he purpose of the program is to complement the academic programs of high school students by expanding their opportunities and offering them the challenge of taking courses that are unable to take at their high schools.

To be eligible for dual enrollment at Kalamazoo Valley, students be at least 14 years of age and receive approval from their high school counselor or administrator. Your local high school will also determine eligibility based on a number of factors such as age, high school grade level, grade point average, social maturity and potential for academic success. Students must meet placement test benchmark scores initially in Reading and Writing for non-mathematics based classes.

When a student plans to take a Math course they will be asked to take a specialized math placement called ALEKS to match the course with the student’s math ability. For maximum effectiveness, students should take the ALEKS placement at the beginning of the prior semester in which the wish to enroll. Students may submit SAT, AP, or ID scores for placement in courses. Theses placements may completed at the high school or in one of our on campus testing centers.

Placement assessments are at no cost to the student. Check with your local high school guidance counselor to see if Accupler assessments are available or contact the KVCC Testing Center at 488.4235 for our Texas Township campus or 269.373.7836 for our Arcadia Commons Campus to schedule an appointment.

Students must take courses that are academic in nature and in a subject area other than physical education activity courses, hobby classes, theology, divinity, or religious education. Dual Enrollment students may not take courses with numbers less than 100 nor any courses label Transitional Studies (TRS). Students may take up to 10 courses at a post-secondary institution while in high school, however local high schools may set limitations on the courses allowed to be taken. Check with your local high school guidance office for the most accurate information regarding allowed dual enrollment classes. In most cases, the courses can apply toward satisfaction of postsecondary degree requirements. Dual enrollment classes may be taken as an exploratory experience or student may opt to work with Kalamazoo Valley’s academic counselors and pathway advisors to craft a schedule where students can earn up to 30 credits on the Michigan Transfer Agreement thereby essentially completing their first year of college.

Textbooks, course packs, classroom supplies and access to required online subscription services can be purchase through the KVCC bookstore. Students can purchase materials with cash or credit cards. Each school handles books differently. Some schools will reimburse students upon the successful completion of classes; other will use a book voucher created through our business office so that students can pick up their books with little or no out of pocket expenses; and other use a lending library to help defray costs. check with your local high school counselor for their book purchasing processes.

It depends on the courses you are taking. Some courses will require a textbook but it doesn't have to be the traditional textbook. It could be an e-book. Some courses will use printed course packs created by our instructors and others will use digital media from external sources. Some resources are free while others have a fee. Some of the textbook publishers offer a subscription service for unlimited e-books title for one fee. Check with the Kalamazoo Valley Bookstore to see which of your classes might fall under one of the electronic subscription services. It might save you money!

No! More than 1,200 area high school students currently take classes on Kalamazoo Valley’s four campuses through dual enrollment.

Yes, dual enrolled students are held to the same expectations as traditional college students and have access to all of the support services that are available at Kalamazoo Valley, including academic and career advising, tutoring, student strengths development and employment services.

Dual enrolled students follow the Kalamazoo Valley academic school calendar. Students are expected to be at every scheduled class session. This includes attendance during high school spring break and other high school closure dates.

Students should work with an academic counselor on campus to chart their courses to ensure that the credits they earn will properly transfer through the Michigan Transfer Agreement.

The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) was designed by the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO) to facilitate the transfer of general education requirements from a community college to a four-year institution. There are over 200 courses on the MTA and our academic counseling office has some recommendations to help get you started. Use can find a complete list here < Full MTA list> and our recommendations here< Dual Enrollment Recommended Course list>. Courses within each section can be substituted to meet your academic goals. Please contact our Student Development Center for help in designing a plan right for you 269.488-4040.

High school students interested in dual enrollment should first speak with your local high school counselor to determine eligibility. Eligible students should apply to the college at www.kvcc.edu/apply. Students will receive an acceptance letter in the mail. After being accepted, students should work with their high school counselor to determine their high school course requirements and schedule, submit test scores or schedule the Accuplacer assessment, then register for classes. A complete checklist for getting started can be found here.

Students at non-public schools are also eligible for dual enrollment. Contact your guidance counselor for information. All other processes work the same for public and non-public school dual enrollment participation.

Dual enrollment is only for students who attend a public or non-public school. Home school families would need to enroll in a formal school to participate in dual enrollment where the school pays for the tuition, books and fees. However should a family decide that College courses are correct for their student who is age 14 or older, they are welcome to apply, enroll and take classes but all expenses would be out of pocket. Many home school families have found academic success in our classes.

Younger students are accepted as well but must go through an interview process with the Director of Admissions, Records and Registration.

Kalamazoo Valley has four campus locations where classes are held however a vast majority are held on our Texas Township Campus at 6767 W O Ave. We do offer some of our classes on local high school campuses and at the Van Buren Tech Center. Offerings vary by semester so please refer to the schedule. Classes are offered in a variety of modalities including traditional face to face classes, hybrid in person classes where one half of the class is in person and the other full remote; hybrid synchronous classes which requires attendance at a specific time via the computer application Zoom; and completely asynchronous web classes.

Many classes do not have a technology requirement however in the age of COVID much of what you will do will require a device of some kind. A laptop or PC is preferred for optimum interactions however students have found that a smart phone or ChromeBook issued by the local high school will suffice. Kalamazoo Valley does have a loaner laptop program for registered students on a first-come first-serve basis.

If you plan to take a class which requires a web or synchronous hybrid option you will need a stable internet service to successfully participate in classes and submit work. There are also very limited hot spots available to students on a first come first serve basis.

Kalamazoo Valley uses a learning management system called Canvas where your instructor can place assignment, quizzes, lecture notes, give tests, record grades, and create group work. Each course will look a bit different because each instructor structures their classes based on their own content and style. You need to be diligent in checking Canvas daily during the course of the semester.

The same registration site you used in MyValley can be used to withdraw from a class. However before you withdraw any Kalamazoo Valley courses it is vital that you contact your local high school counselor. Your Kalamazoo Valley course may be substituting for a requirement in the Michigan Merit Curriculum and withdrawing from a Kalamazoo Valley class could negatively impact your high school completion.

The State of Michigan requires students who earn less than a2.0 (on a 4.0 scale or a C) to repay the high school. This includes earning a 0.0, 1.0, 1.5, a withdrawal from a class and an Incomplete. Incomplete contracts may be held harmless for payment if the work can be completed and a grade of 2.0 or greater can be completed before the end of the high school’s academic year. Kalamazoo Valley has many services available to students at no charge including a tutoring center. If you find yourself in academic distress, please contact your instructor for help. They may recommend tutoring or have other options for you to consider. We are committed to your success so please reach out as soon as you possibly can.

The local high schools do not have the same calendar as Kalamazoo Valley. Our spring break is generally in March while the local high schools’ spring break is generally in April. It is expected that you will be in all of your Kalamazoo Valley classes during the high school spring break. The same is true of your attendance at the high school during Kalamazoo Valley’s spring break.

Kalamazoo Valley does close occasionally for inclement weather. It is recommended that you subscribe to the text messaging through MyValley to receive any closure notifications. If is possible that your high school will have a have a snow day that Kalamazoo Valley does not observe. In that case you are expected to be in your Kalamazoo Valley class if you can safely do so. If you cannot safely attend class it is your responsibility to contact your instructor before class and to make up any missed work. You must work within the instructor’s attendance policies stated in the class assignment schedule keeping in mind that these policies will vary from class to class.