DAYTON, Ky. — The cost of college is on many people's minds right now, and some northern Kentucky high school students are racking up the college credit hours, but not the student loan debt.
It's through the Young Scholars Academy — a partnership between Northern Kentucky school districts and Northern Kentucky University.
The program isn't free for all students, but Dayton Independent Schools covers the cost of tuition, books and even transportation.
“Some students may do it just because, hey you were pegged as being smart and you could benefit from this, but then others say hey you know I talked with my parents and it’s a really good way to save money in the future," said Rhonda Davis, NKU's director of interdisciplinary studies.
That cost savings is something Dayton senior Angie Thomas sees as a benefit, but it's not the only benefit.
“I just feel more prepared. I’m going to be an incoming freshman, but for me it’s really like my third year being a full-time college student," she said.
For Thomas and other Dayton students, that first two years of college came with a safety net.
“I’m still watching over what they’re doing. Their counselors are still watching over what they’re doing," said Rick Wolf, the director for teaching and learning at Dayton Independent Schools.
He said dual credit opportunities for Dayton students have been around for more than a decade, but the YSA program is only in its second year and participation has skyrocketed.
“10 to 12 years ago we had like students earn — maybe we had a total of five college credit hours, this year we’ll be up over a thousand," he said.
That translates to about 20 students in the program this year. And with so many students from the same district, they still get to hold onto some of the fun of high school.
“We all carpool together in the mornings," Thomas said. “Me and my friends are always hanging around campus.”
Plus, Thomas gets to make her own schedule and chose to end her classes by the early afternoon every day, so that she has plenty of time to get back to Dayton for soccer or softball practice.
“They get the best of both worlds," Wolf said.
