North Idaho College’s Dual Credit program offers high school students the opportunity to begin working on their college degrees while still in high school. Through this program, students and their families save time and money as students earn college credits at a reduced tuition rate while satisfying their high school graduation requirements.
Dual credits are courses taken by high school students that are transcribed on their high school and college transcripts. Through dual credit, students enroll in NIC college-level classes at a significantly reduced tuition rate.
High school students also have the opportunity to earn Technical Dual Credit at NIC. This allows students to get a jump start on degrees in a wide range of high-skill, high-wage and high-demand technical fields while completing high school.
To qualify for Dual Credit at NIC, a student must be an Idaho resident, at least 16 years of age, or have completed at least one-half of their high school graduation requirements. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is recommended.
Next Steps
Your high school counselor can determine if you are eligible and help you develop a plan. If you are home schooled, please contact the Dual Credit Office at (208) 625-2329 or (208) 769-3321.
To qualify for Dual Credit at NIC, you must be an Idaho resident, be at least 16 years of age or have completed at least one-half of your high school graduation requirements to participate in classes on an NIC campus (including online classes). A minimum GPA of 3.0 is recommended.
Applying is the first step to becoming an NIC student. Registering at the high school for an NIC class being taught in the high school only puts you on the high school roster. You must apply and become an NIC student. Your parents/guardians will need to complete their portion of the Dual Credit Authorization form once your student application has been submitted. You will be required to provide a valid parent/guardian email when you complete the online application. The Dual Credit Authorization form will be sent electronically to the parent/guardian e-mail provided.
It is imperative that you use a personal email address – not your high-school email address. Letters from Admissions go to the personal email addresses provided in the application. For these not to bounce back, a personal email address is required.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): North Idaho College is required by law, regardless of age, to keep student records confidential. Without your expressed permission, we cannot share your student records with anyone but you (or appropriate college employees, high school counselors or dual credit instructors). If you will allow NIC to disclose your student records to your parents or legal guardians while you are in the Dual Credit program, you must initial the Dual Credit Authorization Form.
Note: After your NIC application and test scores are provided to the NIC Admissions office, it may take up to five business days for the application to be processed for acceptance. Upon full acceptance, you will then be able to register online for classes. Within a week of applying online, you will receive a letter in the mail that provides you with a student ID number and an outline of what needs to be done to complete your application to become fully accepted. The student ID is necessary to set up a MyNIC account and take placement tests.
The placement assessment is an important part of enrollment because it measures your entry skills in reading, writing, and math. Assessment scores are used for placement in courses to ensure your success. ACT, or SAT or ASSET scores will substitute for the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment and/or NIC’s English Placement Assessment (The Write Class) fulfilling placement requirements. The Write Class is non-proctored and may be taken online thewriteclass A student ID number will be required to sign in. The ALEKS Math Placement Assessment requires a three-hour practice prior to taking the final assessment. The Aleks Math Placement test is proctored and must be taken at an NIC facility.
Once you have a student ID number, make an appointment to take the Math placement test at one of the NIC Testing Centers in Coeur d’Alene, Bonners Ferry or Sandpoint. For more information, visit the Testing Center page or call (208) 676-7203.
To qualify for an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science Degree, a candidate must:
- Complete a minimum of 60 semester credits of 100- and 200-level courses with a grade point average of 2.0 (C) or better in all work attempted: and,
- Satisfy distribution requirements listed below with a grade of C- or better in each course.
Setting up your MyNIC account:
1. Go to www.nic.edu and click on “MyNIC”
2. Click on the Orange box that says “New Students and Employees…Start Here”
3. Enter your seven digit student ID number from your Admissions Acceptance Letter (if you do not have your letter, please call our office and we can assist you).
4. Your username will display, click on the “Please click here to proceed to Step 2 and update your password”.
5. On the next screen your username should automatically have populated in the “Username” box. “Current Password” will be your 6 digit date of birth (example: March 16, 2001 is 031601) “New Password” create a password that you will easily remember with 6-9 characters (you may use a combination of letters and numbers). “Confirm New Password” renter your password
6. You will receive a message: Password successfully changed. Click on the Log On to MyNIC button to login to your account with your new password.
7. Write down your Username and Password or save it into your password file system
To Register for Classes login into My NIC
- Click on DUAL CREDIT ORIENTATION click on step 4 on left menu, follow the steps or contact Dual Credit
Setting up your Cardinal Mail
All students receive a Cardinal Mail email account once they have applied to NIC. All official communication from NIC is sent to your Cardinal Mail, so it is very important to check your Cardinal Mail often. There is a link on your MyNIC account to your Cardinal Mail.
1. Log in to your MyNIC account.
2. Click on the red Cardinal Mail (image below) and this will automatically take you to your Cardinal Mail email account.
Books can be purchased online only at https://nicbookstore.com/textbooks . The Cardinal Bookstore is located in the Student Union Building. Check with your instructor before purchasing books. Some books may be provided if your class is at your high school.