Early Entry

The Early-Entry Program allows high-school students to take courses at NDSU while you complete your high-school diploma. In early-entry courses you earn college credit for the classes you take. You do not need to have a high-school diploma to apply for this program. There are many benefits for taking early-entry courses, we encourage you to review our list of benefits. Whatever your reason for taking these courses, we applaud your ambition and want to see you succeed. This program thrives on seeing students continually finding the joy in learning.

If you are in your junior or senior year of high school (as well as some sophomores) and have earned a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, you are an ideal candidate for this program. Choose from online and in-person classes, many of which apply to the general education requirements and/or specific degree requirements. The eligibility section of this website provides more information on whether or not you qualify to take early-entry classes.

Difference Between Early Entry and Early Admission

The Early-Entry Program is different from early admission status. Early admission is primarily used for high-school students as conditional acceptance into a specific degree program. Early entry is also different from dual credit in that you do not earn high-school credit for these courses unless you seek permission from your high school or home school. Be sure to mark "Early Entry" on your admission application.

Ask your school about bringing NDSU Dual-Credit Classes to your school to supplement the courses already being offered by Valley City State and NDSCS.

Benefits of Early Entry:

You will find there are many benefits to taking an early-entry course, such as:

Discounted tuition, which can be a substantial savings on your education. The more classes you take, the more you save!
Continued challenge in subject areas you excel in.
An opportunity to study a subject you are passionate about at a higher level.
Getting some high-demand general education courses out of the way before you get to campus.
Getting used to higher education in a familiar environment with your existing support systems readily available to you.
Freeing up time in your future college schedule for classes that demand more of your time. (e.g. internships)
Allowing extra space in your future college schedule for a double major, to graduate early, or stay on track to graduate on time.
Having all of your campus systems (e.g. email, Blackboard) set-up before you get to campus, so you can focus on making friends and adjusting to campus life.
Getting to know some instructors and support staff before you get to campus.
Possibly earning dual credit, upon approval from your school administrators.

Offering these courses in an online format opens up the benefits of early entry to students from anywhere, removing scheduling and travel barriers. Students from any state are welcome to apply to take these courses whether or not they plan to attend NDSU for their full degree.

You may also choose to take any of our 100 & 200-level face-to-face or traditional classroom courses if you are near campus or have time in your schedule to drive to campus.

For School Administrators

If you are a school administrator and are interested in early-entry offerings for your students or partnering with NDSU to offer dual-credit courses, please complete this brief form.

For Schools

Fact Sheet

Offer Early Entry

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For Students

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Early-Entry Questions

Early-Entry Postcard

As an educator you may be looking for ways for your students to find new challenge and to help grow their passion in a particular subject. If your student is finding their course options are limited in a specific subject area, help them find an early-entry course that can keep them moving forward. Distribute this postcard to any student, parent, or school district who is interested in this program.

View in PDF

Eligibility

If you are a current public, private or homeschool student who is enrolled in grades 10, 11, and 12, you are eligible to take early-entry courses through NDSU. We recommend you have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students from any state are invited to apply for this college in high school program.

If you are already taking advanced placement, dual-credit, or gifted and talented classes you are likely an excellent candidate for early entry. Though these are not the only indicators of success as an early-entry student since not all public and private schools have the same resources available to students. Students who attend homeschool and meet the GPA requirement are also welcome to take these courses.

Academic readiness is one of the most important factors in deciding if this program is for you. If you are unsure about your academic readiness, your high-school counselor or teachers can help you determine whether you are a good candidate to participate in a college in high school class. You may also contact Continued Learning with any questions about your readiness for taking these courses. We want to see you succeed in your college education, so we will only recommend taking early-entry courses if we feel you are adequately prepared to be successful.

Tuition

Tuition for early-entry courses will be charged at the following rates. If you check your tuition balance you will notice initially that full tuition is charged. Approximately two weeks after enrollment a tuition waiver will be applied to your account which will bring your tuition cost to what is listed here.

Please wait a few weeks until your tuition reflects this dollar amount multiplied by the number of credits you are taking. If you do not see that tuition update, contact us at ndsu.otl@ndsu.edu.

Select the tab that best applies to your situation.

North Dakota

This tuition information applies to all eligible North Dakota residents and North Dakota military families. NDSU is committed to an affordable, accessible college experience. Early entry students will receive our Early Entry Waiver which brings the cost of tuition down to the following rate per credit.

$154.36 = Tuition
$5.50 = ConnectND Fee
$.04 = NDSA Fee

$159.90 = Total

Minnesota, Contiguous, & Alumni Dependents

This tuition information is for all eligible students from Minnesota, Montana, and South Dakota as well as those who are dependents of an NDSU Alumni residing in any state. NDSU is committed to an affordable, accessible college experience. Early entry students will receive our Early Entry Waiver which brings the cost of tuition down to the following rate per credit.

$167.34 = Tuition
$5.50 = ConnectND Fee
$.04 = NDSA Fee

$172.88 = Total

US Non-Resident, WUE, MSEP

This tuition information is for eligible students who live in the U.S. and are a resident of any other state (not listed in other categories) and/or participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) or Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP). NDSU is committed to an affordable, accessible college experience. Early entry students will receive our Early Entry Waiver which brings the cost of tuition down to the following rate per credit.

$179.69 = Tuition
$5.50 = ConnectND Fee
$.04 = NDSA Fee

$185.23 = Total

International

This tuition information is for eligible students who are residents of all other countries, which are considered international students. NDSU is committed to an affordable, accessible college experience. Early entry students will receive our Early Entry Waiver which brings the cost of tuition down to the following rate per credit.

$179.69 = Tuition
$5.50 = ConnectND Fee
$.04 = NDSA Fee

$185.23 = Total

Online Courses by Semester

Below is a list of all online courses that are eligible for early-entry status. Courses listed are available every year during the semesters in which they are listed unless otherwise noted. For example, a course listed under the fall semester category would be available every fall semester.

If you are looking for an on-campus early-entry course, you may view a list of all available early-entry courses. In this list the courses labeled 100- and 200-level are eligible for early entry.

The list below is not exhaustive. If you have a question about additional classes, contact ndsu.otl@ndsu.edu.

General Education Category List

This list describes what each general education category denotation means. Learn more about general education requirements.

A ………………………….....…………………Humanities and Fine Art

B ……………………….......……….Social and Behavioral Sciences

C ……………………………………………….……………Communication

D ……………………………….…………………………Cultural Diversity

G ………………………………...………….....……Global Perspectives

R ……………………………......…..………….Quantitative Reasoning

S ………………………………..........………Science and Technology

W…………………………....…………..............................……Wellness

L........................................................................Digital Literacy

Application and Registration

We first suggest you speak with your high-school counselor and your parents or guardian to ensure they are aware of your intent to take an early-entry course. Then you should fill out the FREE NDSU Application for Admission. After you have set up your campus services, you will be able to register for your classes using the Campus Connection Software during the open registration timeframe.

Be sure to get your application in early and register for courses as soon as open registration is available for the best selection of classes.

Application Process

Application forms are due approximately one month prior to the start of the semester in which you want to take classes. This allows time for processing of your application. Follow these steps for the early-entry application process at NDSU.

Go to the NDSU admission application page for early-entry students (dual-credit students use this same form).
Click “Sign Up” or sign in if you already have an account.
Complete the FREE application for admission. —Be sure to select "early entry/dual credit" as your admit type.
You will receive verification of your acceptance to NDSU as an early-entry student.

Notes:

If you miss taking a class one semester (not including summer) you will need to contact OTL to have your application reactivated.
When you graduate high school and choose to become a degree seeking student, you must fill out the FREE admission application again. Doing so qualifies you for federal student aid as well as any scholarships available at NDSU.

Early-Entry Application Form

Course Registration

You will use the Campus Connection registration software to register for your classes; however, you must set up your NDSU electronic services before you will have access to register. Please ensure you have your student ID ready when you set up your services. Go to our Getting Started section to find detailed instructions and tutorial videos.

For questions regarding the application process, contact:

Office of Admission
1-800-488-NDSU
ndsu.admission@ndsu.edu

For all other early-entry questions, contact:

Office of Teaching and Learning
701-231-7015
ndsu.otl@ndsu.edu

Early Entry

Early Entry

Difference Between Early Entry and Early Admission

Benefits of Early Entry:

For School Administrators

For Schools

For Students

Early-Entry Postcard

Eligibility

Tuition

North Dakota

Minnesota, Contiguous, & Alumni Dependents

US Non-Resident, WUE, MSEP

International

Online Courses by Semester

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

Summer Semester

General Education Category List

Application and Registration

Application Process

Notes:

Course Registration

Continued Learning