Early College Programs

Current high school students who would like to get a jump on their post-secondary education and start earning college credits can choose from multiple programs at the College. With the average student debt around $30,000, RACC has solutions for students to manage their college debt, save time, and better prepare for the expectations of college-level course work.

RACC has five great programs for high school students: Dual Enrollment, Early AdmissionsSOAR, Technical Academy, and the Teacher Academy. Each of these programs vary in their requirements, location and programs of study.

Programs

Dual Enrollment and Early Admissions both lead to a college grade on a college transcript and help students fulfill their high school graduation requirements. Dual Enrollment students pay tuition costs, while Early Admissions students pay tuition and fees. Early Admission courses include RACC's online and campus-based courses. Dual Enrollment and Early Admissions allow students to earn college credit while still in high school, though there are distinct differences between the two programs.

SOAR, on the other hand, is college credit for programs of study completed at one of the Career Technology Centers. SOAR credits are earned by submitting transcripts to RACC for evaluation. However, SOAR credits are free except for a small posting fee. Some students, with the right planning with advisors and high school guidance counselors, can earn a semester or more of credits before graduating from high school. Course pre-requisites don’t apply to SOAR credits being brought in by articulation. Read on for more information about these programs.

The Technical Academy and Teacher Academy each provide college-bound students with opportunities to develop advanced technical skills and earn college credit toward an associate degree at Reading Area Community College (RACC) while in high school.  The Academy is highly selective, with strict criteria for admission to and progress in one of its programs of study. These Academies, taught at the Reading Muhlenberg and Berks Career and Technology Centers offer students college credit in the following career-college pathways:  Business, IT-Networking, IT-Programming, IT-Applications, Early Childhood Education, Mechatronics, and Web Development.