Harlan Kirgan
The LSUE Academy that starts with the fall semester offers high school students an opportunity to earn college credits on the Louisiana State University Eunice campus.
Sondra Cormier, LSUE Academy director, said the program is especially designed for students who qualify for Pell Grants, but other students who would pay tuition are eligible to apply.
LSUE is one of 44 colleges in the U.S. where qualifying high school students are eligible to receive Pell Grants, which pay for a student’s tuition.
Junior and senior students are eligible to attend in the dual credit program, which means the students earn high school and college credits.
Students must have ACT scores of at least 18 in English and 19 in math to apply.
“Those students will be able to enroll in two pathways. We have the allied health and pre-professional,” Cormier said.
“Those who come in on the pre-professional pathway, if they enter in their junior year, can earn up to 60 hours of college credits by the time they graduate, which is the equivalent of an associate degree,” she said.
Students in the allied health program, which includes nursing and radiologic technology can complete from 37 to 41 hours of college credits.
“Those students when they graduate will be eligible to enter straight into clinicals,” she said.
Dual enrollment classes are available on high school campuses, but the LSUE Academy means the students attend classes from 8 to 11:50 a.m. on the Eunice campus, she said.
Cormier said the students will end up with college credits and more than the required credits to graduate from high school.
Enrollment is limited this fall to students from St. Landry, Acadia and Evangeline parishes.
About 100 students are expected for the first LSUE Academy, she said.
The advantage to students and parents is they will save money on college costs.
“They can cut up to two years off college and you figure that’s thousands of dollars,” she said.