Attend College Early (ACE) Program

Formerly Twelfth Year Program

​The Attend College Early Program is a collaboration between the student and his or her family, their high school, and Quinsigamond Community College. It is an opportunity for mature, college ready students to simultaneously complete high school graduation requirements and begin their pursuit of higher education.  

Please Note: Students accepted to the ACE program are not eligible for financial aid. They are responsible for the cost of enrolling in courses at Quinsigamond Community College.

Acceptance Criteria

To be eligible for acceptance into the ACE program, a student must meet the following criteria:

Required

• Be currently enrolled in high school
• Place into College-level English (ENG 101) and Beginning Algebra (MAT 095) on the QCC College Placement Test.
• Demonstrate satisfactory disciplinary history in his/her student profile

Preferred

• Have completed high school English courses with grades of “B” or better
• Have an overall “B” average

Preferred application deadline for the Fall semester: July 1

Preferred application deadline for the Spring semester: December 15

Due to COVID-19, the College is currently not offering in-person Placement Test. As an alternative to the placement test, ACE program applicants are being asked to provide their high school transcript and a copy of their MCAS scores. (If they have not taken MCAS then PSAT scores.). To qualify, students should have:

1.  2.7 unweighted GPA and Advanced on the ELA MCAS
2.  2.7 unweighted GPA and Proficient on the ELA MCAS and a B average (3.0) in English
3.  2.7 unweighted GPA and top 75 percentile for Verbal on PSAT

Additional qualifiers are a grade of "C" or higher on college level English courses or a score of 3 on AP English Literature and Composition. Additional appropriate alternative assessment on a case by case basis. Students are asked to send their transcript and standardized test scores to one of the QCC enrollment counselors.

How to Apply

1. Student schedules an appointment online for the free placement test. (Please note that a parent must accompany the student to their testing appointment because a parent signature is required for minor students to test). Students must place into College-level English (ENG 101) and Beginning Algebra (MAT 095) to be eligible for acceptance into the ACE Program. Please bring a picture I.D. on the testing date.

2. If the student meets performance standards on the placement test, he/she can obtain the ACE application packet by contacting any of the three enrollment counselors working with ACE students:

3. Student completes the QCC and ACE applications with the high school guidance counselor, indicating the courses that the student will take to fulfill high school graduation requirements. It is recommended that alternate courses are also included, in the event that a first choice is unavailable.

4. Student contact one of the enrollment counselors listed above to arrange a second appointment.

5. Student, accompanied by parent, brings all completed application forms and a high school transcript to previously scheduled appointment. Registration for courses takes place during this second appointment as long as both student and parent are satisfied that this is an appropriate academic opportunity.

Please Note: Students who are accepted into the Attend College Early Program are responsible for the cost of enrolling in courses at Quinsigamond Community College. Students accepted to the Attend College Early Program are not eligible for financial aid.