Early College Program

You can start earning college credit through Oakton while still in high school. Oakton offers classes online, on-campus, and on-site at partner high schools. 

At Oakton or Online

You can take one Oakton course per semester at our Des Plaines or Skokie campus or online if you:
  • are a high school junior or senior,
  • have a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 2.0 or higher,
  • submit our concurrent enrollment application at least one week before the first day of the course(s) you want to take.

You will automatically earn college credit after successfully completing each Oakton course you take on-campus or online (dual enrollment). However, you must contact your high school counselor for approval to also earn high school credit for those courses.

Apply Online TodayAccess the Oakton Course ScheduleMeet with an Oakton Academic Advisor

At A High School 

If you attend a partner high school, you could take Oakton courses on-site at your school location that:

  • are taught by qualified district instructors,
  • occur during your regular high school schedule,
  • allow you to earn college and high school credit (dual credit)!

Choose your school from the list below to see courses selected by your high school and approved by Oakton. (Note: You can click on each course name to review course descriptions; other listed details may be specific to Oakton campus or online sections.) Contact your high school counselor for information about appropriate course options, requirements, and registration specific to your high school.

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Oakton Course Names

Credit Hours

ART 115: Beginning Photography

3

ATA 102: Introduction to Automotive Technology

4

BIO 101: Introduction to Life Science

4

BIO 115: Animals and Society

4

BNA 100: Basic Nurse Assistant Training

7

BNA 105: Basic Nurse Assistant Job Training

1

CAD 105: Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 210: Industrial Design Techniques

4

CAD 220: Introduction to Building Information Modeling - Revit

 4

GRD 101: Introduction to Visual Communication

 3

HIT 104: Medical Terminology

 3

MAT 125: General Education Mathematics

 4

MAT 140: College Algebra

 3

MAT 252: Calculus III

 4

MAT 260: Linear Algebra

 3

MFG 111: Introduction to Computer Integrated Manufacturing

 3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ACC 153

Principles of Financial Accounting

4

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 116

Basic AutoCAD

3

CAD 117

Intermediate AutoCAD

4

CSC 241

Java Data Structures

3

ECE 102

Child Growth & Development

3

MAT 252

Calculus III

4

MAT 260

Linear Algebra

3

MFG 120

Introduction to Welding

 3

MFG 125

Advanced Welding

 3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ACC 153

Principles of Financial Accounting

4

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 116

Basic AutoCAD

3

CAD 117

Intermediate AutoCAD

4

CAD 210

Industrial Design Engineering Techniques

4

CSC 241

Java Data Structures

3

ECE 102

Child Growth & Development

3

ELT 221

Digital Circuit Fundamentals

3

HIT 103

Medical Terminology

1

LAE 135

Forensics I

3

MAT 252

Calculus III

4

MAT 260

Linear Algebra

3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Course

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

HIS 120

United States History Since 1945

3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ACC 153

Principles of Financial Accounting

4

ART 115

Beginning Photography

3

ART 218

Advanced Black & White Photography

3

ATA 102

Introduction to Automotive Technology

4

BIO 114

Basic Human Anatomy and Physiology

3

BNA 100

Basic Nurse Assistant Training

7

BNA 105

Basic Nurse Assistant Job Training

1

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 210

Industrial Design Techniques

4

CAD 220

Introduction to Building Information Modeling - Revit

 4

CNS 105

Networking Essentials

 3

CNS 170

Principles of Information Security

 3

EAS 101

Physical Geology

 4

EGL 101

Composition I

 3

EGL 102

Composition II

 3

HIT 104

Medical Terminology

 3

MFG 110

Introduction to Machining

 3

MFG 111

Introduction to Computer Integrated Manufacturing

 3

MGT 160

Small Business Management

 3

SPE 103

Effective Speech

 3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ACC 153

Principles of Financial Accounting

4

ART 115

Beginning Photography

3

ATA 102

Introduction to Automotive Technology

4

BIO 114

Basic Human Anatomy and Physiology

3

BNA 100

Basic Nurse Assistant Training

7

BNA 105

Basic Nurse Assistant Job Training

1

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 116

Basic AutoCAD

3

CAD 210

Industrial Design Techniques

4

CAD 220

Introduction to Building Information Modeling - Revit

 4

CNS 170

Principles of Information Security

 3

EAS 101

Physical Geology

 4

EGL 101

Composition I

 3

EGL 102

Composition II

 3

HIT 104

Medical Terminology

 3

MAT 125

General Education Mathematics

 4

MAT 252

Calculus III

 4

MAT 262

Ordinary Differential Equations

 3

MFG 111

Introduction to Computer Integrated Manufacturing

 3

MGT 160

Small Business Management

 3

SPE 103

Effective Speech

 3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ACC 153

Principles of Financial Accounting

4

ART 115

Beginning Photography

3

ART 218

Advanced Black & White Photography

3

ATA 102

Introduction to Automotive Technology

4

BIO 114

Basic Human Anatomy and Physiology

3

BNA 100

Basic Nurse Assistant Training

7

BNA 105

Basic Nurse Assistant Job Training

1

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 116

Basic AutoCAD

3

CAD 220

Introduction to Building Information Modeling - Revit

 4

CNS 105

Networking Essentials

 3

CNS 170

Principles of Information Security

 3

EAS 101

Physical Geology

 4

EGL 101

Composition I

 3

EGL 102

Composition II

 3

HIT 104

Medical Terminology

 3

MFG 102

Industrial Drafting and Design

 3

MFG 110

Introduction to Machining

 3

MFG 111

Introduction to Computer Integrated Manufacturing

 3

MGT 160

Small Business Management

 3

SPE 103

Effective Speech

 3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ART 115

Beginning Photography

3

ATA 102

Introduction to Automotive Technology

4

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 107

Introduction to 3D Printing

4

CAD 116

Basic AutoCAD

3

CAD 117

Intermediate AutoCAD

4

CAD 210

Industrial Design Techniques

4

CAD 220

Introduction to Building Information Modeling - Revit

 4

CAD 224

Advanced Building Info Modeling-Revit

 4

ELT 114

Residential Wiring

 3

ELT 221

Digital Circuit Functions

 3

MFG 102

Industrial Drafting and Design

 3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ATA 102

Introduction to Automotive Technology

4

BNA 100

Basic Nurse Assistant Training

7

BNA 105

Basic Nurse Assistant Job Training

1

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 107

Introduction to 3D Printing

3

CAD 210

Industrial Design Techniques

4

CAD 220

Introduction to Building Information Modeling - Revit

 4

CNS 105

Networking Essentials

 3

HIT 104

Medical Terminology

 3

MFG 111

Introduction to Computer Integrated Manufacturing

 3

MFG 120

Introduction to Welding

 3

MFG 125

 Advanced Welding 3

 

AY 24-25 Dual Credit Courses 

Course Number

Course Name

Credit Hours

ATA 102

Introduction to Automotive Technology

4

BNA 100

Basic Nurse Assistant Training

7

BNA 105

Basic Nurse Assistant Job Training

1

CAD 105

Industrial Design Engineering

4

CAD 107

Introduction to 3D Printing

3

CAD 210

Industrial Design Techniques

4

CAD 220

Introduction to Building Information Modeling - Revit

 4

CNS 105

Networking Essentials

 3

ECE 102

Child Growth and Development

 3

HIT 104

Medical Terminology

 3

MFG 102

Industrial Drafting and Design

 3

MFG 111

Introduction to Computer Integrated Manufacturing

 3

MFG 120

Introduction to Welding

 3

MFG 125

 Advanced Welding 3
Elizabeth Perez
"If you are passionate about something, take action. You don't have to wait. I realized I could really help people if I became a nurse. My counselor told me I could enroll in Oakton's Basic Nurse Assistant Training (BNAT) program while I was still in high school."

Elizabeth Perez

Read more of Elizabeth's story

Additional Details

  • Download and browse our early college catalog (PDF) (909 KB).
  • Review the policies and procedures in the Oakton Student Handbook (PDF) (891 KB).
  • Learn about the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law that lets you control access to your college student records. During the dual credit application process, you can give others (i.e., parents or guardians) permission to discuss details about your progress or performance in Oakton courses with instructors or other college personnel.

Asked and Answered

  • First-hand experience with college course content.
  • Opportunities to earn high school and college credit.
  • Early exploration of different college and career pathways.
  • A chance to earn a college certificate or degree faster and at a lower cost.
  • Take tuition-free Oakton courses at your high school location, if applicable.
  • Take Oakton courses on-campus or online at a fraction of the cost of other colleges/universities.
  • Since early college students are Oakton students, you gain access to the following:

  • Oakton courses offered at high school locations through our early college partnerships are tuition-free to high school students. However, a one-time $25 application fee is added to student accounts but billed to the high school for payment.
  • Students taking Oakton courses on-campus or online are responsible for paying Oakton tuition and fees through the myOakton portal by semester deadlines to remain enrolled in courses.

  • Dual credit opportunities allow high school students to take college courses to simultaneously earn high school and college credit before graduating high school. Grades and credits appear on students’ high school and college transcripts after completing dual credit courses. Oakton partners with every in-district public school and two private schools to offer dual credit courses at high schools during the regular school day, taught by qualified district instructors.
  • Dual enrollment opportunities allow students to take college courses for college credit but not high school credit upon completion. Most often, students take these courses on-campus or online, outside of Oakton early college partnerships, in addition to their regular high school courses or over the summer. Grades and credits for courses taken under these arrangements appear only on the college transcript upon completion. We encourage students to work through their high school counselor before registering for classes not offered through our early college partnerships if they desire dual credit - high school and college credit.
  • AP courses are advanced placement high school courses developed by the College Board, offered at your high school, and taught by high school instructors. Students earn college credit for these courses by taking an exam at the end of the semester and checking with colleges/universities to see what scores are acceptable. Oakton accepts scores for many AP exams and will award credit for equivalent Oakton courses according to the Advanced Placement equivalency chart chart. 

For Oakton courses offered through one of our early college partnerships, students can find a list of approved courses above. Then, they must contact their high school counselor or dual credit liaison for admission and registration details.

  • If you wish to drop/withdraw from an Oakton course offered through an early college partner, you must inform your instructor and advisor by the designated deadline; then, a high school representative will inform Oakton.

After Early College...

We have great news! If you have taken dual credit/dual enrollment courses while in high school, you have already made progress toward earning a college certificate or degree. So, you can easily continue with us before transferring to another college or entering the workforce.

Apply Online Today Explore Academic Options Visit Our Campuses