February 6, 2025

This year, California Baptist University is providing high school students with the opportunity to get a head start on college credits.

The Office of Admissions is rolling out a new program for students who are eligible for current enrollment in high school. The requirements include students needing to be sophomore-equivalent or higher with a weighted GPA of 2.5 or higher.

While high school students have an opportunity to take courses online, Greta Anderson, director of undergraduate admissions, explained the purpose of the dual enrollment.

“This provides students with the opportunity to experience the CBU difference at an earlier stage in their educational process,” Anderson said. “We really believe that once students get a flavor for the care, concern and support they will receive through these dual enrollment classes, they will have a better understanding of CBU, what makes it unique and why they will want to attend full time in the future to obtain a degree.”

Benefits include college credit for various general education coursework, access to the tutoring center and faculty and some CBU sporting events.
While eligible course offerings vary per semester, Anderson said the high school students participating this semester will be able to choose from 17 class offerings on topics ranging from art to healthcare to biblical studies.

Each online course is asynchronous, so students can access course materials at their own pace.

Dystanie Rush, graduate student studying forensic psychology, said that this new program is allowing CBU to help students earn valuable credits before attending as undergraduate students.

“CBU is definitely helping students by offering classes that will count because not all community college credits transfer to a private university,” Rush said. “By obtaining credits from CBU early on in high school, you are guaranteed to have those credits count.”

Rush continued to express how beneficial earning college credits early can be because it can be difficult to transfer credits.

“I would have taken the opportunity to enroll undergrad classes while in high school,” Rush said. “I know for me, applying to universities was stressful without certainty of whether I would get in or if I could keep up with the classes. If CBU could give high school students early exposure to the courses and guaranteed credit transfer, that burden potentially new students would have could be lessened.”

Jennifer Reed, sophomore undeclared major, explained how CBU is helping university growth by reaching towards students who can experience new opportunities before they get to college.

“CBU is doing a great job in university growth as they are not only trying, but taking action by offering a dual enrollment,” Reed said. “While high school students may be indecisive on which university to choose,

CBU is reaching their audience by providing guaranteed college credits.”

Students’ first class is free and subsequent classes will be discounted, according to CBU’s admission enrollment website.

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