Indiana high schoolers can take free college classes this summer

Ivy Tech Community College will offer free classes for Indiana high schoolers this summer, the fourth year of a program that helps students earn free college credits.

More than 4,000 students enrolled in free Ivy Tech classes last summer. The program is open to all high schoolers in the state.

That includes students who graduate in 2024, eighth graders who will enter high school in the fall, homeschoolers and students at adult high schools.

Tuition and textbooks are both free for students.

Many Indiana students already earn credits from Ivy Tech during the school year by taking dual credit classes taught at their high schools. More than 220 high schools give students the opportunity to earn 30 core college credits. Known as the Indiana College Core, that block of credits can be transferred to all Indiana public colleges.

Ivy Tech officials touted the free summer classes in a press release as part of the institution’s commitment to helping high school students earn college credit and certificates.

“Free summer courses are part of our mission to ensure more young people leave high school with a plan to earn industry-aligned credentials and degrees quickly and at minimal expense to them and their families,” said Katie Lash, vice president of K-14 and strategic initiatives, Ivy Tech Community College.

More than 65% of Indiana high school graduates in 2021 earned some form of early college credit. That’s about double the national average.

Students can learn more and enroll in the program at IvyTech.edu/FreeCourses.

Contact WFYI investigative education reporter Dylan Peers McCoy at dmccoy@wfyi.org.