College Credit Plus

Description

College Credit Plus (CCP) is Ohio's dual enrollment program that provides students in grades 7-12 the opportunity to earn college and high school credits at the same time by taking courses from Ohio colleges or universities. The purpose of this program is to enhance students' career readiness and postsecondary success, while providing a wide variety of options for college-ready students, at no or limited costs to students and families. Students will not incur any costs for classes taken in accordance with CCP guidelines for textbooks, tuition or fees at any public college or university in the state of Ohio. Private colleges and universities that choose to participate in CCP may charge an additional fee to students and families directly for tuition.

Academic Year 2026-2027 Updates to Eligibility

The state has released the following guidance regarding eligibility for College Credit Plus. Eligibility does not mean a student is able to enroll in any college or CCP course. There are often additional admission requirements for coursework in English, Math, and Science, for example. Should you fit any of the below descriptions - you can consider if College Credit Plus is a good fit to meet your goals:

Option 1: Student is in grades 7-12 and has at least a 3.0 Unweighted GPA
Option 2: Student is in grades 7-12 and has a 2.75-2.99 Unweighted GPA & a "B" or better in relevant coursework (i.e. "B" In 2 years of High School English to take English at the college level)
Option 3: Student is in grades 7-12 and has a college-ready test score, which could include one of the following:
- - ACT: English Score of 18, Reading Score of 22, or Math Score of 22
  - Additional test options: SAT and Accuplacer

Timeline

October - February — Attend information session and meet with your school counselor.
September 1 - November 1 — Submit Letter of Intent and Counseling Form to participate in Spring 2026 (See Letter of Intent and Counseling Form details below for more information.)
February 1 - April 1 — Complete the Letter of Intent to participate in Fall 2026 and Spring 2027. Forms to participate in Fall 2026 will not be accepted after April 1st.
Before Summer Break:
- Complete and submit CCP application to college/university (See Application Process below for more information.)
- Take a placement test, if needed, to determine eligibility and apply to intended college.

Letter of Intent & Counseling Form

A completed Letter of Intent and Counseling Form must be turned in to your school counselor by the listed deadlines below in order to participate in CCP. There are two opportunities during the school year to submit the Letter of Intent.

Letter of Intent and Counseling Form for Cincinnati Public Schools (This form may be used for either submission window. The form will not be open outside of the submission windows.)

Counseling Form

CCP Annual Notice Letter for AY26-27

February 1 - April 1

Covers: Summer, Fall, and Spring

This is the best time to submit the Letter of Intent and Counseling Form. If the forms are submitted during this time, the student will be able to enroll in CCP courses (eligibility-dependent) in the Summer, Fall, and Spring of the following academic year. If a Letter of Intent is not submitted by April 1, the student must wait until the next submission window in order to participate.

September 1 - November 1

Covers: Spring only

The State of Ohio has published a new Senate Bill that gives students in grades 7-12 another opportunity to submit a Letter of Intent and Counseling Form for the current academic year.

These forms should only be completed by students who missed the main Letter of Intent window (February 1 - April 1), but wish to take CCP courses in the Spring semester of the current academic year. If the Letter of Intent has already been completed for the academic year, an additional form during the new submission window (September 1 - November 1) is not needed. Even if a Letter of Intent is submitted in the Fall, a new Letter of Intent must be submitted in the Spring Letter of Intent window (February 1 - April 1) in order to participate in CCP for the next academic year. Read more about Senate Bill 104 here.

Application Process

CPS students can apply for College Credit Plus admission at any public institution in the state of Ohio. Below are the CCP admission pages for our leading college partners.

College Credit Plus Information for AY 2026-2027

Checklist

High schools are not able to limit participation for a student who is qualified.

Step 1: Attend an information session hosted by the district, or by your high school (not all high schools host their own CCP information night).
Step 2: Turn in your letter of intent, which is linked on this page.
Step 3: Determine if you are eligible by GPA or if you need to test.
Step 4: Discuss your course selection with your high school counselor and college academic advisor to find courses that meet high school graduation requirements and set you up for college success.
Step 5: Apply to the college of your choice's CCP program and follow all steps required in the application (often a counselor approval, transcript, and parent/guardian permission form are part of your process.)
Step 6: Attend the college orientation of your chosen CCP program, as well as build both a high school and college schedule.

College Credit Plus Student Checklist

Options

In High School — Most CPS schools partner with college/universities to offer CCP classes within the high school building.
On College Campus — Eligible students, who have applied and been accepted, can take classes at any participating college in the state of Ohio.
Online — Eligible students, who have applied and been accepted, can take online classes from any participating college in the state of Ohio. Students can choose to take any combination of CCP coursework in Summer, Fall or Spring from multiple colleges/universities in the same semester.
CCP Course Offerings — The linked chart displays the AY 26-27 embedded CCP course offerings at Cincinnati Public Schools. This chart will be updated on a yearly basis each summer. For current CCP course options in your building and enrollment processes, please contact your school counselor.
For more information on courses on our closest college partner campuses, click on the links below:

Student Tools and Support

Bus Pass Request: The district will fund bus passes if you do not have reliable transportation between your high school campus and the college campus where you intend to take classes.

Laptop/WiFi request: The district will provide a take-home laptop and wifi hotspot if you do not have a reliable at-home computer and internet access for your college-level work.

SAT Prep: Many colleges use Accuplacer as a test for CCP eligibility. Accuplacer is built to reflect the SAT. Access Khan Academy's SAT tools to prepare to take Accuplacer.

ACT Prep: All current partner colleges in the state of Ohio will accept qualifying ACT scores for CCP eligibility. We recommend taking the ACT several times to achieve your highest possible score. ACT scores are important beyond CCP eligibility as they often determine placement into first-year courses once a student attends college full-time.

Textbook Rules/Process

Textbooks for in-high school CCP options are provided to you, no additional steps are needed.
If you are taking CCP courses in your high school, on a college campus, or online through the college — textbooks must be paid for by the Cincinnati Public Schools District.
The process for obtaining books is outlined below for each of our main partners and CPS is billed directly. If you choose to go to a school outside the list below, please email to establish how those books should be obtained.
- UC Uptown:
  - You will be provided a Textbook Voucher to fill out at your UC CCP orientation
  - You will fill out the Voucher and take it to the UC bookstore to obtain the books needed for your courses.
  - Should your book be out of stock, or not carried at the bookstore, email for support
- Cincinnati State

Limitations

To determine the number of credit hours a student can take in a year, CPS must calculate the following credit limit:

30 – (high school only credits x 3) = Maximum number of College Credit Plus credit hours
Students may only take a maximum of 120 credit hours in the program.

If students would like to take more than the maximum number of credit hours, Cincinnati Public Schools will decline charges for their tuition in the State reporting system. This means that the college will seek tuition for your classes at the per-credit hour rate determined by their administration. This rate varies per college.

Benefits/Drawbacks

Possible Benefits:

Can save families and students thousands of dollars in tuition
Exposure and preparation for the full college course schedule upon graduation
Academic challenge beyond high school curriculum
Earlier graduation from college

Possible Drawbacks:

Failing or withdrawing from CCP classes can compromise future financial aid eligibility.
Low grades or failing grades in CCP classes are established on permanent college records.
Time management between college and high school commitments may present new challenges for students.

Classes failed or withdrawn with an "F" (or equivalent failing grade) will receive an "F" on the high school and college transcripts and will be computed into the high school and college GPA. CPS does not currently charge students tuition for classes that result in an "F" or "W."

Probation and Dismissal

CCP Probation

Underperforming students will be placed on CCP probation. Underperforming students are students who meet at least one of these conditions:

Has a cumulative GPA of lower than a 2.0 in the college courses taken through the CCP program.
Withdraws from, or receives no credit for, two or more courses in the same term. (Withdrawing from a course occurs when the student dis-enrolls from a course after the 14th calendar day of the course start date)

A student on CCP Probation may enroll in no more than one college course and the student may not enroll in a college course in the same subject in which the student earned a grade of D or F or for which the student received no credit.

If the student does not abide by probation limitations, CPS will notify the student and the student’s parent/guardian that the student will be responsible for paying all tuition, fees, and textbook costs. That student is also then considered an ineligible student and is dismissed from the CCP program in the next term.

If the student on CCP Probation takes one course and the grade raises the student's cumulative GPA to a 2.0 or higher, the student is removed from CCP Probation and may participate in the program without restrictions.

Students on CCP probation who do not raise their cumulative college GPA above a 2.0 will be dismissed from the CCP program.

CCP Dismissal

CPS is responsible for dismissing an ineligible student from the CCP program. The school must promptly notify the student, the student’s parent/guardian, and each college or university in which the student is enrolled.

Any student on CCP Dismissal may not take any college courses through the program. If the student had already registered for college courses prior to being dismissed, the student will request each college to dis-enroll the student from the courses.

If the student fails to dis-enroll, CPS will promptly notify the student and the student's parent/guardian that the student will be responsible for paying all tuition, fees, and textbook costs. The student will continue to be on CCP Dismissal for an additional term.

Appeals Process

A student may appeal to the district the CCP Dismissal or prohibition from taking a course in the same subject in which the student earned a grade of “D” or “F” or for which the student received no credit.
The student must request an appeal within five business days after being notified of the CCP Dismissal or the CCP Probation that prohibits the student from taking a course in the same subject.

To appeal your CCP Probation or Dismissal, please fill out this Appeals form. CPS will issue a decision within 10 business days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the Ohio Department of Education for more information: FAQs

Or, contact the College Credit Plus Team via Email

Who is the CCP Coordinator at my school? Find out here!