Minnesota students get a jump start on college with Postsecondary Enrollment Options

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With the cost of college rising 23-30% between 1998 and 2008, it is more important than ever for high school students to get ahead with advanced courses in high school. Minnesota’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program, created in 1985, does just that, allowing students in their junior or senior year of high school to earn college credits. 
Currently, 66 colleges, universities and trade schools  participate in the program statewide, including the University of Minnesota and its branches and all state universities.  Any 11th or 12th student can participate in the program and enroll either full or part-time in courses or programs at postsecondary institutions.  Each college, university and trade school that offers PSEO sets its own requirements for enrollment. Students work with their high school to ensure that classes they are taking fulfill credit requirements they need to graduate on time.The PSEO program covers the cost of tuition, required books, and consumable course supplies for enrolled students, significantly lowering the future college costs. Transportation reimbursement is available for qualified low-income families. Benefits of participation often extend beyond saving the cost of college credits. Continue Reading

Looking for education: PSEO offers one way

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Jade Sanstead, 18, felt under-challenged at his high school in the small hometown of Rothsay, MN, near Fergus Falls. He wanted to learn Norwegian and pursue linguistics, but neither was offered at his school. Through Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), Sanstead was able to take courses at the state college in Fergus Falls beginning in his junior year. Even then, he felt that he wasn’t challenged enough and the state college didn’t have the kinds of courses he was hoping to take, such as Norwegian. In this — his senior year — he moved to the Twin Cities to take classes at the University of Minnesota. Continue Reading

State program helps high school students take college classes

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When Princess Chomilo-Kisob enters college next fall, she will have already received college credit, saved thousands of dollars for her family, and gotten over the initial anxiety and intimidation that often accompanies the transition from high school to college. All of this has been made possible through the Post Secondary Education Options (PSEO) program. According to Laura Bloomberg, associate director of the Center for School Change at the University of Minnesota (U of M), PSEO has been around for approximately 20 years. “At that time, [administrators] noticed that students’ high school experiences weren’t meeting their needs,” Bloomberg said. Through PSEO, eligible high school juniors and seniors can take college-level classes on college campuses while still enrolled in high school. Continue Reading