Students | Advanced Scholars Program

Course Expectations | Benefit of Advanced Scholars | Student Eligibility Requirements | High School Application | Student Registration Process | UNL Academic Department | Tuition & Fees | Contact Us

UNL Advanced Scholar program is a partnership linking UNL with Nebraska secondary schools. Through this partnership, high schools can offer qualified seniors the opportunity to enroll in UNL courses for credit. All UNL courses offered through the Advanced Scholars concurrent enrollment program are regular offerings in the colleges of UNL. They are the same courses normally taken by UNL students during their freshman year. A hallmark of the Advanced Scholars program is that teaching of the academic courses resides with the university faculty. The course syllabi, textbooks, kinds of assignments, and grading practices are the same as those used by the faculty for their on-campus courses. Students who register and successfully complete Advanced Scholars courses earn UNL credit, verified by an official UNL transcript.

Course offerings will include high demand courses meeting general education requirements. UNL will give priority to science courses and other general education courses that are core to UNL programs.

Course Offerings - Spring 2006
Entomology 115: Insect Biology
Food Science and Technology 131: The Science of Food
Animal Science 210: Animal Products
Psychology 181: Introduction to Psychology
Political Science 104: Contemporary Foreign Governments and Their Problems
Political Science 160: International Relations

Course Expectations: Advanced Scholars courses are offered as online college courses and taught by UNL faculty. Therefore, they will make greater demands on students’ abilities to conceptualize, understand implications, and draw conclusions from their reading, research and online assignments than do most high school courses. The courses go into greater depth, often take more time and work, and challenge students to greater accomplishments. Students accept these challenges when they register for an Advanced Scholars course, and parents should understand that their sons and daughters will experience appropriately stringent college grading standards.

Benefit of Advanced Scholars: By taking college courses while still in high school, students have the opportunity to experience the rigors of college coursework and the amount of self-discipline they need to succeed academically in college. In addition, taking a college course in high school keeps students challenged through the senior year, and helps maintain sharp academic skills and good study habits. Early college study can provide a head start on college studies for students who are academically ready for such an experience as well as give students greater flexibility with their academic programs once they arrive on campus.

Student Eligibility Requirements: Students who participate in the UNL Advanced Scholars program must have successfully completed the pre-requisite high school coursework with a B average or better before they can register for a college course. They must have senior standing, grade point average and ACT composite score which predict success (generally considered to be B average and score of 22 or higher) and demonstrate a motivation to work hard. Students are required to have supportive letters of recommendation from high school teachers/counselors and approval of high school principal. Final contract is to be signed by student’s parent or guardian. Students will be classified as UNL visiting students.

High School Application: Each participating high school will be asked to submit an application and sign a memorandum of understanding. Participating high schools will:

• Introduce junior year students and their parents to the Advanced Scholars program and courses to be offered to high school seniors.
• Convene orientation meeting for interested students and their parents early in the second semester to discuss the Advanced Scholars program, courses and partnership between high school and UNL.
• Provide UNL support letters of recommendation from high school teachers/counselors and approval of high school principal for students wanting to enroll in Advanced Scholars courses.
• Provide UNL a copy of required Intent to Register Form signed by student’s parent or guardian.
• Determine if high school credit will be offered to students taking the Advanced Scholars courses. High Schools offering dual credit should refer to the provisions of 004.04D2b (Distance Learning options for asynchronous courses) in Rule 10 (Regulations and Procedures for the Accreditation of Schools) effective October 4, 2004.
• Appoint a high school teacher or counselor to serve as student advisor and UNL course instructor high school contact for each course offered.

Student Registration Process: Students will be classified as UNL visiting students. Advanced Scholars courses will be listed as “S” courses (distance education technology delivered courses). Students will register through UNL’s online registration (eNRoll). Courses will follow the UNL academic calendar for first and second semesters.

UNL Academic Department: All Advanced Scholars courses will be developed and taught by UNL faculty. Courses will be the same as on-campus courses and faculty are expected to maintain the University’s academic standards throughout the course. Faculty teaching the Advanced Scholars courses should establish a collaborative working relationship with high school teachers or counselors who will serve as advisors/contact person to high school seniors enrolled in the Advanced Scholars courses.

UNL Extended Education & Outreach has administrative responsibility for UNL Advanced Scholars program in collaboration with Dean of Undergraduate Studies and UNL Admissions. EE&O is responsible for recruiting high schools to partner with UNL in offering Advanced Scholars courses. EE&O will work with Registrations and Records on enrollments and Information Services with help desk support. Student Accounts will handle collection of tuition. EE&O will assist partnering high schools with student recruitment by providing program and course promotional materials, etc.

Office of Undergraduate Studies will coordinate course offerings among academic units. OUS and EE&O will work in conjunction with the Office of Admissions to promote Advanced Scholars course offerings to ‘rising seniors’ (high school juniors) attending the annual spring UNL Honors Colloquium and then again, during the Lincoln and Omaha Honors receptions for prospective UNL students in early Fall.

UNL Office of Admissions will handle all visiting student admissions for the Advanced Scholars program.

Tuition and Fees: Students are classified as Visiting Students and pay the one time $45 UNL application fee. Students planning to attend UNL their freshman year, who apply and are accepted during their senior year in high school will have the application fee waived. Cost for Advanced Scholars courses is $100.00 per credit hour, 66% of UNL current tuition per credit hour rate.

There are no other fees. The maximum number of courses a high school senior could enroll in is two per semester and one during the summer.

Contact: For more information about University of Nebraska-Lincoln Advanced Scholars, contact Laura Wiese, Recruiter, UNL Office of Extended Education & Outreach (402-472-1131 or lwiese4@unl.edu).