Bluegrass Community and Technical College offers a special program to high school juniors and seniors entitled “Opportunity College.” Any qualified student who is 16 and reaches a junior status by June 1^st will be eligible to start summer courses at BCTC. If the student chooses not to enroll in summer classes, they will also be eligible for enrollment in the fall. BCTC campuses are located in Lexington, Danville, Lawrenceburg and Winchester.

Opportunity college entitles the students to receive “dual credit,” meaning that students are enrolled in high school and college with courses counting for high school and college graduation credit (these courses are transferable). Students can enroll in general education courses from the following disciplines: Writing, Oral Communication, Computer Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Interaction, History, Art, and Music.

High School students receive a tuition scholarship and pay only $80 per course. Students are allowed to enroll in six credit hours per semester. Students are responsible for their own books and for their own transportation. CAL does not offer a tuition discount for students who decide to enroll in Opportunity College. Parents and students must receive permission from the administration to enroll in this program. A letter of recommendation from the high school principal will be required by the college. It is unlikely that CAL’s daily class schedule will align with the BCTC daily class schedule. It is recommended that qualified CAL students consider taking summer and evening classes. However, there is always a slight chance that we could accommodate a college class within our daily schedule at CAL.

Students must meet all academic requirements for each course to enroll, based on ACT or COMPASS results. The ACT requirement for English and reading is a score of 18 or higher. The ACT requirement for math is 19 or higher.

If ACT results are not available, or if ACT scores are below the minimum for the selected program, students may schedule an appointment to take the COMPASS test on the Lawrenceburg campus by calling 839-8488. COMPASS is a placement test published by ACT and used by community and technical colleges for placement into appropriate courses. The COMPASS test is free. If you are dissatisfied with your scores, you may work with a tutor from the college free of charge and retest again.

Additional scholarships for minorities and low income families for dual credit and dual enrollment courses are available through the KY Department of Education. Please gain access to the following link to receive more information.

http://www.education.ky.gov/web_collector/kvhs_dual_credit_app.htm