I am a…

campus with cherry blossom trees

Early College for High School Students

Lacey High School

The Early College at the High School program offers high school students the opportunity to earn credits during their regular high school day. These courses are set up through articulation agreements between OCC and individual school districts. Each course meets the standards and curricular requirements of a college class taught at OCC and are taught by high school teachers possessing academic credentials that meet college adjunct requirements.

Each participating district offers a different number of classes each year based on teacher eligibility and course content.  Interested students can contact their school to find out if they are a partner, what classes are offered, and how to register.

Click the arrows next to each step to view more details.

Step 1: Apply

Your first step towards enrolling at OCC is going to be submitting a FREE application!

When asked “Why are you applying to OCC” select “I am a current high school student taking OCC classes.”

You can view (and download) a step-by-step guide to applying to OCC as an Early College student here:

Application PDF
Step 2: Register for Classes

If you are looking to register for Dual Enrollment classes (classes at your high school that also count toward college credit), follow the steps in this tutorial:

EC Dual Enrollment PDF

If you are looking to register for On-campus or Online classes at OCC as an Early College Student (not at your high school), follow the steps in this tutorial:

EC@OCC PDF
Step 3: Complete the Required Parental Consent Form (Required)

Once you have completed your self-registration on Ocean Connect, your parent/guardian is required to complete the Parental Consent Form. This form can be filled out online for your convenience but please note that it you will be required to log in to Ocean Connect. It should be filled out by both the parent and the student. This form is required for all high school students to secure their OCC courses. A PDF version of the form can be found here. Please see below for upcoming courses available at your school.

Step 4: FERPA Form for Parent Access (Optional)

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a United States federal law that governs access to educational information and records. This act protects a student who has reached 18 years of age or is attending a college at any age (including dual-enrolled high school students).

This form can be filled out online for your convenience but please note that it you will be required to log in to Ocean Connect: Authorization to Release FERPA Protected Information (Online Form).

A PDF version can be found here: Authorization to Release FERPA Protected Information (PDF). PDF forms can be filled out and emailed to earlycollege@ocean.edu with a legible copy of the student’s government issued photo ID or Student ID Card.

Additional details regarding FERPA and Student Proxy can be found on our FERPA Webpage.

Step 5: Tuition Payment

Payment or setting up a payment plan is due upon registration for courses. Follow the steps below to set up payment arrangements. Please make note of withdrawal and drop deadlines, and review this link for our refund policy.

To make a payment:

  • Set up payment arrangements
  • Sign into Ocean Connect
  • Click on the Plus (+) sign next to “Student Planning”
  • Click “View and Pay Bill”
  • Click on “Proceed to Payment
  • If this is your first time paying a tuition bill through OCC, follow the steps to create an account with NelNet.
Lacey Lions Logo
Register Here
Registration Questions?
View the Tutorial

2026 Spring (SPE) courses at Lacey HS!

Course ListingHigh School Course NameHS Class Period InstructorTermPrerequisitesTranscript Required?
BIOL-101-YC2 The Pine BarrensThe Pine BarrensC2Matthew  BarattaSPENoneNo
BIOL-101-YN2 The Pine BarrensThe Pine BarrensN2Matthew  BarattaSPENoneNo
COMM-154-YC3 Fundamentals of Public SpeakingFundamentals of Public SpeakingC3John FischerSPENoneNo
COMM-154-YN3 Fundamentals of Public SpeakingFundamentals of Public SpeakingN3John FischerSPENoneNo
ENGL-152-YC1 English IIEnglish II 152C1John FischerSPEENGL 151Yes*
ENGL-152-YN1 English IIEnglish II 152N1John FischerSPEENGL 151Yes*
HIST-174-YC4 United States History from 1877US History from 1877C4Joseph RomayoSPENoneNo
HIST-174-YN4 United States History from 1877US History from 1877N4Joseph RomayoSPENoneNo
HUMN-201-YC2 Postmodernism and the ArtsPostmodernism and the ArtsC2Allison McMullenSPEENGL-151No
MATH-151-YC1 A Survey of MathematicsA Suvey of MathematicsC1Steven GeigerSPENoneNo
MATH-151-YN1 A Survey of MathematicsA Suvey of MathematicsN1Steven GeigerSPENoneNo
PSYC-172-YC4 General PsychologyGeneral PsychologyC4Jennifer SullivanSPENoneNo
PSYC-172-YN4 General PsychologyGeneral PsychologyN4Jennifer SullivanSPENoneNo

*Some dual enrollment courses are marked as transcript required. This means you must meet the listed prerequisite in one of the following ways:
• You have already taken the prerequisite course at Ocean County College, or
• You completed an equivalent course at your high school (this is limited to MATH-196, MATH-265, PHYS-281, and some world language courses.)

If you are using a high school course to meet the prerequisite, send proof of completion as a high school transcript at least two weeks before the registration deadline for the term. You or your guidance counselor should email the transcript to registrar@ocean.edu. In the message, clearly note the course you want the prerequisite applied to.

What to include in your email:
• Student full name
• OCC student ID, if available
• Term you plan to enroll in
• Course code and title that needs the prerequisite waiver

Next Steps:
• The Registrar’s Office will review your transcript
• You will be notified when the waiver has been applied
• After the waiver is applied, you will be able to register for the course

Need to Know

Deadlines:

Important Spring 2026 (2026SPE) Dates & Deadlines:

Spring Foundation Grant Application Opens: 1/5/2026
Spring Foundation Grant Application Deadline: 3/4/2026
YI and SPE Grade Submission Deadline: Final day of school orJune 30th, whichever is first.

Important Fall 2025 (2025FAE) Dates & Deadlines:

Registration Deadline: 10/3/2025
FAE Grades Due: 2/6/2026
FAE Withdrawal Deadline: 1/16/2026

Add/Drop Period

2026SPE Add/Drop deadline: March 11th, 2026
(Courses dropped prior to the drop deadline will receive 100% refund/do not owe tuition for course.)

2026SPE Withdrawal deadline: June 16th, 2026
Course must be dropped on Ocean Connect or be requested in writing to earlycollege@ocean.edu by the drop deadline.

Refund Policy
dollar sign

Costs & Textbooks

  • $126 per credit (*plus any applicable course fees)
  • Textbooks will be provided by your district at no additional cost for OCC courses taught at your high school

Resources

Questions?

Contact us at 732-255-0400 x534 or earlycollege@ocean.edu