The Missouri Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment Scholarship is now open to help high school students with the cost of college-level courses in high school.
The scholarship for fall 2022 opened Sept. 30 and will remain open through Dec. 1, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. There will also be a spring semester scholarship.
Dual credit courses are those taught by a high school instructor for students to earn both high school and college credit. Dual enrollment courses are taught by college faculty to earn college credit and sometimes high school credit as well.
The scholarship can cover tuition and fees for those courses for eligible students. A student must:
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a Missouri resident,
• Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5,
• Meet the school's requirements for taking dual credit or dual enrollment courses, and
• Qualify based on at least one indicator of financial need, such as family eligibility for free and reduced lunch, living in a foster home, being a ward of the state, homelessness, receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, receiving Women, Infants and Children assistance, receiving other public assistance or living in federally subsidized public housing.
The awards are subject to availability of funding and are applied after non-loan aid, such as a scholarship from the college or a private entity. Students can use the scholarship toward multiple courses at different schools.
Scholarship applications and documentation can be submitted at the student financial aid portal on the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development's website.
"We are excited to open this scholarship application to students who may otherwise be unable to afford taking college courses during high school," said Leroy Wade, interim commissioner of higher education in a news release. "Taking the courses early gives students the opportunity for a head start and may be a motivation for students to continue their education beyond high school."