FAQs

To get started, students interested in taking courses on Hiram’s campus should fill out Hiram’s quick, online application.   

Next you should submit your official high school transcript and ACT or SAT test scores. 

Once we receive ALL of you application materials, we will review your application and let you know if you have been admitted to Hiram College’s CCP program.  If accepted and you are planning to take courses on Hiram’s campus or online, you will set up a registration meeting  to discuss your course choice(s). Information on how to set up this meeting is included in the acceptance letter.

Students interested in taking a Hiram College course taught at their high school will also need to be admitted by Hiram College to participate.  The only difference will be that you will NOT need to set up a registration meeting if you are only planning to take courses at your high school.

You will want to sign up to take the ACT or SAT on their respective websites ASAP.  However, if you will not be able to sit for the tests prior (or near) the application deadline, you may schedule an appointment to take the Residual ACT at Hiram College.  This is scheduled by appointment Monday – Friday at either 8:30 a.m. or 1 p.m.  The Residual ACT is the full ACT (minus writing), so plan for it to take you about 3 1/2 hours to complete.  Your scores on the Residual ACT will only be available to Hiram College and cannot be shared with any other institution.  The first time you take the Residual ACT though Hiram College is free, however, if you want to take the test again at Hiram College, there is a $50 fee.  This fee is in place no matter what academic year the first test was taken in, so the fee will be required, even if it is a new or different academic year.  

Hiram College advisors will work with students to choose courses that are Level 1/typical introductory courses that would apply to most general education curriculum at other institutions.    

Since Hiram College is a private liberal arts institution, we are a part of the State of Ohio’s Articulation and Transfer Policy System. Hiram College belongs to the State of Ohio’s Transferology.com, which is used by all public and private colleges and universities in the state. This site allows students to input the courses they are considering or choosing to take, and the results provide a match percentage rate to other institutions who have previously evaluated the courses for transfer. Courses that have not yet been evaluated show as “maybes” until the receiving institution determines their equivalencies.  Courses that are provided in the CCP pathways for entering students are, by their very nature, entry level or level 1 courses within each discipline and common to most if not all colleges and universities.   

Hiram College is also a member of the Transfer Evaluation System (TES), which allows institutions from all over the country to evaluate courses offered at Hiram to determine equivalencies to their own institution.  Each institution evaluates whether or not a course from another institution will transfer and how it will be applied.  If you have specific questions about a course you are interested in, please contact the Registrar’s office 330-569-5210.

Students are HIGHLY encouraged to save their syllabus from any Hiram course they take, as that may make a difference in how it is counted at another institution.

As a CCP student enrolled at Hiram College, you will have full access to your grades and transcripts online with your Web4Student account.  Hiram College provides students with midterm grades so that students can keep up with their progress, and interact with faculty in a timely manner.  Hiram College requires all College Credit Plus students to sign a FERPA waiver and Authorization to Disclose Academic Information form for their high school, so that grades can be counted for dual-credit.  Hiram will send your grades to your high school and/or parents at the end of each semester, if we have waivers on file. 

In order to receive high school credit for postsecondary courses, a student must sign a FERPA waiver and grade mailer form to give his or her high school guidance counselor access to these academic records. As long as these forms are on file, we will send grades to your school at the end of each semester, as long as a waiver is on file. Each student will also have the opportunity to sign these forms when they register for courses at Hiram College. Students may then also elect to grant parents and/or guardians access to their records at that time.  Students are highly encouraged to complete the FERPA waiver and grade mailer form for parents as well.     

Students taking courses at their high school will have the opportunity to complete these forms when a representative from Hiram College visits your school at the start of each academic year.

Students who complete but fail (F, NF, SF) a course may be billed for the published cost of that class by their high school district, if he or she is a public high school student, or by the State of Ohio, if the student is a non-public school student.  

If a student withdraws from the course after the withdrawal deadline, they will receive a “W” on their transcript and they can be billed for the published cost of that class by their high school district, if he or she is a public school student, or by the State of Ohio, if the student is a non-public student. 

Per the State of Ohio, any student who meets the state criteria for acceptance can be enrolled in CCP courses.  Students from grades 7-12 may apply to participate in College Credit Plus.  Criteria for admission, as required by the State are as follows:

ACT:  A minimum of an 18 in English, 22 in Reading, or 22 in Math.  Students must only meet these criteria in one section.  Hiram reserves the right make decisions based upon scores as to what courses a student may be eligible for.  For example, if a student wants to take certain science courses, a minimum of a 22 in the Science portion of the ACT.

SAT:  A minimum of a 480 on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section or a 530 on the Mathematics section.  Hiram reserves the right make decisions based upon scores as to what courses a student may be eligible for.

Yes, private and home-schooled students may participate.  Home-schooled students need to complete the Ohio Department of Education’s form form to determine their eligibility.  Private school students should contact their guidance office as part of their application process, as well as complete theOhio Department of Education’s form form to determine their eligibility.  The State of Ohio has reserved a sum of money to support home- and private-school participation.  A student may still participate at their own cost if the State’s fund has been fully depleted and they meet admission criteria.   

Any authorized student enrolled in Ohio Public Schools, in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, may elect to participate in College Credit Plus as long as they qualify and meet the state requirements. 

Students who are Ohio residents and attend nonpublic schools in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 may opt to participate as long as the nonpublic school is a participant in the College Credit Plus program and has filed the necessary paperwork with the state Department of Education. 

Students who wish to participate in the College Credit Plus program must declare their intent to participate in writing and submit it to their high school by April 1 each year (even if they participated the previous year).  Failure to meet the deadline will make a student ineligible to participate in College Credit Plus unless they obtain the authorization of the school district’s superintendent.  Participants need to declare their intent to participate each year that they wish to participate in the program.

Hiram College deadlines for CCP are (please note that these are hard deadlines even for students taking classes at their high school – students are encouraged to apply early):

• Summer session – May 1
• Fall session – August 1
• Spring session – October 1 

The high school’s district superintendent has the authority to permit students to participate in the program after April 1.

Yes, students are able to take College Credit Plus courses offered at their high school, online, or at Hiram College.   

We recommend to students who are taking classes for the first time to take a face-to-face traditional or blended course, as the transition can be quite challenging for students.

Yes, the College Credit Plus program is no longer limited to the fall and spring semester of the high school academic year. Summer sessions count towards the following academic year’s course load.

Students who meet the conditions necessary to participate in College Credit Plus are not limited to the hours of an official school day for scheduling their college coursework, so yes, students may take night or weekend classes though Hiram College’s Weekend College program, as well as fully online classes. 

Ohio’s public high schools must pay for the College Credit Plus textbooks.  Depending upon the agreement that Hiram College has with each district, the district may purchase the textbooks for the student separately, or they may have the students pick them up through the Hiram College Bookstore.  You should speak with your guidance counselor at your high school to find out the procedure your district uses.  It is also recommended to do this as soon as the book lists are available online for students.  Textbooks can be found at on the Hiram College Bookstore website.

Private- or home-schooled students would pay the cost of the textbooks through the Hiram College Bookstore.

The textbooks will be the property of the school district after the course is complete and must be returned to the school district. 

If parents purchase the textbooks for the students (i.e., for home- or private-school students), the family would own the textbooks.

Students may participate in high school athletics and other high school activities as long as they are meeting state and local scholastic and eligibility requirements. 

College Credit Plus students are considered to be high school students and are not eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, like student clubs requiring dues and varsity sports.  Extracurricular activities that relate directly to a student’s course work, such as in art, music, or theatre, may be acceptable for participation.  Students and their families should seek advice from the Strategic Academic Initiatives office, who can help evaluate a student’s participation in activities on a case-by-case basis. 

Each College Credit Plus student who attends courses on Hiram College ‘s campus will be issued a student ID card. Once a College Credit Plus student has been issued a student ID and the parents or guardians sign the Recreation Center liability waiver (which can be obtained through the Strategic Academic Initiatives office) he or she will be allowed to use the Coleman Recreation Center free of charge during open hours.

Please note:  Students who take courses through Hiram College at their high school will not receive a student ID card, but they can request one by making an appointment through the Strategic Academic Initiatives office to come to campus to get their I.D. made.

For students and parents, tuition and books for courses taken as part of this program are funded by the school districts and state of Ohio. 

For teachers and administrators, Hiram College adheres to the rate set by the State of Ohio.

The Ohio Department of Education will pay for the cost of the non-public student as long as funds are available.  However, private high school students and homeschool students must apply to the Ohio Department of Education to receive funding to underwrite their costs. Please check https://ohiohighered.org/ccp for information, forms and updates. 

High School students are not eligible to receive additional financial aid as part of the College Credit Plus program, however, once a student has matriculated and become a full-time, traditional student, Financial Aid should not be impacted.   

The high school district, Hiram College, and state of Ohio pay for the tuition, while the school districts pay for the textbooks for public school students. 

Only the cost of tuition, textbooks and course materials directly related to the College Credit Plus course are covered.  Room and board are not covered.  Students who would like to eat in the dining hall may pay the guest meal price at the door when they arrive or parents may put additional funds on their student’s I.D. card to be used at the Dining Hall or Bistro on-campus. 

Public school students who complete, but fail a course can be billed for the published cost of that class by their high school district.  Non-public school students can be billed for the published cost of that class by the State of Ohio. 

Once you apply, Hiram College will assign you an academic advisor.  He or she will help you select appropriate classes in coordination with advice received from your guidance office, the college, and the state of Ohio 

A student’s first step should always be to approach his or her faculty member via phone, email, or in person during office hours.  Hiram College has a free peer tutoring service for many first-year/level 1 appropriate courses, and full-time academic services staff to assist you.  Hiram College also offers a Writing Center that students may also take advantage of.  You may also make use of your high school academic support services.

Yes, you can receive accommodations.  The CCP student (not parents) must reach out to the Disability Services office and they can walk you through the steps required to get accommodations.  It is highly recommended to reach out to the Disability Services office as early as possible, as it can be a lengthy process!

Yes, you will need to apply through Hiram College’s Admissions Office in order to be accepted into Hiram College as a traditional student.

A CCP student is not guaranteed acceptance at Hiram College.

Please check out all that Hiram College has to offer and be sure to apply early!

Yes, in many instances, depending on how many credit hours you take through Hiram (or another postsecondary institution), you can shorten the length of time you need to take classes at Hiram.  Hiram also offers 3-year degrees in many majors!

Your high school transcript will not be enough for postsecondary institutions to grant or accept your college credits taken through Hiram College.  You must request a transcript from Hiram College be sent to the institution.  Students can request their official transcripts from the Registrar’s Office website.  The cost of the transcript is $7 for each transcript requested.

You will want to talk with the Registrar’s Office at the institution(s) you received college credit from and request your transcript be sent to Hiram College.  Your high school transcript will not be enough for Hiram College (or other institutions) to accept your grades and give you appropriate credit evaluations.  You must request transcripts from each school that you took CCP classes with, in order to have them count towards your college credit hours.