College Connect Courses
About
The College Connect Courses program is a new, optional dual credit or dual enrollment program. Effective fall 2023, the College Connect Courses program encourages and authorizes public institutions of higher education to deliver innovatively designed dual credit courses that integrate both college-level content in the core curriculum of the institution alongside college-readiness content and skills instruction.
These innovatively designed courses will allow students the maximum flexibility to obtain college credit and provide integrated college readiness skills to students who are on the continuum of college readiness and will benefit from exposure to college-level content. More information about the College Connect Courses program can be found in Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter D, Section 4.86.
Student Eligibility
An eligible student must be enrolled in a public school district or open enrollment charter school as defined in Texas Education Code §5.001(6). A high school student is eligible to enroll in College Connect Courses if the student:
- is a non-degree or non-certificate seeking student with fewer than fifteen (15) credit hours (SCH) of dual credit, as defined in §4.83(9), relating to Definitions;
- meets an exemption under the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), as set forth in §4.54, relating to Exemption;
- demonstrates college readiness by meeting the minimum college readiness benchmarks on the TSIA/TSIA2, as set forth in §4.57, relating to TSI College Readiness Standards; or
- meets the eligibility requirements for a Texas First Diploma under §21.52, relating to Eligibility for Texas First Diploma.
NOTE: students with 15 SCH or more of dual credit are eligible to enroll in College Connect Courses in mathematics or communications only.
Rules for the College Connect Courses can be found in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part I, Chapter 4, Subchapter D.
College Connect Course Content
An institution may offer College Connect Courses within the institution’s core curriculum. The College Connect Course must also incorporate supplemental college readiness content to support students who have not met a college readiness benchmark on the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA2). An institution may deliver this supplemental instruction through a method at their discretion, including embedded course content, supplemental coursework, or other methods.
Funding and Tuition
A public junior college may submit for funding any course that meets the requirements under the Community College Finance Program. Students may qualify for free dual credit courses under the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program.
Students are encouraged to check with their high school counselor to find out if their high school is participating in the College Connect Courses program, to see if they qualify for free dual credit, and to get more information about signing up.
Contact
All inquiries and communications concerning College Connect Courses should be directed to Dr. Suzanne Morales-Vale, Senior Director, Division for Student Success.
