Representatives from Akron Public Schools and The University of Akron will visit area high schools next month in search of the next 100 students to participate in Akron Early College High School. The APS/UA program allows students to earn an associate degree or up to two years of credits toward a bachelor’s degree, free of charge.
Akron Early College representatives will present informational meetings about AECHS from 6 to 7 p.m. on:
- Jan. 12 at East High School;
- Jan. 13 at Firestone High School; and
- Jan. 14 at Garfield High School.
An informational meeting will be held on Jan. 7 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for interested students who are not currently attending an APS middle school. This meeting will be held at the first-floor atrium of UA’s Polsky Building, 225 S. Main St., Akron.
Interested students can subsequently apply for admission. The program is open to current eighth-grade students and enables them to receive as many as 72 semester hours of college credit while they earn their high school diplomas.
“The program is geared to students who have not traditionally sought higher education and specifically, to first-generation college applicants,” aid Stanley Silverman, dean of UA’s Summit College, who adds that AECHS is one of only nine such programs in Ohio.
Eligibility requirements
Last year, almost 350 students applied for admission to the program, which was first introduced two years ago, according to Thomas Forbes, director of AECHS. He says that eligibility requires students to receive consent from their parents to participate in the program. They also must provide their own transportation, possess a desire to earn an associate degree, adhere to contract requirements and express the potential to make the most of this opportunity.
Akron Early College High School students attend their classes on the UA campus. After four years at AECHS, these students enjoy the possibility of earning their high school diplomas and, at the same time, an associate degree.