Ohio Senate Passes Brenner's Bill Increasing Access to College

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 104, sponsored by State Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), which updates the College Credit Plus Program (CCP) to increase access to and awareness of the program so more students can participate.

The College Credit Plus is a dual enrollment program available for seventh through twelfth graders to earn high school and college credit at the same time. The program allows students to take courses offered by Ohio's public and participating private institutions of higher education.  The program is free of charge for students, making it an affordable way for them to earn college credit. More than 76,000 students were active in the program during academic year 2021, earning more than 650,000 credit hours. 

"This legislation will strengthen the College Credit Plus Program and give even more students a jump start on their higher education," said Brenner. "CCP is an asset to Ohio's students and can help them prosper down the road."

Senate Bill 104 makes several enhancements to the program, including:

• Increasing access to CCP courses in high schools by increasing the number of high school teachers who can teach them. The bill does this by establishing an alternative credentialing process to certify instructors with relevant teaching experience.
• Creating the opportunity for students to apply for the program twice a year by April 1 and November 1. Previously students could only do so in April. This change gives more students the ability to participate in the program.
• Adopting consistent CCP notification forms for parents to be distributed by K-12 schools to increase awareness.
• Requiring the development of a uniform orientation process for students entering the program, while also requiring universities and colleges to provide an orientation to CCP students.

The next step for Senate Bill 104 is to be considered by the Ohio House of Representatives.