From staff reports

High school juniors and seniors can earn credit at Asbury University before they even set foot on campus as a freshman.

Through a dual-enrollment program known was the Asbury Academy, high school students can choose from more than 80 100- and 200-level classes to take on campus, with enrolled seniors capable of taking up to four credit hours on campus during the fall and spring semesters at no tuition charge. Students may also take up to 15 credit hours during each semester at a reduced rate of only half of the traditional undergraduate tuition rate, $499 per credit hour.

Students who participate in the Asbury Academy program are also eligible for the Academy Scholar’s scholarship. Those who take 12 hours of dual enrollment credit and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 are given $1,500 in scholarship money annually, totaling $6,000 over a four-year degree.

“I took English 110 and 205 which counted for my high school English requirements and fulfill my college requirements as well,”  Ashley Miller said. “I also took theory of wellness which is required for all Asbury students to take so I already have fulfilled some of my foundational requirements.”

Miller, 22, recently completed the Asbury Academy program and will be a freshman at Asbury starting in the fall. For Miller, being an Asbury Academy student was a no-brainer as it allowed her to knock out some of her remaining high school credits while getting some of the foundational education requirements checked off her list as well.

Students can also choose to take online courses, which follow an eight-week schedule at an 80 percent discount off the regular tuition rate in addition to on-campus offerings. With the rigorous nature of the online courses, the classes are reserved for students with high levels of academic discipline with students only allowed to take one online class at a time. However, semesters are 16-weeks long, and students are able to take two consecutive classes per semester.

Miller said, being in a college environment as a high school student has made her feel more prepared for the fall when she will enter Asbury University as a freshman.

“I learned I can be successful in college classes which makes me feel more comfortable attending Asbury this fall as an incoming freshman,” Miller said. “You get some college classes out of the way and being on campus helps you adjust to college. You also get to meet other students at Asbury.”

For more information visit  www.asbury.edu/admissions-aid/academy/ or contact Danielle Miller at academy@asbury.edu.