Early College for Parents of High School Students

Dual Enrollment allows high school students to take college-level courses and earn both high school and college credit at the same time. Through Ocean County College’s Early College programs, students gain exposure to college-level academics while still in high school, helping them build confidence, save on future tuition costs, and potentially graduate from college earlier.

The Early College at OCC program allows homeschooled high school students who are ready for college coursework the opportunity to take standard OCC college classes during the semester at any OCC location.  High school students in all grade levels who wish to enroll as a college student may do so with the permission of their parent/guardian.

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. Then, register online using the step-by-step tutorial here!

Once you have completed your self-registration on Ocean Connect, your parent/guardian is required to complete the Parental Consent Form. This form is required for all high school students to secure their OCC courses.

Home schooled students who wish for their parents/guardians to communicate with OCC are encouraged to fill out a FERPA form. Additional details regarding FERPA can be found on our FERPA Webpage.

Students are also encouraged to apply for the Early College Scholarship to help pay for courses! 

You can click here to find a list of participating high schools.

If their high school is not a participating partner in the Early College at the High School program, they still have options to take college courses through the Early College at OCC program. This program allows high school students to enroll in standard OCC college classes at any OCC location, as long as they’re ready for college-level coursework. They will need permission from their high school counselor or principal to enroll.

Yes, many Dual Enrollment students do take more than one class at a time!

As long as their school and OCC approve the courses, and they feel confident managing the workload, they can enroll in multiple classes during the same semester. Some students choose to take a combination of classes at their high school and at OCC (online or in-person), depending on what’s available and what fits their goals.

They should talk to their school counselor to see what options are available.

If your child is currently enrolled in high school (including homeschool) and is ready for college-level coursework, they are eligible to participate. If your child’s high school is a participating partner, they may be able to take OCC courses right at their school. If not, your child can still take classes directly through OCC with permission from their school counselor or principal.

To register for your Dual Enrollment courses, follow the step-by-step instructions to guide you through the application and registration process on Ocean Connect. Once you’ve completed your self-registration, your parent/guardian will need to submit the required Parental Consent Form.to secure your courses. This form is necessary for all high school students.

Additional details regarding the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act  can be found on our FERPA Webpage.

They do not need to take a placement test before enrolling in Dual Enrollment courses unless they choose to take Precalculus or higher. Please refer Policy 5161 for additional detail.

Yes, you can drop a course if you change your mind. As long as you do so before the official drop deadline, you will receive a 100% refund and will not owe any tuition for the course. Check your participating high school’s page for the specific date that applies to you. For instructions to drop a course, view the school’s withdrawal and refund policy here. For questions, contact the Early College team at earlycollege@ocean.edu. Be sure to act before the deadline to avoid any charges.

Once dual-enrollment students graduate high school, they must apply again to take classes as an undergraduate student. They must simply complete the online application to OCC at the Apply Now page and any of the credits earned in high school will be applied to the major they choose.  Academic Advising will assist with making the best course choices for their degree.

Early College classes through OCC an be taken in a few different ways:

1. At Your High School:
If your high school partners with OCC through the Early College Program, you may be able to take OCC courses right at your school during the regular day. These classes are taught by high school teachers who meet college-level teaching standards.

2. At OCC (On-Campus or Online):
High school students of any grade level—including homeschooled students—can take standard OCC college courses during the semester at any OCC location or online. To get started, you’ll need permission from your high school counselor, principal, or parent/guardian. After registering on Ocean Connect using this step-by-step tutorial, your parent/guardian must complete the required Parental Consent Form to secure your enrollment.

Transportation is not provided by OCC. If your child is taking classes on-campus, your family will need to arrange transportation. Many students opt for online classes, hi-flex classes, or those offered directly at their high school to avoid transportation issues.

Dual Enrollment courses at Ocean County College are offered at a significantly reduced tuition rate for Ocean County high school students. The cost is $126.00 per semester hour (books not included) or $146.00 per semester hour (books included). There are no hidden fees beyond the listed tuition rates. Payments can be made easily online through the student’s Ocean Connect portal under the Student Finance tab, where you can pay in full or set up a payment plan (if available). You can also visit www.mycollegepaymentplan.com/Ocean for additional payment options, or refer to the Paying for College and Tuition Rates & Fees pages on OCC’s website for more details.

No, financial aid is not available to Dual Enrollment students, and taking Dual Enrollment courses in high school does not impact future financial aid eligibility. In fact, successfully completing college courses early can strengthen your child’s college applications and reduce the total cost of earning a degree. Early College Scholarships are also available every semester.

Most credits earned during your time at OCC may be transferred to any public college or university in New Jersey and could be transferred to out of state public and private schools depending on their transfer of college credit policies. Some colleges will only take dual-enrollment credits if they resulted in an OCC degree. Please be sure to check each school’s transfer of credit policies carefully and plan accordingly when considering what Early College courses to take and where you are applying after high school.

New Jersey offers a comprehensive search engine, NJ Transfer, that allows you to compare courses offered at one institution and how it will transfer to another.  This makes it simple to see which courses will transfer where depending on what school the student will be transferring to. State colleges and universities in New Jersey are bound to the Comprehensive Statewide Transfer Agreement for students earning an associate’s degree.

For other states, you will have to confirm what credits will transfer with an admissions counselor.

Most college admission pages will specify that even if a student is enrolled in dual-credit courses at a collegiate institution, they will not be considered a transfer student.  If you can’t find this information readily during the application process, check with the admissions department at the schools they are applying to.

Yes! As a Dual Enrollment student, they are earning college credit through Ocean County College, and those credits appear on an official OCC college transcript.

If they ever need to send your transcript to another college or university—for admissions, transfer credit, or scholarship purposes—they can request it directly through OCC. The process is quick and easy.

Here’s the link to request your transcript.

It’s a good idea to keep track of the OCC Student ID and login information so they can access their records later on.

AP (Advanced Placement) courses prepare students for a standardized exam, and college credit is awarded based on the exam score. In contrast, Dual Enrollment provides guaranteed college credit as long as the student passes the course. These credits are recorded on an official OCC transcript.

Dual Enrollment classes through the Early College at the High School program are the same classes students are already taking in their high school. This means that they will have the same teacher, schedule, and classroom. The difference is that through a partnership with OCC, students have the option to earn college credit for those courses.

These classes have been reviewed by OCC to make sure they meet college-level standards, and the high school teachers have been approved to teach them as college-level instructors. Students get the added benefit of building a college transcript and getting a head start on their college education.

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).

For this, complete the  Authorization to Release FERPA Protected Information form.

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

Dual Enrollment students at Ocean County College have full access to a wide range of free student support services—just like any other OCC student. Whether they need help with tutoring, writing, study strategies, or academic coaching, these resources are here to support them throughout their college course.

You can explore all the available options here. It’s a great idea to reach out early—OCC is here to help students stay on track and feel confident in their college coursework.

To create an Ocean Connect account, you must apply to OCC beforehand at go.ocean.edu/apply. Ocean Connect is the student portal for all things OCC where you can make payments, view courses, check out clubs and organizations, access your OCC e-mail, and more! Ocean Connect is located at www.ocean.edu under the “My Ocean” link in the upper right-hand corner.  Your initial login is usually:

Username: firstname_lastname
Password: OCC Student ID Number

For a step-by-step tutorial, click here.