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Early College

What is Early College?

The Early College Program is an innovative strategy that gives Kern County high school students an opportunity to earn an associate degree or certificate while in high school.

Over the past few years, BC has offered Dual Enrollment courses to high school students with research showing high school students in BC Dual Enrollment courses performing at a 90% or better success rate. The Early College Program expands on the Dual Enrollment concept by having freshmen complete a package of college courses throughout their four years so they can earn a college certificate or associate degree by the time they graduate with their high school diploma.

Retired State Senator and Bakersfield City School District Superintendent Dr. Jean Fuller has partnered with BC to lead this initiative. A longtime advocate of education, Fuller, who grew up in rural Kern County and has been at the forefront of state issues, knows firsthand how the Early College program can serve as a game changer for Kern County.

Early College will ensure:

  • Every educational pathway is clear and defined from K-12 to community college and into four-year institutions
  • Every high school student has an opportunity to earn at least 9 college credits by the end of graduation
  • Every high school student understands what it takes to earn a certificate, associate degree, or complete their chosen college pathway
Early College Launch Video - English
Early College Launch Video - Spanish

How do I participate in Early College?

Find your high school below for courses and pathways available at your school site. If your school is not listed below, or your school site does not offer the courses or pathway you desire, visit the Pre-level section. This section will provide you with your opportunities, the steps you need to take, and contacts for you at both your high school and BC.

Levels of Implementation

As Bakersfield College connects the Dual and Concurrent Enrollment courses occurring on high school campuses to college pathways, levels of implementation have been created to help students and school sites understand their current level of access to Early College opportunities. Courses and pathways will be updated as high school and college teams work together to plan future opportunities.

Pre-level

Pre-exploration

The high school students currently do not have access to dual or concurrent enrollment courses on the high school campus, but opportunities are available at nearby high school and college campus locations. Search nearby schools in levels 1-3 to see what they're offering.

Level 1

Exploration

The high school students can complete college courses on-site through a combination of dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment offered on the high school campus.

Schools in level 1:
  • Bakersfield High School
  • Centennial High School
  • Cesar Chavez High School
  • Delano High School
  • Delano Science and Tech Center
  • East High School
  • Foothill High School
  • Frontier High School
  • Golden Valley High School
  • Highland High School
  • Homeschool Students
  • Independence High School
  • Kern Learn
  • Kern Valley High School
  • Liberty High School
  • Mira Monte High School
  • North High School
  • Nueva Continuation High School
  • Regional Occupation Center
  • Ridgeview High School
  • RFK High School
  • Shafter High School
  • South High School
  • Stockdale High School
  • Valley High School
  • Vista Continuation High School
  • Vista West
  • West High School
  • Valley Oaks Charter School

Level 2

Installation

The high school students can complete a college degree or certificate on-site through a combination of dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment courses offered on the high school campus.

Schools in level 2:
  • Arvin High School
  • Wasco High School
  • Wonderful Academy

Level 3

Implementation

All incoming ninth grade students are on a pathway to earn between 9 and 60 units towards completing a college degree and/or certificate through a combination of dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment courses offered on the high school campus.

Schools in level 3:

Participating Schools

Press Releases

For the latest Early College news and updates, visit Jean Fuller's Press Releases.

In the News

Planning and Development

Early College FAQs

What is Early College?
Through the Early College program, students at participating high schools have the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credit hours toward an associate degree or a certificate while earning their high school diploma. Course offerings begin in the 9th grade.
How does Early College build on Dual Enrollment?
Bakersfield College currently offers nearly 400 dual enrollment sections each year across dozens of high schools. Students who enroll in dual enrollment courses earn college credits, free of cost. The Early College model embeds those courses into a scheduled pathway so that students have the opportunity to earn a certificate or degree in time for high school graduation.
What is the cost to students who participate in Early College?
There is no cost to the student to participate in Early College.
How much money do students save by enrolling in Early College?
Enrollment fees at Bakersfield College stand at $46 per unit, as set by the State of California. If an Early College student completes all 60 units to earn his or her associate's degree while in high school, the student stands to save $2,760 in tuition alone, plus over $300 in fees. In addition, students will save hundreds on transportation and living expenses.
What types of degrees will students earn?
Each Early College high school site will work with Bakersfield College to identify a program of study that meets student needs. Programs of study may include certificates of achievement that build job skills and support academic goals, or associate degrees that are transferable to four-year universities.
Are the courses offered through Early College really college level?
All Early College courses are taught by professional faculty who meet at least the minimum qualifications as set by the California Community Colleges Minimum Qualifications Handbook. Bakersfield College department chairs and administrators evaluate all courses to ensure quality and rigor comparable to courses taught on the main Bakersfield College campus. BC Deans and discipline faculty also review and approve all faculty who teach each course to ensure the faculty meet established minimum qualifications.
How do you know high school students are ready for college level work?
High school students across the country have been earning college credit through Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses for years. However, a single exam at the end of the term will determine whether the student will earn college credit for the course.
Bakersfield College has been honoring high school performance for several years through our application of multiple measures of assessment to place students into transfer-level English and math courses. Multiple measures of assessment use other performance factors, such as cumulative high school GPA data and grades in specific courses. With these criteria, the college has placed more students than ever into transfer-level coursework with success rates consistently improving. Research has found multiple measures of performance to be more indicative of ability to succeed in a course than a single exam.
Bakersfield College began offering dual enrollment courses in area high schools in 2012. Student success data make it abundantly clear that students leave the program well prepared to succeed in college courses. In fact, high school students who enroll in BC courses have consistently higher course success rates exceeding 90%—well above our Institution-Set Standard.
What happens if a high school student is struggling academically?
Bakersfield College's Early College Program provides comprehensive support services and provides developmentally appropriate practices to ensure the students are successful.
If the instructor and student identify a student is unlikely to be successful, they will collaborate in determining the best course of action, including withdrawal from the course to avoid negatively affecting the student's GPA.
What about Advanced Placement classes? Will this program replace or compete with the academic goals of high school students?
Early College works alongside the current educational curriculum of high school. Students can stay on track to meet the A-G requirements and all high school graduation requirements. Early College provides an opportunity for equal access and a bridge into college programs while in high school.
A major benefit of Early College courses is that the student automatically earns college credit for the course if they earn a passing grade in the course. Other college preparatory pathways like AP and IB courses require the student to pass an end-of-term exam at cost to the student. As research demonstrates, a single exam is not the best indicator of student success.
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Dual Enrollment & Early College
661-395-4008

Offices are located on the Panorama Campus in the Welcome Center, Administration Building, A 16.

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