Pitt’s College in High School program received accreditation

Pitt’s College in High School program received accreditation from the National Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, making it just one of two programs in Pennsylvania to achieve the designation.

College in High School is a concurrent enrollment partnership, which means participating students earn academic credit from their high school and the University by completing college-level coursework. The program opens the door to the college experience for students at about 10% of Pitt’s in-state tuition cost. Each course is taught by a high school teacher certified by a corresponding Pitt faculty member.

“Earning national accreditation clearly and quickly demonstrates to our current and future high school partners that College in High School follows the research-based best practices in our field for ensuring program quality; it also serves as a guarantee to students’ potential post-secondary institutions that CHS meets these standards, which has been shown to improve credit transferability,” said Director Michael Giazzoni.

Founded more than 40 years ago at Pittsburgh’s North Hills High School, the inaugural College in High School class comprised 16 students in a calculus course. The program now serves over 4,000 students in 140 high schools yearly with almost 50 courses on offer. From Introduction to Film to Russian History to 1917, students take a deep dive into subjects not typically included in their high school curriculum.

Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania legislature passed House Bill 1642, the Education Code, mandating higher education institutions make earning college credit accessible to high school students — Pitt’s program is already ahead of the game.

In addition to its already established partnerships with high schools, Pitt’s College in High School program is continually working to make participation attainable for teachers and students alike.

“In recent years, CHS has added teacher scholarships, outreach programs for high school counselors and student advising, as well as expanded scholarships for students in need,” added Giazzoni.

— Nichole Faina