Starting this upcoming year, all students in McHenry county taking a dual credit course will be charged a $25 fee per semester. 

The new implication was finalized in early January. MCHS will be assessing this fee to all students taking dual credit classes when it goes into place next year. Although, certain students are eligible for a waiver of this fee. 

“MCC’s offerings of dual credit around the county has exploded over the past 2-3 years,” Carl Vallianatos, MCHS’s assistant superintendent, states. “This $25 per class fee will partially offset the administrative costs associated with thousands of students taking classes and having to be rostered and given credit with the college.”

Taking MCC courses at MCC is priced differently than taking a course through high school. One course taken at MCC is $111.50 per credit hour. The majority of college classes are three credit hours. 

“So if we multiply that times three, that would be $334.50,” College and Career Counselor Curtis Menke said. “Again, that does not include any additional fees or textbooks. I usually round up and tell students a three credit hour class and MCC costs approximately $400 after you factor in a textbook fees.”

Even though there will be an up charge in taking a dual credit course at MCHS, it is cheaper than taking the actual course at MCC. Some students also are eligible for a waiver of this $25 fee. 

“Students who qualify for the national free lunch program will not have to pay the $25,” Menke said. “I am glad to see that because the last thing I want to see is another barrier in front of students who already have barriers.”

Honors dual credit classes at MCHS consist of Business INCubator (1 credit), Chemistry (1 credit), College Composition I and II (0.5 credit), French III and IV (1 credit), German III and IV (1 credit), Speech (0.5 credit)

Regular dual credit classes offered at MCHS include Computer Literacy (0.5 credit), Manufacturing I (1 credit), Metals I (0.5 credit) and Teaching as a Profession II (0.5 credit).

“It’s very acceptable,” said Althea Polo, a sophomore that takes dual credit chemistry. “I don’t think it’ll affect me personally as much. I take dual credit classes and I feel that it is worth the money. Getting that time with the teacher everyday to ask for help rather than sitting in college class once a week makes all the difference.”

There are 649 dual credit enrollments at MCHS, as of this year.

“I don’t think that this is dramatically going to decrease the amount of students who take dual credit courses with us,” Menke said. “I see it as an inconvenience, but I don’t think it’s going to dramatically prevent or deter students from taking our dual credit classes.”