Concurrent Enrollment
Please use this resource guide for students, families, and high school partners (school counselors, teachers, and administrators). We hope you will find this guide an invaluable tool while you navigate the rules and regulations, timelines, procedures, and resources for concurrent enrollment. Our goal is to provide clear communication, easy-to-follow guides, and consistent procedures to help each student achieve a successful concurrent enrollment experience.
You can also download this guide as a PDF
- Program Overview
- Student Application Process and Eligibility
- Student Registration Process
- Academic Policies & Expectations
- Academic Requirements - Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Best Practices for Concurrent Enrollment Students
- Academic Support Resources
- Resources Documents and Helpful Links
Program Overview
Thank you for choosing Riverland Community College's Concurrent Enrollment (CE) Program. We are proud to serve as your partner to offer college-credit-bearing courses in a dual credit program. The Riverland College NOW program provides high school students with the opportunity to earn college credits without leaving their high school. Students in dual credit programs have access to the academic challenges of college courses while in a supportive high school environment. Students earn transcripted college credit along with high school credit for completed courses. The Riverland College Now program is nationally accredited through the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). NACEP accreditation allows district partners to qualify for state funding to continue offering concurrent enrollment courses.
All students in our Concurrent Enrollment Program are considered Riverland Community College students. Students are held to the same academic standards as on-campus students, and they have access to all the student activities, academic resources, and professional staff that are a part of any college experience. The course content and rigor are the same as a Riverland Community College, on-campus course. Students receive both high school and college credits. Students get a jump start on college while fulfilling high school requirements.
The Teachers
Concurrent enrollment courses are taught by qualified high school instructors who work in conjunction with a collaborating college faculty. All high school instructors must meet the Higher Learning Commission's requirements and have their credentialing requirements by September 2025. Riverland Community College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1971.
Student Application Process and Eligibility
Students wanting to participate in a concurrent enrollment course will need to talk to their concurrent enrollment high school teacher, school counselor, or other designated school official to complete the necessary steps and determine eligibility for concurrent enrollment. The information utilized for eligibility may include ACT, SAT, MCA, or Accuplacer assessment scores, along with high school GPA and class rank.
Fall/Spring Concurrent Application and Registration Timeline
Students interested in taking concurrent courses should complete the application process months in advance to allow time for Riverland Community College to process the hundreds of PSEO applications that come in throughout the year. Being proactive about the application process is important! Provided below is the recommended timeline for applying for spring and fall concurrent courses and class registration.
Fall Timeline
- March-May: Students apply online to Riverland Community College as PSEO/Concurrent applicants for the fall term.
- August-September: After students' applications, test scores, and transcripts have been processed, then the student can fulfill the registration process in eServices within the first 10 days of the course or the Fall registration deadline, whichever comes first.
- The fall concurrent registration deadline is the 3rd Friday of September.
Spring Timeline
- August-October: Students apply online to Riverland Community College as PSEO/Concurrent applicants for the spring term.
- January-February: After students' applications, test scores, and transcripts have been processed, then the student can fulfill the registration process in eServices within the first 10 days of the course or the Spring registration deadline, whichever comes first.
- The spring concurrent registration deadline is the 2nd Friday of February.
Student Registration Process
How to students apply?
- Apply to Riverland Community College by completing a PSEO admissions application https://www.riverland.edu/admissions/apply-to-riverland/. For additional assistance with the application, please see the application guide.
- Sign up for the course at the high school.
- Student assessment scores and high school transcripts need to be sent to concurrent@riverland.edu no later than 3 weeks before the start of the course.
- The High School Counselor submits class lists for each concurrent course being offered to concurrent@riverland.edu no later than 3 weeks before the start of the course.
- Riverland Registration Assistant reviews class lists, student applications, transcripts, and test scores to verify students on each class list meet the course placement levels required.
- High school transcripts can be sent the following ways:
- Emailed to concurrent@riverland.edu.
- Via Parchment or other transcript processing companies
How do Students Register?
Once the PSEO application has been submitted by the student and processed by Riverland along with the receipt of placement test scores and transcripts, then registration can take place. Transcripts and test scores are manually processed at the college and may take a few days to be connected to the students' college records.
Registration through the Riverland process is required for students to receive concurrent enrollment credit on their college transcript.
- Students will register for courses through eServices, which will require a StarID and password to log in, which was created at the time of application.
- Students should follow the instructions on how to add a course to their wish list and register, which is outlined in the step-by-step CollegeNow Course Registration Directions
- Registration in the Riverland Community College course is required for the student to earn college credit.
- Students have 10 days to add or drop the college concurrent course. Please pay special attention to these details within your course in "Review my Plan" on eServices.
- High School Concurrent Instructors are asked to verify that the college course rosters mirror their high school class lists within the 10-day drop-add period.
- After the 10-day add period, if a student is not on the college roster and seeks college credit, the student can submit an appeal form including an explanation of the extenuating circumstances by the student and the high school representative to formally request a late addition.
- After the 10-day drop period, if a student is discovered unintentionally on the college course roster, the student must follow the college process for requesting a late drop through the Drop, Refund, or Withdrawal petition process.
How do Students change their schedules?
Students should consult the High School Counselor or other designated school official to discuss scheduling options for changing the student's schedule and the potential impact of doing so.
- In eServices, students can drop a course without penalty 10 business days following the start date of a class. This results in the course disappearing from the college transcript forever.
- After the 10-day drop period, if a student no longer chooses to earn college credit, in eServices, the student can withdraw from a course for up to 80% of the duration of the course. This results in a "W" grade appearing on the college transcript, which will not impact the college GPA, but will count in the completion rate, which is used to determine Satisfactory Academic Progress
Academic Policies & Expectations
Concurrent enrollment courses are college courses taught in the high school building; therefore, Riverland Community College policies and expectations apply to the courses and the students enrolled in them. Since students are earning college credit, they may be held to standards that are different from their high school courses.
The college works hard to communicate policies and expectations with our high school partners and students. We routinely send out updates and reminders to counselors, principals, and teachers. Since students are enrolled in college courses, we are required to follow federal data privacy laws (FERPA) that do not allow us to share detailed information about a student's account with anyone other than the student.
What students can expect
When you walk into a concurrent enrollment course, you are walking into a Riverland Community College classroom. You will be learning the same course content as on-campus students and your concurrent enrollment teacher(s) will be assessing you on the same learning outcomes. Students should expect the college course content to be more rigorous, with more out-of-class learning and accountability.
Course Syllabus
Faculty members consider the syllabus a contract between them and the student. A syllabus provides important information about what is expected of students taking the course. Along with assignments, a course syllabus will detail course requirements, due dates, the attendance policy, and grading procedures. Keep your syllabi (along with all exams, papers, reports, etc.) after the course has ended. If you decide to go to a college other than Riverland Community College, having syllabi available from the classes you took through concurrent enrollment may aid in a smooth transfer process.
Academic Requirements - Satisfactory Academic Progress
Link to Policy - https://www.riverland.edu/about-riverland/policies-and-procedures/satisfactory-academic-progress-policy/
Students are required to remain in good academic standing with the college to continue in concurrent enrollment. This section will educate students, families, and high school partners about the academic standing requirements and what students should expect if they do not meet them.
Riverland requires two criteria to demonstrate good academic standing:
- 2.00 cumulative Riverland GPA AND
- 67% completion rate
To calculate completion rate, divide the number of credits earned by the overall credits attempted. If a student withdraws from a course those credits are counted as attempted which would affect his/her completion rate.
If a concurrent enrollment student, at any time, does not meet both requirements, they will be placed on academic warning. Academic warning is a status placed on students identified as needing additional support and guidance. If after a semester on academic warning, the student still does not meet the academic standing requirements, he/she will be academically suspended from Riverland.
What does this mean for students?
Students should understand the academic expectations of campus and be prepared for the rigor of the courses. Students are encouraged to reach out to high school counselors and college staff prior to withdrawing from courses to allow for a conversation about how the withdrawal will affect their status moving forward.
What does this mean for teachers?
There is a very quick turnaround between the end of terms in high school. This means that high school teachers will be asked to enter grades in a timely manner to help ensure students are eligible for future courses. The college will send regular communication to our partners about grading, but the college standard due date for grades is two business days following the end date of the course.
What does this mean for counselors?
Riverland will communicate with students that are placed on academic warning. Students not meeting academic expectations will receive a letter and email with more detailed information. Annually the college sends concurrent student Riverland transcripts, for all students not meeting academic process to the high school counseling office as an official record.
Depending on when grades are entered, students may receive communication about being placed on academic warning while they are currently enrolled in a concurrent enrollment course.
Best Practices for Concurrent Enrollment Students
A clear understanding of specific college policies and best practices help ensure academic success. We will cover attendance, academic honesty, available resources, and how to request your official transcripts.
Prioritize Class Attendance
Attending class is one of the most important factors for student success in college courses. In many cases, the learning that occurs during regular class meetings simply cannot be made up. Instructors set their own attendance regulations and rules for late work and may include class participation as a grading criterion. Students are held responsible for meeting all course requirements and for observing deadlines, examination times, and other procedures. Communicate with your teacher in advance if you need to miss a class.
Maintain Academic Honesty
As members of the Riverland student body, concurrent enrollment students assume the responsibility to fulfill their academic obligations in a fair and honest manner. This responsibility includes avoiding academic misconduct such as plagiarism, cheating or collusion. Students found responsible for one or more of these activities may face both academic sanctions (such as lowering a grade, failing a course, etc.) and disciplinary sanctions (such as probation, suspension, or expulsion). Riverland Community College encourages a sense of integrity on the part of students in fulfilling their academic requirements.
Avoid Plagiarism
Submission of an academic assignment as one's own work, which includes significant ideas or written narrative that are taken from another author without the proper citation is plagiarism. This does not apply only to direct quotes, but also to critical ideas that are paraphrased by the student. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:
- Submitting the work of others as your own
- Submitting others' work as your own with only minor changes
- Submitting others' work as your own without adequate footnotes, quotations, and other reference forms
- Multiple submissions of the same work, written or oral, for more than one course without both instructor's permission, or making minor revisions on work which has received credit and submitting it again as new work.
Refrain from Cheating
Cheating may include but is not limited to the use of unauthorized material or assistance to help fulfill academic assignments, completing quizzes, tests, assessments, or examinations. This material could include unauthorized copies of test materials, calculators, crib sheets, help from another student, etc. Also included is the use of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments, or engaging in any behavior specifically prohibited by a faculty member in the course syllabus or class discussion.
Obtaining Your Riverland Grade
- Go to https://www.riverland.edu
- In the top toolbar hover over “My Riverland” and select "eServices Login"
- Enter Star ID and Password.
- From the menu on the left, click on Academic Records and note the options available: Unofficial Transcripts (displays all college history) and Check Grades (displays grade by individual terms)
Transcripts
All Riverland Community College transcripts are handled by the Registration Office. Concurrent enrollment students are responsible for verifying the information is accurate, including coursework and grades. If you notice an error such as a misspelled name, incorrect student ID number or grade, contact the College Registrar at Jennifer.patterson@riverland.edu. At the completion of the academic year, an unofficial copy of the student transcript is mailed to the permanent address on file for each concurrent student.
Official Transcript
Official transcripts are what most reputable institutions will use to transfer credits. Riverland college credits transfer to all other institutions in the Minnesota State system, as well as various public and private colleges/universities throughout the nation. Requesting your official transcript will require a minimum fee of $7.50. Official transcript requests cannot be taken over the phone or via e-mail. Students with financial holds on their record will not receive their official transcript until they have their hold removed by contacting the Business Office and maintaining a balance under $500. Students can order transcripts through the National Student Clearinghouse by visiting our Registrar’s Office site.
Academic Support Resources
Concurrent enrollment students are considered Riverland students and have access to most of our academic support opportunities. Students can access our college library including online scholarly journal articles, in-person or online tutoring sessions, student activities, plays, and even athletic events! Many of our resources are online and can be accessed from home, or at school. For more information on these resources please search www.riverland.edu or call 507-433-0600.
Privacy of Student Information
The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student educational records. When a student enters a postsecondary institution at any age, the right to access and control disclosure of education records under FERPA transfers from the student’s parents to the student.
Students’ private data (non-directory information) will not be shared with anyone outside of school personnel without a legitimate educational purpose. Parents/guardians are not able to access a student’s academic information, such as grades, schedule, StarID, or adjust their child’s schedule, including adding, dropping, or withdrawing from courses.
The college policy regarding FERPA regulations can be found here.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) is a 40-credit package of general education courses accepted for transfer to other state colleges and universities, the University of Minnesota, and many private colleges. Students should work with the colleges and universities they are interested in attending to ensure credits will transfer. Students can learn for themselves how credits transfer at transferology.com
Resources, Documents and Helpful Links
- Guide to Concurrent Enrollment (pdf of this document)
- Concurrent Enrollment Application Instructions
- Concurrent Enrollment Registration Instructions
- How to Reset Your Star ID Password
- How to Search for Riverland's College Now Courses
- How to Submit Grades
Contact Information
Jennifer Deane
Dean of Academic Affairs: Liberal Arts & Sciences
507-433-0812
Jennifer.Deane@riverland.edu
Dyan Strouf
Riverland in the High School Assistant
507-433-0811
concurrent@riverland.edu