Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program

Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEO)

For grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, as outlined in Senate Bill 140 and House Bill 215 and amended by House Bill 282.

Option A: Permits eligible student to enroll in college courses for college credit. Student electing this option are required to pay all costs incurred, including tuition, fees, books, and materials. Payment in full is required with the request to register for courses.

Option B: Permits eligible students to enroll in college courses for college and high school credit concurrently. Student electing this option are not required to pay for tuition, fees, books, and required supplies. School districts may elect, through board policy, to recover from the student/parent all costs incurred by the district when and if a student fails to complete a college course, whether through a formal class-drop process or non-attendance other than for reasons generally accepted by the school district.v

Guidelines, Policies, and Procedures

1. The purpose of the PSEO program is to provide high school students who are intellectually and socially capable of performing at the college level an additional educational option. The option is appropriate for high school students whose local school district is not able to offer the course(s) needed to meet students’ level of academic performance and for those students who have already completed all high school requirements and are ready to get a head start on college. The program is not intended to replace high school honors or advanced placement classes. Here is a description of the process. By March, the school district notifies students and parents about the PSEO program. Students then inform the public school district of their of intent to participate in the PSEO program. Non-public high school students who wish to participate in the PSEO program must contact their high school for details.
2. Only students who meet all of the following criteria are eligible for consideration for the PSEO program at Cincinnati State.
   1. All students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 who wish to enter Cincinnati State for college and/or high school credit must complete the PSEO application and give it to their high school counselor. For each academic year, all students must have completed the Cincinnati State application process (including the COMPASS^® Placement Test and have all credentials on file no later than: May 1 for the Fall semester. Public school students only may also apply, and have all credentials on file, by Oct. 1 for the Spring semester. (The PSEO program is not offered for the Summer semester.) Non-Public School students must follow all Ohio Department of Education guidelines, policies and deadlines. Contact your home school for details. High school counselors should mail the information below, by the above deadline, to: Office of Admission, Cincinnati State, 3520 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223. No hand carried or faxed applications, letters of reference or transcripts will be accepted and the documents must be mailed directly from the high school counselor.
      1. Current year’s PSEO application completed in full with all signatures.
      2. A letter of recommendation from the high school counselor attesting to the student’s academic and social readiness to enter college courses.
      3. An official copy of the high school transcript (all ninth grade proficiency tests must have been passed).
         The above must be received and processed by the Office of Admission prior to taking the COMPASS^® test.
   2. Between five and 10 business days after Cincinnati State receives the items above, qualified applicants will be notified and asked to complete the COMPASS^® placement test administered on our Clifton and Middletown campuses. Please allow approximately two hours for testing within the scheduled hours. Photo ID is required. No reservations are necessary. There is no charge to take the test, but applicants who drive to the Clifton campus campus might be required to park in a lot or garage that charges a daily fee. For testing hours and practice tests, please visit www.cincinnatistate.edu/admissiontesting . Testing must be completed prior to the application deadlines.
   3. Important: Each applicant may test only once. Admission to the PSEO program is based upon the completed application for PSEO, and qualification for college-level courses as indicated by the COMPASS^® test scores. Students must demonstrate college-level mastery in all areas to be eligible to participate.
   4. PSEO admission decisions will be mailed two weeks after the deadlines. Students who do not meet PSEO requirements are encouraged to enroll in appropriate high school classes to better prepare for college. Students may reapply for the next year if qualified, and are eligible to apply as a matriculating student after their high school graduation.
   5. All students accepted in the PSEO program are required to attend the PSEO orientation with a parent/guardian. This meeting is held in August and includes a review of the College’s academic procedures, practices, and policies.
   6. High school counselors are responsible for explaining the equivalency, or lack of equivalency, of a given course at Cincinnati State in meeting high school graduation requirements.
   7. Students must see the PSEO advisor prior to registration each semester to prepare a schedule for the semester. These registration meetings are held one week before classes begin.
   8. PSEO students are permitted to register only during the open registration period. Acceptance into the PSEO program does not guarantee availability of classes.
   9. Once admitted, students are issued a College e-mail account. Students must access this account for announcements and updates.
   10. All books and materials given to students must be returned to the Office of Admission at the end of each semester. Official transcripts will not be issued until all books have been returned.
   11. Students may take only as many credit hours as their high school Carnegie Units allow.
3. Students enrolling in the PSEO program are subject to the same policies and procedures, academic practices, and grading standards as all other Cincinnati State students.
   1. To remain eligible for the PSEO program, students are required to successfully complete coursework and earn a minimum 2.0 GPA. A student cannot continue in the PSEO program if they earn a GPA lower than 2.0.
   2. School districts may elect to bill students for courses they fail, or for those in which students receive a grade of Incomplete (I), or drop after the 100% refund period.
   3. Students taking more than the credit hours authorized by their guidance counselor will be responsible for costs incurred beyond that amount.
   4. Cincinnati State reserves the right to review the final selection of college classes approved by the high school, and to limit participation in any class based on circumstances such as extraordinary lab fees, age, safety issues, excessive course load, or academic probation.
4. Home-School
   To qualify for PSEO consideration, home-school students must be registered with their school district prior to submission of their application.