Concurrent enrollment

One thought depriving many parents of sleep is the cost of their child's tuition in college.

Many remedies can offset the high costs of a good education, such as scholarships, grants and student aid. However, one of the most brilliant plans is one that sometimes floats under the radar.

Concurrent enrollment allows a student to earn college credit while still in high school. It provides the same course work and credits that students would get in college, allows students to get ahead on their collegiate schedule and provides opportunities for a special scholarships. And here's the best part: It doesn't cost much.

No, this is not a scam to steal the public's money. It's not some third-rate, unaccredited education. It's concurrent enrollment with local community colleges.

At Salt Lake Community College, for example, high school students pay a $35 fee, sign up with their high school guidance counselor — and voila, they're enrolled simultaneously in a community college and high school.

The process is quite easy and affordable. Murray High School teaches 22 concurrent enrollment classes, all of which are instructed by SLCC-approved teachers. According to the Utah State Office of Education, there are 112 schools participating this year in concurrent-enrollment studies.

One of the nicest perks of concurrent enrollment, if planned correctly, is the New Century Scholarship, which is provided by the state to students who complete their associate degree by Sept. 1 of the year their class graduates from high school. The scholarship will then pay 75 percent of the students' tuition for their last two years in a Utah college.

Concurrent enrollment is the easiest way of getting the New Century award, since many teens have jobs and extracurricular duties, which keep them from spending time on a college campus during their last year of high school.

Thousands of students all over the state have taken advantage of the program. "I think concurrent enrollment classes are a really good opportunity for high school students to take college credit classes and only have to pay $35," said Danielle Butler, a senior from Murray. "I highly recommend anybody that's in high school to take concurrent enrollment classes if they can."

Murray senior Kelsey Ruff said, "It saves a lot of money and a lot of time. You can expand your horizons, and you can also get a jump-start on your life after high school."