hardee said. “It’s actually just as important on the back end, because if you’re able to take those courses as a high school student and be successful, you basically have a head start, which means that you will have less student debt.”
South Carolina ranks sixth-highest nationwide in graduates’ average student loan debt — at $38,770, according to the Education Data Initiative, which tracks debt using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Education.
“Dual enrollment helps us, as a state, make higher education more affordable,” Hardee said.
There are programs for those not seeking a four-year degree as well.
In partnership with Greenville Technical College and Spartanburg Community College, BMW offers what it calls its Rising Scholars program.
BMW pays for select high school seniors to enroll in a mechatronics program at the technical schools, taking one year of classes. After graduating high school, those students work 20 hours a week at BMW’s assembly plant near Greer, where they’re paired with a mentor, and go to college the other 20 hours of the work week.
“So, one year after high school, they have an associate’s degree. They’re offered a full-time job at BMW, and BMW has had them working with a mentor for two years, which helps them to be a high-quality employee,” Hardee said.
The schools have a similar relationship with Michelin and with other manufacturers on a smaller scale. Depending on the year, Michelin and BWM alone might be working with 50 to 100 scholars.
The program is competitive. Students must be among the top performers in their class with no attendance or discipline issues.
“All the things that employers are looking for, such as do you show up for work on time,” Hardee said.