How Do I Become A Dual Enrollment Student?

Step 1: Obtain and Prove Consent

First, you need the consent of your parent or guardian, and of your school. To prove you have those, complete the DE Consent Form. Be sure you have the proper signatures. Then, return the form to your high school guidance counselor or scan it directly to the Camp Dual Enrollment Coordinator at jwachsmann@pdc.edu or fax it to her at (757) 569-6773.

Step 2: Apply for Admission

New Dual Enrollment students must complete a Camp application for admission. The application is online at www.pdc.edu. When completing the application, please be sure to do the following:

1. Include your social security number. If you don’t include this when you apply, the Instructional Technology staff won’t be able to retrieve your college passwords for Blackboard and emails if you lose them.
2. Select Paul D. Camp Community College from the drop down menu. Choose carefully; all 23 Virginia Community Colleges are listed here! If you choose the wrong college, the system will not allow you to enroll in classes.
3. Select classes for “Credit.” If you don’t, the system will not allow you to enroll in classes.
4. Complete the Domicile Form on the Application. If you are a resident of the State of Virginia and you don’t complete this form properly, you may be billed at the out of state tuition rates.
5. Once you have completed your application for admission and clicked to submit, WAIT for a minute. Your college ID number will pop up on the screen. Write it down and put it on your Consent Form. Bring this number with you when you are taking your placement test!

Step 3: Complete the FERPA Waiver

FERPA is the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Although you will be taking classes that are for credit both at your high school and at Camp, your privacy rights as a college student are different. In high school, parents are given information about grades, absences, etc. automatically. At college, this can only happen if you sign a FERPA Form. YOU must complete the waiver and only YOUR signature can be used. We strongly encourage all dual enrollment students to sign this waiver, naming at least one parent or guardian. Once a waiver is filed, college employees can speak to that person regarding your necessary enrollment in classes, grades, graduation requirements, payment for classes, etc. Complete the form and return it to your guidance counselor or to the Dual Enrollment Coordinator at jwachsmann@pdc.edu.

Step 4: Provide PSAT scores or other accepted test scores, or schedule a Virginia Placement Test.

All VCCS students must show readiness for college courses. In most cases, Dual Enrollment students take the Virginia Placement Test, or VPT. The VPT is offered by Camp free of charge. If you wish to use PSAT, SAT or other scores for dual enrollment placement, ask your guidance counselor to send official test scores to us. Test scores are sent to our Director of Testing, Mary Ellen Gleason, at mgleason@pdc.edu. Students should test in the semester prior to their entry semester of Dual Enrollment. For example, if you plan to take dual enrollment classes in the Fall of 2018, you should arrange to take your test in the Spring or Summer of 2018. Placement testing is usually done at the high school, but can also be completed at the Franklin or Suffolk campuses or Smithfield Center by appointment: Ms. Gleason (757) 569-6740 mgleason@pdc.edu When you call to set up a test, be sure to identify yourself as a dual enrollment student. This is very important! Required placement scores for transfer courses such as math, English, history, science, etc. are higher than those for career/technical courses such as Welding, Robotics, Early Childhood Education, etc. To learn more about the free Virginia Placement Test, and to take a practice test, see our website.

5. Enroll in a class

Whether your work with your school guidance counselor or with the dual enrollment coordinator for enrollment depends upon the class:

For classes taken at your high school
You will enroll in these with the help of your guidance counselor. The cost of classes will be covered under the financial agreement between the school and the college, and may be at no cost to you. Remember though, that some high schools do charge a portion of tuition and fees to help them defray the cost of textbooks, etc. The courses offered for dual credit vary by high school, and some will have a face to face teacher, while some will be offered with an online teacher. Ask your guidance counselor which DE courses are available to you now, and which ones you can expect to be able to take before you graduate.

Classes taken at Camp campuses or online
If you plan to earn a General Education Certificate or Associate of Arts and Science degree, you will need to take additional classes that are not offered through dual enrollment at your high school. For these concurrent classes (meaning they are taken while you are still a high school student, but are not for high school credit), you must pay the full tuition and fees and provide your own textbooks. Tuition and fees for Virginia residents for the 2017-2018 school year is $150.40 per credit hour. To enroll in these classes, you can either meet with an advisor face to face, or complete the Remote Registration Form.

To schedule a face to face meeting with an advisor, call the Admissions Office at (757) 569-6700. Ideally, registration for courses takes place face to face, but if that is not convenient, you can request classes by completing the Remote Registration Form, Return the form via fax or scan to the Dual Enrollment Coordinator, Judith Wachsmann, at jwachsmann@pdc.edu. Be sure your parent or guardian signs this form! Once the form has been received, the enrollment will be evaluated and if appropriate, completed. You’ll then receive an email telling you when class begins, how to make payment, where to look for textbooks, etc. If the enrollment can’t be approved for some reason, you’ll receive an email explaining why and possibly suggesting other courses. It’s very important to remember that concurrent classes will have start and end dates that conform to Paul D. Camp’s semester schedule, not the high school’s schedule. Be sure you are aware of when your class begins and keep track of assignment deadlines!