Academics & Competitions
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Advanced Southern Credit
College Coursework for High School Students
Advanced Southern Credit (ASC)
Advanced Southern Credit provides college-level coursework from Southern Oregon University, delivered in high schools by approved instructors. In most cases, students can enroll in either four or eight quarter credits for each high school course. The curriculum is endorsed and supervised by university faculty and academic departments, ensuring course substance and transferability of credits.
Who is eligible?
Advanced Southern Credit (ASC) courses are exclusively accessible through an approved high school and a designated university-aligned high school instructor. To qualify for college credit through Southern Oregon University, students must be enrolled in the high school course during alignment and register for ASC credit the same term.
Southern Oregon University provides more than 350 courses through ASC in high schools in Oregon and California. To find out if your school offers ASC credit, kindly contact your high school administration or teachers for guidance.
What courses are available?
Advanced Southern Credit courses are based on which high school a student is enrolled at. If a school offers college credit through ASC, the administration can provide a selection of courses that align with SOU for that term. Should a student be registered in an ASC course, the teacher will offer details on how to register and pay for the college credit program.
What is the cost?
The cost per credit hour is set at one quarter of the undergraduate, in-state tuition rate. For the 2024 – 2025 school year, the ASC tuition rate is $56 per credit hour. Most ASC courses are four credits, or $224 per course. Please note that some courses may differ in credits, so tuition will be assessed at the credit hour rate. Example: PH 201 & PH 224 General Physics I plus lab is a total of five credits, or $280. No additional fees are assessed.
A student who meets one or more of the following criteria is eligible for a tuition reduction:
- All children in households receiving benefits from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court
- Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant
- Families who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
- The household income falls at or below the limits on this chart for the 2024-25 School Year. Household income is considered to be any taxable income each household member received before taxes. This includes wages, social security, pension, unemployment, welfare, child support, alimony, and any other cash income. If including a foster child as part of the household, you must also include the foster child’s personal income. Do not count foster payments as income.
By receiving a tuition reduction, a student’s four-credit course would be lowered to the price of a single credit (or $56). One class per term is eligible for a tuition reduction.
Do the courses transfer to other schools?
Advanced Southern Credit courses are documented on an official SOU transcript and recognized by many collegiate institutions since the university holds accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Typically, universities and colleges provide transfer tables detailing how SOU courses can be transferred to their institution. If this information is not digitally available, it is recommended to reach out to the university’s Admissions or Registrar’s office for assistance.
AP versus ASC
Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) courses are typically year-long classes that require an exam to assess a student’s eligibility for college credit. The exam is evaluated by the College Board and assigned a score ranging from 1 to 5, with 3 commonly considered a passing score for most colleges. To determine the specific scores needed for college credit at SOU, refer to Credits though Course and Exam Equivalency.
Advanced Southern Credit
Advanced Southern Credit is granted to students based on the grade they achieve in a term or year-long course, rather than a comprehensive multi-hour exam. If enrolled in ASC, an ‘A’ grade in WR 111z through ASC would translate to an ‘A’ grade for WR 111z on an SOU transcript.
Pursing Both AP and ASC
Students are encouraged to pursue ASC credit and take the AP exam. This dual approach can be advantageous as it maximizes students’ chances of receiving college credit from their future institution.
I have ASC credit. How do I get my transcript?
You will need your SOU ID to order a transcript.
- Your SOU ID will be located on our Youth Programs registration system. To access, login to the registration portal.
- Click “Profile” in the upper right hand corner.
- On the left-side set of tabs click “View Profile”.
- Your SOU ID number, starting with “940”, appears on the last line of the screen.
- If you are still having issues obtaining your SOU ID number, contact Youth Programs.
- After obtaining your student ID number, you can request an official or unofficial transcript.
- Please note that due to privacy law FERPA, we cannot provide that information to a parent/guardian.
Requesting an Official Transcript
Once you have your SOU ID number, follow the steps below:
- Go to Raider Student Services.
- Click the “Parchment for Former Students, Alumni and High School Programs” link to order online.
- Once there, follow the New User instructions to create a new account through the site, Parchment, which is the 3rd party service used to request transcripts through SOU. Follow the prompts on the page. You will now enter the student ID.
- Note: upon the question of “degree sought?” ASC students should answer “non-admit.”
- Transcripts start at $10 depending on method and speed of delivery.
Requesting an Unofficial Transcript
Students should send an email from their SOU email address to registrar@sou.edu to request an unofficial transcript. Please provide your name and birthdate (and SOU ID, if known), and state your request for an unofficial transcript in the body of the email.
ASC Instructors: Proposal Overview
ASC Instructors
While we partner with over 150 instructors throughout the state of Oregon and California, we love to see new instructors, schools, and school districts align with our ASC curriculum. Instructors who are interested in proposing an ASC course must have successfully earned a master’s degree.
For each course proposal, we ask that instructors submit their credentials and course content to our online registration portal.
Credentials include the following items: a teaching resume, undergraduate transcripts, and graduate transcripts showing a completed master’s degree. Course content includes: a syllabus, and the course delivery outline (which is competed through the online portal).
At that time, a virtual orientation meeting with a faculty from the same department will be scheduled. This meeting will cover course curriculum, pedagogy, and an overview of ASC expectations.
Once a proposal is submitted through the online portal, a team of university professors and chairs will review the documents and come to a consensus if they plan to move forward with the course as is, or if refinements need to be made for it to be in alignment with the university’s curriculum. Instructors will be notified of the university’s decision and will be briefed on next steps. The process from submission to final decision is a few weeks.
To align with a specific term, course proposals must be submitted by the following dates:
- Fall – August 1
- Winter – November 1
- Spring – February 1
Please contact the Associate Director of Outreach and Engagement, Miranda Stiles at stilesm1@sou.edu for the registration portal link and any additional subject specific requirements needed for proposal.
