Eligibility for Dual Enrollment
Dual Enrollment is open to high school students who meet high school eligibility requirements and/or College prerequisites. Students do not have to attend a Harford County Public School to participate. Many students who take advantage of this program are home-based learning (homeschool) students or those who attend private schools.
Choosing the best option for a student’s academic path is important and should be
discussed with a school counselor or parents before applying to the College.
Tuition
While students do not have to attend a Harford County Public School to participate in dual enrollment, HCPS determines eligibility for the tuition waiver. Students should speak with their HCPS counselor for more information on tuition waiver eligibility requirements. HCPS students can also check their HCPS Student Enrollment Options (SEO) application for their tuition waiver status. Students not eligible for the HCPS tuition waiver can still participate in dual enrollment by self-paying.
- Only college courses listed on the SEO application will be eligible for the tuition waiver. Visit the HCPS Student Planner for more information.
- Only rising seniors are eligible for tuition waivers for summer semester college courses. Winter semester is not covered.
- Non-HCPS students, and HCPS students not approved for the tuition waiver, are responsible for tuition.
Please see tuition information and due dates. Tuition can be paid online. If payment is not received by the due date your registration will be canceled.
Enrollment Process
Find out the steps you need to take based on where you attend high school and your age.
STEP ONE | Talk to counselor
Meet with your school counselor, share your plans for Dual Enrollment and discuss
whether placement testing is needed. See College and Career Readiness (CCR) requirements.
STEP TWO | HCPS Application
Complete the HCPS Application for Approval
- Login with your studentplanner.hcps.org account.
- Select HCPS Student Enrollment Options (SEO).
- Select Dual Enrollment.
Monitor your HCPS email to receive your approval from HCPS, allowing you to continue
the registration process. The approval process takes approximately 2 weeks.
STEP THREE | College Account setup
Wait for your acceptance email from Harford Community College’s Admissions team. Your
acceptance will arrive via the same email address you provided on your HCPS Application
for approval. The acceptance email confirms you are officially a Harford Community
College student.
Carefully read and follow the instructions to set up your OwlNet and OwlMail accounts. This process takes less than 1 hour. Note: OwlNet is Harford Community College’s online portal where students receive email (OwlMail) and all other important communications from the College. Once complete, all future communications from the College will be sent to your OwlMail account, NOT the email account provided on your HCPS application.
Step FOUR | college course signup
Continue monitoring your OwlMail account for messages from dualenrollment@harford.edu. These messages will help your choose your available classes. Respond to the email(s) by the indicated deadline and provide the CRN of the class(es)
you choose to take. Those taking multiple classes must respond to EACH email they
receive. If you do not complete this step, you will NOT be registered for your class(es)! Once you have provided the College with the CRN(s), a registration confirmation email
will follow within 1 week to confirm your registration, class(es), and schedule.
FINAL STEPS | getting started
- CONFIRM TUITION PAYMENT: For those not receiving a tuition waiver, payment must be made. Talk to your high
school counselor if you are unsure about the waiver. If payment is not received by
the due date, your registration will be canceled.
- STUDENT ID: Visit the College Library Circulation Desk (2nd floor) to get your Student ID. go.harford.edu/library This process takes approximately 1 hour.
- BOOKSTORE: Visit The College Store (lower level, Student Center) to get your books. bookstore@harford.edu
- ORIENTATION: For dual enrolled students starting in the Fall semester, Dual Enrollment Orientation occurs in August. It is imperative that students attend—students will receive more information regarding orientation via email and text.
Step One | Meet with Counselor
Students may take classes with Harford Community College at any point in their high
school career. If under the age of 16, see the below below for additional information. Always begin the process by speaking with your high school counselor and/or college
counselor.
Step Two | Apply to College
After speaking with your high school counselor and/or college counselor, complete Harford’s Admissions Application selecting “selecting ”High School or Homeschool Student”. You will receive your acceptance
email within 1-2 business days. This email will contain your next steps including
your Harford Student ID number and your Owlnet, Harford’s student portal, information.
Step Three | Register for Class(es)
After receiving your acceptance email, contact your Harford Admissions Representative to learn about next steps to registration.
Certain classes, like English 101 and Psychology 101, require that students prove College and Career Readiness with Harford. This can be done by submitting a high school transcript and/or certain test scores. Your admissions representative will discuss this with you. Also see Enrollment Information and Procedures.
Step Four | Getting Started
- FERPA: If you would like a parent/guardian to have access to your Harford course information
(including grades), you should complete the FERPA Disclosure of Information Release form. This can also be found in OwlNet.
- BOOKSTORE: Once registration is confirmed, learn more about course books through the Harford College Store.
- PAYMENT: Bill payment information, including due dates, is found on the Registration and Payment Quick Links | STU card of OwlNet. If payment is not received by the due date, your registration will
be canceled. Visit the Dual Enrollment section of OwlNet for helpful resources geared specifically
to you!
- ORIENTATION: For dual enrolled students starting in the Fall semester, Dual Enrollment Orientation occurs in August. It is imperative that students attend— students will receive more information regarding orientation via email and text.
Students who will be under the age of 16 while taking Harford classes must prove college readiness* in order to be admitted as a Dual Enrollment student. This is for all students under 16, no matter where they attend high school.
Students identified as under 16 will be contacted directly by an Admissions Specialist to explain requirements and next steps. This will occur either after the student completes the HCPS approval process or for private school and homeschool students after the Harford application is submitted.
* College readiness is determined by taking the Accuplacer® and testing at a college level in reading, writing, and math. Unless you are planning to enroll in a PE class only, this step must be taken prior to meeting with an Academic Advisor. COMAR (state) regulations on college admission for students under the age of 16 state that, "Students under 16 years of age are not to be admitted to an institution of higher education, unless they are deemed 'gifted and talented'." Harford Community College defines gifted and talented as any student under the age of 16 who take the Accuplacer® and assess at college level reading, writing and math."