ROGERS (KFSM)-- Juniors and seniors in the Rogers New Technology High School may now be able to graduate with their high school diploma, as well as an associate degree, when they finish high school.
The program is called "Early College Experience," and students will be able to enroll starting in fall 2016. Senior Hannah Katt is currently taking classes at Northwest Arkansas Community College, but she hasn't had a set program to earn a degree.
"A lot of my friends and a lot of the students that I talked to here, they actually want to go to NWACC for their first year of college or two just to get their basics done for a lower admission price," Katt said.
NWACC Administrator Diana Johnson said the price will be only 40 percent of the regular tuition cost, coming out to about $30 per credit.
"They're basically getting the cost of two years of college for about a third of what they would pay to come on campus after graduation," Johnson said.
Assistant Superintendent Robert Moore said they hope to have between 20 and 50 students enroll for the program. They'll be in class with other college students, not just high school students.
"This way the kids get out and get a very authentic feel for what college is really like," Moore said.
Karina Garcia said she also takes classes with NWACC. She's planning to enroll full time to get her business degree in the fall.
"It's different, but you can go into the real world and hit it off and you'll be fine," Garcia said.
Johnson said students can earn either an Associate of Arts degree or an Associate of Science degree. The credits should be transferable to most four-year colleges.