Accept the Challenge!

Transitioning into college-level courses early on can help you adjust to a more rigorous level of study.

Please note there are additional fees for all college-level courses.

• AP Courses: Cost of the exam (paid to AP College Board; financial assistance available through AP College Board)

• Dual/Concurrent Enrollment: Cost of the course (paid to college)

AP Courses

AP (advanced placement) is a program of classes developed by the College Board to give high school students an introduction to college-level classes and also gain college credit before even graduating high school. These courses are more difficult than the usual high school class. Many colleges grant credit, advanced placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores.

St. Mary’s High School is a Catholic, college preparatory school; challenging our students with rigorous, college-level academics is a natural part of our curriculum. Investing in our curriculum, AP teachers are trained and certified by the AP College Board to provide our AP students with the tools, resources, and skills necessary for achieving success at the college level. You can find in-depth information about the program and its benefits at the College Board website, including videos of students sharing how AP courses have impacted their college opportunities and choices. 

Beginning 2023-2024 all students taking an AP class must take the AP exam for that course. As the AP College Board exam is a standardized score, taking the AP exam has two main purposes: 1) provides student and school confirmation of level of achievement as indicated by performance on the exam; and 2) qualifies student for possible course credit, a prerequisite waiver, and or scholarship at chosen college.

Concurrent & Dual Enrollment

Concurrent & Dual enrollment courses are college courses that students can take during high school that count both for high school and college credit. They are typically taken by students who are looking for a challenge, a competitive advantage in enrollment, and a head start on their college coursework. 

St. Mary’s High School has partnered with UCCS - CU Succeed for the purpose of offering local concurrent and dual enrollment options for our students. Students pursuing credits somewhere other than UCCS - CU Succeed, must have the institution approved by SMHS administration. 

Concurrent enrollment for credit is available with permission from counseling and administration for those students who have surpassed our course availability and met, or are scheduled to meet, the required 28.0 credits at SMHS to graduate. Juniors seeking to enroll in concurrent enrollment courses must have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 at the conclusion of their sophomore year. Seniors seeking to enroll in concurrent enrollment courses must have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 at the conclusion of their junior year. SMHS may grant up to 0.5 high school credits per semester course on a 5.0 scale. These credits are in addition to the 28.0 required credits for graduation and not in place of. Please note, SMHS can not guarantee that a student’s schedule will accommodate off-campus, in-person courses. Students will be assigned a period during the day to work on their courses.

UCCS - CU Succeed

To participate in the concurrent enrollment program through UCCS - CU Succeed, students must meet the requirements in the UCCS - CU Succeed course catalog and complete and submit the student recommendation form. A list of current course offerings (course catalog) and all necessary materials can be found at this link https://outreach.uccs.edu/hs/online. Cost is determined by the university and is the responsibility of the student and his or her family. Not sure if you are ready to enroll in a CU Succeed Online course?  Take a short 5-minute quiz HERE to figure out if you are ready!

UCCS - CU Succeed MathOnline course offerings and registration information can be found at the link below. Students must submit a student agreement packet for these courses. Please note, students interested in taking Calculus I at UCCS as concurrent enrollment must have completed AP Calculus at SMHS. To register, go to https://mathonline.uccs.edu.

College credit is available for dual enrollment through our PLTW program taught at St. Mary’s High School.

Please contact the counseling office (ebaxter@smhscs.org ) regarding the process for enrolling in concurrent and dual enrollment courses.