Montgomery College Dual Enrollment Is Tuition Free for 2022-2023—and Beyond

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students enrolled in Montgomery College (MC) dual enrollment classes recently got good news—their tuition is free for the current academic year, and beginning in the Fall of 2023, dual enrollment students will not pay any costs associated with attending college while still in high school.

An Oct. 7, 2022, memo from Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury detailed that students will not be required to pay any portion of tuition for college  (this new legislation includes WDCE classes as well as credit classes) courses they are enrolled in at MC, regardless of their financial status.

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, students may sign up for college courses through dual enrollment at no cost to student or their families.  This includes all college tuition, fees, required textbooks, and instructional supplies.

The MC-MCPS partnership offers several unique dual enrollment programs for students:

• The Early College program allows MCPS students to earn a college degree, attend college courses on MC's campus, and experience college life in 11th and 12th grade while completing their high school diploma requirements. 
• Jump Start to College enables students to be admitted and enrolled in individual college courses at MC, earning college credit while still in high school. Qualifying MCPS students may take one course or a pathway of courses that allows them to continue at MC or transfer credits after HS graduation.
• The Middle College programs provide MCPS students at Northwood, Clarksburg, and  Northwest High Schools an opportunity to earn a college degree in Business, General Engineering, General Studies, or Cloud Computing and Network Technology while still attending their home high school. Students may also participate in the Virtual Middle College at any MCPS high school, including the MCPS Virtual Academy.

Any student who wishes to apply to participate in the Early College (10th grade students only) or Virtual Middle College (8th grade students only) programs for fall 2023 must submit an MCPS Interest Form by the November 11, 2022, deadline. Students can find the link to the Interest Form on MC’s dual enrollment page.

In May 2022, MC and MCPS honored 265 students—the largest class ever—of dual enrollment graduates. This included Eliazer “Elle” Montemayor, a 16-year-old Walter Johnson HS Jump Start student, recognized as the youngest-ever dual enrollment graduate. She is now attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Early College 2021 graduate Alan Gutierrez (Paint Branch HS) received a full scholarship to Princeton University. He said completing the Early College program gave him a competitive edge over other college-bound students. “I always knew I wanted to apply to prestigious schools,” he said, which prompted him to apply to other Ivy League schools, including Brown, Penn, and Yale. “When I received the offer from Princeton, it was binding, so I stopped applying to other schools.”

Emily Cho, a 2018 Middle College graduate (Northwest HS), who earned a mechanical engineering degree from University of Maryland, College Park in 2022, is working as a Mac system hardware engineering program manager at Apple. Cho says, “The Middle College program enabled me to take my time and participate in a lot of rewarding internships, which helped me find my passion: program management. You really need to be patient with yourself—and learn what you’re good at. I would encourage anyone to participate in Middle College because it provides the most challenging experience for high school students.”

Leaders at Montgomery College are working on a process to refund families and students any funds paid for tuition this school year. Visit the dual enrollment website for more information.