UMSL’s Advanced Credit Program UMSL has established partnerships with more than 90 schools across the region and serves more than 8,000 students. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)
The Advanced Credit Program at the University of Missouri–St. Louis will mark 40 years helping area high school students get a jump on their college careers by earning UMSL credit in their high school classrooms.
The program has grown to become the largest dual credit program in the state of Missouri as well as a national leader, having just earned reaccreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships through 2033.
“It underscores our commitment to student success and educational excellence by achieving reaccreditation,” said Channon Peoples, UMSL’s executive director of Precollegiate Programs. “We’re helping students accelerate their academic careers, reduce college costs and strengthen their readiness for both higher education and the workforce, which is the objective. We’re proud to continue serving students this way and working with school districts in the region at the national highest standard.”
UMSL’s is one of only 136 programs across the country accredited by the NACEP, the nation’s only accrediting body dedicated to concurrent enrollment partnerships.
NACEP-accredited institutions commit resources, particularly faculty time and effort, to ensure that appropriate levels of academic oversight occur. Campus faculty maintain control over college curriculum, student learning objectives and proper assessment of student learning in the course.
High school teachers who have the credentials necessary to serve as college instructors teach these courses after receiving training and ongoing mentoring from college faculty in each discipline.
“These programs represent some of the strongest and most intentional partnerships in the nation, demonstrating a deep commitment to quality, transparency, and continuous improvement,” NACEP Executive Director Amy Williams said in a press release announcing the most recent institutions to receive accreditation. “The rapid expansion of dual enrollment has made consistent program quality and intentional systems more important than ever for ensuring students receive meaningful and reliable experiences.”
UMSL has established partnerships with more than 90 schools across the region, and it works with about 490 instructors at those schools. While the course offerings vary by school, area students have the opportunity to receive college credit in at least 25 subject areas.
Brienna Manore, who has worked with the ACP program since 2018 and took over as its director last year, said the demand among high school students continues to grow. The program saw about an 8% increase in students to more than 8,000 during the just completed academic year, and those students earned more than 50,000 credit hours.
“It’s just reaffirming that we’re providing a quality program for our students and their families, and they obviously recognize that,” said Manore, who led the reaccreditation process. “We get a lot of good feedback from our partners regarding our program, and it’s great that we have such good support from the community.”
Because of the quality of the program, students who earn credit through the ACP program can expect it will be transferable at most places they choose to attend college. But Manore also aims to have more ACP students choose UMSL to continue their education after earning their high school diplomas.
“We want students to see the value of UMSL as a university, and not just a dual credit opportunity,” she said. “We want them to see us as a viable option for their post-secondary decisions.”
