University of Connecticut

Overview

UConn's Office of Early College Programs (OECP) provides students with meaningful academic engagement to enrich their experience in high school and support their transition into college. OECP offers educational opportunities at the high school (Early College Experience), in university classrooms (Dual Enrollment), and through on-campus residential summer programs (Pre-College Summer). OECP’s flagship program, UConn Early College Experience (ECE), established in 1955, is the nation's longest running concurrent enrollment program and is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). UConn ECE allows high school students to take UConn courses at their high schools for both high school and college credit. UConn ECE supports approximately 15,000 Connecticut high school students in over 186 partner high school schools with teachers who have been certified by the University of Connecticut to teach UConn courses. To learn more about UConn's Office of Early College Programs, please visit the program.

Programming and Partnerships

UConn Early College Experience offers 91 courses in 38 disciplines.

The UConn ECE curriculum is designed to offer a variety of general education courses that appeal to a diverse group of students. These challenging courses allow students to experience college work, build confidence in their readiness for college, and earn college credits that provide both an academic and a financial head-start on a college degree. Many UConn ECE courses meet requirements for numerous college majors and for graduation. Courses taken through UConn Early College Experience are equivalent to the same course offered on a University of Connecticut campus. Students follow the same curriculum and grading rubric that has been designed by the University department. To learn more about course offerings, please check out the UConn ECE Course Catalog.

For students who have exhausted the early college options offered at their high school, they may be eligible to take a UConn course at one of UConn’s five campuses through Dual Enrollment. To learn more about UConn’s Dual Enrollment options, please visit our program page.

The UConn Early College Experience is proud to partner with over 180 high schools across the state of Connecticut. To learn more about ECE partner schools and specific course offerings, please refer to the UConn ECE Partner School page.

Student Eligibility

UConn ECE partner high schools are responsible for providing program information and guidance to potential UConn ECE Students. Many students are ready as high school juniors or seniors to engage with college work in specific areas of study. UConn ECE extends the responsibility of student gatekeeping to our high schools. Although each high school may have criteria specific to their student population, all UConn ECE partners must utilize the Student Eligibility Guidelines.

Instructor Credentials for Concurrent Enrollment Courses

As Connecticut’s only NACEP accredited program, all UConn ECE instructors must have comparable academic and professional backgrounds to UConn Adjunct Faculty. Many disciplines require a Master’s Degree in the content area in order to qualify for certification. Other disciplines may accept a Master’s Degree in Education, with a Bachelor’s Degree in the subject area and two or more content-based graduate courses in the appropriate discipline. It is highly unlikely for a first-year teacher to obtain certification.

Discipline-specific requirements for courses may include:

Examination of laboratory facilities in the sciences
Class size policy
Submission of specific curriculum materials requested
Purchase of an approved textbook
Appropriate class time scheduled to insure reasonable comparability to the scheduling of the course on campus

UConn ECE encourages all interested instructors to review the specific requirements set forth by each University Department.

Registration and Fees

UConn Early College Experience Students register online for their courses using the UConn ECE registration system at UConn.DualEnroll.com. All Student registration requests once submitted must be approved by the high school Site Representative, approved by a parent/guardian, and payment information collected (if applicable) to be processed.

Please reference the 2022-2023 Student Registration Guide for general registration information and a course planning guide. For detailed instructions on the registration process reference the UConn ECE Student Step-by-Step Guide. Registration runs from mid-August through early October each year. Learn more about registration and access guides and resources.

High school students taking on-campus courses through UConn’s Dual Enrollment program are subject to the same registration policies as other UConn non-degree students. This includes:

An eight-credit limit per term
A later registration period than degree students- See full registration schedule for details.
Registration based on a space availability.

Because seating is limited, it is highly recommended that all registration documentation be submitted for review at least two weeks prior to the start of the registration period. If approved, the student’s registration request will then be submitted for processing on the first day of non-degree registration. To learn more, please visit registration information here: https://oecp.uconn.edu/registration/

UConn Early College Experience credits successfully transfer to other colleges and universities nationally at a rate of 87%. Students do not need to attend UConn to have your courses recognized.

While UConn ECE cannot guarantee course recognition on behalf of another college or university, the program strives to make the transfer of credits from one institution to another as simple as possible. Learn more about requesting a UConn transcript to transfer UConn credits earned through ECE.

UConn's Early College Experience (ECE) program provides access to UConn courses at a savings of over 90% University tuition. UConn ECE fees are $50 per registered course credit:

1 credit course = $50
2 credit course = $100
3 credit course = $150
4 credit course = $200

High school students taking on-campus courses through Dual Enrollment are billed at the same rate as other non-degree students. They are not billed at the same rate as an Early College Experience course offered at the high school. Learn more about current Non-Degree Fees.

Student fee waivers are available for the UConn Early College Experience (ECE) program. Students who qualify for the Federal Free/Reduced Price Meal Program are eligible for a full program fee waiver. Students attending private schools (any non-public school) who receive a need-based reduction of tuition (a need-based scholarship) from their high school will receive a UConn ECE fee waiver for all UConn courses taken through UConn ECE. Eligibility for the Free/Reduced Price Meals Program is to be indicated by the student and confirmed by the Site Representative during the registration process. Eligibility for the private school waiver must be confirmed by the Site Representative.

At this time, no universal fee waivers exist for students taking UConn courses through Dual Enrollment courses at one of the five regional campuses.

Supports for Multilingual Families

The Office of Early College Programs follows all established University practices. Parent/Guardian correspondence can be translated to Spanish. The program is currently exploring options for website translation services.

Contact Information

UConn Early College Experience Main Office
ece@uconn.edu
860-486-1045
To learn more about UConn’s Office of Early College Programs and UConn Early College Experience, please visit our program home page.