CARIBOU, Maine – Caribou High School and the Caribou Regional Technology Center have struck a deal with the University of Maine at Presque Isle to offer a dual credit program for students.
Offering dual credits is something Caribou High School and Caribou Regional Technology Center has done for a while now. This past year the high school and tech center added a dual credit partnership with University of Maine at Fort Kent alongside their partnership with Northern Maine Community College, which has been in place for almost ten years, according to Caribou Regional Technology Center guidance counselor Tracy Corbin.
“There’s a lot of things we teach here that are at the college level,” Corbin said. “This gives students a head start on college and allows them to move along quickly to their major.”
The deal with UMPI applies to 21 courses offered by the tech center and high school, where students will have the opportunity to earn up to 63 credits toward a college degree. Dual credits will be available at $15 per credit hour, a savings of more than 90% over the traditional cost for a Maine resident attending UMPI.
The new partnership works both ways, “For example a student attending the Criminal Justice program would receive an assignment from UMPI and it would be graded by UMPI,” Corbin said.
The agreement between UMPI and RSU 39 allows students to be concurrently enrolled in high school and college. Students who successfully complete AP Psychology, for example, will receive college credit for its course equivalency at UMPI, Psychology 100. In addition, those who complete a year-long course such as Senior English will receive two semesters’ worth of college credit, in this case both UMPI’s English 101 and English 151.
Classes available at the tech center through the dual credit program are Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Business and Marketing, and all AP courses offered by the high school are eligible, except for AP French.
Corbin said forming their new partnership with UMPI was smooth and took multiple layers of approval. Textbooks, faculty credentials and curriculum all had to qualify a set of University standards.
“We’ve been working very hard at the University of Maine at Presque Isle to provide very significant and cost-saving early college access to Maine students,” UMPI President Linda Schott said. “We are delighted to provide such an excellent head start on college for students at Caribou High School and Caribou Regional Technology Center and a very affordable path toward a Bachelor’s degree.”
Students will have access to all college academic and student support services at UMPI including, but not limited to, libraries, electronic library resources, writing centers, tutorial services, assessment, admissions, and academic advisement.
“The dual credit agreement between UMPI and Caribou High School is an exceptional opportunity for all Caribou High School Students to advance toward a college degree with a substantial financial savings,” Mark Jones, Principal of Caribou High School, said. “I believe it will ease the transition to college for students and will have a positive impact on the percentage of students who ultimately earn a college degree. This partnership speaks to the spirit of cooperation between UMPI and Caribou High School and the rigor of our curriculum and expertise of our teaching staff.
“Caribou High School and UMPI faculty have a long history of educational partnerships and collaborations, so this is, in many ways, the culmination of a great many efforts from many outstanding individuals, all of which have aimed at providing better and more successful pathways to higher education for all students,” Ray Rice, UMPI Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, said. “This agreement will provide Caribou students a true Early College experience, with potentially half of the credit hours necessary for a four-year degree. Just as importantly, the cost to parents is minimal, all of this coursework will transfer to all University of Maine System institutions, and Caribou students can get this credit while working directly with their own teachers and guidance counselors—the people who know them best.”
The opportunity for dual credits could soften the blow on any future student loan debt, and officials hope the agreement also will strengthen efforts to keep more young people in Maine and increase the state’s four-year degree completion.
