Bucks Expands Dual Credit For High School Students With $1M Grant

NEWTOWN, PA — Bucks County Community College has received a $1 million Dual Credit Innovation Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to enable more high school students to enroll in dual credit programs, giving them more opportunities to chart their own course and prepare for successful careers.

The college is using the grant to establish the Bucks County College Access Network (Bucks CAN), a collaborative partnership between Bucks County Community College (BCCC), the 13 public school districts of Bucks County, the three Bucks County technical high schools, and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit 22.

Bucks CAN is dedicated to expanding dual credit enrollment across Bucks County by increasing access to opportunities to help students shorten the time required to complete a college degree and reduce the financial burden associated with higher education. Bucks CAN offerings will include a diverse range of dual credit courses offered on Bucks County Community College's three campuses in Bristol, Newtown, and Perkasie, through Bucks Online, and in the high schools.

“The Bucks County College Access Network will allow academically qualified high school students to take college-level courses while still enrolled in high school to enable them to get a jump start on their collegiate education, while saving a substantial amount of money on college tuition," said BCCC President & CEO Patrick M. Jones.

Jones added, “Bucks CAN will bring high school teachers and college professors together in a county-wide network to ensure students from every community of Bucks County have access to higher education, and the grant will remove or reduce financial barriers faced by many families.”

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, dual credit offerings improve academic achievement, high school graduation rates, college enrollment, and college completion rates.