High school students in the Worcester Public Schools who wish to pursue advanced or specialized courses beyond those offered in their high schools may take courses at these area colleges:

• Anna Maria College

• College of the Holy Cross

• Assumption College

• Quinsigamond Community College

• Becker College

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute ** Offers courses at reduced tuition to high school students.

• Clark University Worcester State University

With a Guidance Counselor’s recommendation and approval by the college/university, students may take one college course per semester.

Students receive high school and free college credit from Assumption College, Becker College, Clark University, and for college-level courses at Quinsigamond Community College and Worcester State University.

For GPA computation, Worcester Public Schools students will receive the same weight as an A.P. course for each completed college course.

For more information please visit Dual Enrollment

The Massachusetts Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership (CDEP) provides opportunities for Massachusetts high school students to take college-level courses for free or at a discounted price and earn credit toward high school completion and their future college degrees.

CDEP eases the transition from high school to college, allowing students the opportunity to enter college already having earned course credit. Participating students gain an early college experience with meaningful and challenging academic courses that they might otherwise not have had available to them. And for low-income, underrepresented or first-to-college students, involvement with CDEP might be their first exposure to college or the first time they considered college as a possibility. The ultimate goal of CDEP is to increase the population of high school graduates who are college ready.

CDEP funded students take their first course free of charge or for a nominal fee. Subsequent course fees are set by the institution. Student participation in CDEP is at the discretion of the participating institution of public higher education, subject to capacity constraints and state appropriation. Not all of Massachusetts’ public higher education institutions participate in the CDEP program. Please contact your local public campus to find out what dual enrollment opportunities and funding is available.

If you apply for admission at one of the state’s public colleges or universities, grades received in courses as part of CDEP receive additional weight in your high school GPA. The additional weight will be the same as that given for grades earned in Advanced Placement courses for the purpose of calculating the high school GPA. See the Department of Higher Education's Admissions Standards Reference Guide for more information on calculating the high school GPA.

Students who participate in CDEP are required to receive high school and college credit for the courses they successfully complete.