Eligible Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) students who participate in the dual enrollment Early College Access Program (ECAP) at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) will no longer be charged tuition and fees, the college and school system jointly announced. The move supports recent changes in Maryland law through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Blueprint) legislation designed to expand opportunities for public school students to pursue college-level coursework. Homeschool students are not eligible, according to the law. The change takes effect immediately for all eligible students enrolled in credit classes for the 2022-2023 school year. Students are still responsible for payment of textbooks and related course materials during the 2022-2023 school year. “By providing free courses to current AACPS high school students, we move closer to fulfilling our vision to transform the lives of county residents by creating more college and career opportunities for them and their families,” said Dr. Dawn Lindsay, president of Anne Arundel Community College. “Students have the ability to take courses in person, online, and on site at some high schools – now free of charge. This change provides even greater equity and inclusion, core values of AACC and integral to our mission and strategic plan, to support student success. I look forward to enhancing my collaboration with the new superintendent, Dr. Mark Bedell, as we offer this exciting opportunity to AACPS students.” Said Dr. Bedell: “The Blueprint legislation opens a wide array of doors for our students and encourages them to explore pathways they may otherwise not have traveled. Our community college has been and continues to be amazing, and I look forward to the exciting ways we will enhance that partnership with Dr. Lindsay and her team as we move forward.” Specifically, in the 2022-2023 school year, the plan calls for AACPS to pay for tuition and fees for AACPS-approved CTE pathway, dual enrollment, and AACPS signature program courses that lead to an approved MSDE industry certification and/or are aligned with an associate degree through AACC for all 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students. A student must be 16 years old or older (or meet additional AACPS pathway requirements) and submit an AACPS-approved ECAP form to AACC prior to or at the time of registration. AACPS and AACC continue to work together to provide a strong pathway for students to pursue college degrees and career opportunities. Dual enrollment courses allow students to earn their high school credits and college credits simultaneously. More than 1,500 AACPS students took classes at AACC in Fiscal Year 2022. Winter and spring registration for AACC credit courses are currently under way. AACC will begin issuing refunds in December for AACPS dual enrollment students who have already paid tuition and fees for the fall and summer 2022 terms. For more information about dual enrollment programs, please visit the ECAP webpages.
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