OTC cuts dual credit tuition in half

Beginning in the fall of 2014, high school students enrolled in dual credit courses at Ozarks Technical Community College will pay just $35 per credit hour. That is a 50 percent decrease in dual credit tuition from $70 per credit hour. OTC’s Board of Trustees approved the new tuition on April 14.

“By making dual credit extremely affordable, OTC hopes to make it easier for students to progress through college to graduation and into the workforce,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, OTC chancellor. “If a student heads into college having earned college credit in high school, they’re more likely to complete their associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a timely fashion.”

Dual credit provides an opportunity for high school students to earn high school credit and college credit at the same time while taking classes at their home high school. Each school district determines what college it will partner with to offer dual credit courses, and high schools will often partner with more than one higher education institution to offer different classes. Ozarks Technical Community College has to approve the instructors that teach its dual credit courses, requires the instructors to use OTC curriculum and administer the same final as OTC instructors.

A study on dual enrollment conducted by the Oregon University System found that:

•  Dual credit students were more likely to attend college than high school graduates overall.


•  Dual credit students were more likely to advance from their freshman to sophomore year than students who had not earned dual credit.

OTC also offers online dual credit courses, which are available to high school students and home school students. Those classes are taught by OTC instructors and integrate high school and college students. To learn more about online dual credit contact dualcredit@otc.edu or (417) 447-8198.