College in the High School

Guide for Student Participants

• University Students and Added Responsibility

  Students interested in participating in College in the High School need to speak with their high school counselor to find available courses. CWU registration will take place once students are enrolled in the correct high school class. Students must adhere to CWU policy and deadlines for registration, withdrawal, and the CWU rights & responsibilities as adult students. See Student Rights and Responsibilities.

  Student activity must adhere to the published deadlines for registration, parent/guardian consent, and withdrawal.  It's the student's responsibility to meet deadlines.  See All Deadlines 

• Eligibility and Registration

  Students who are in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades can participate. Additionally, students must maintain a CWU GPA of 2.0 or higher (a "C" average) to continue participating in the program.

  Talk to high school teachers/counselors/administrators to see if CWU College in the High School is offered in your school, and which classes are available.

  If the course has a prerequisite such as placement testing or prior coursework, it should be met prior to registration. Only students who are eligible (meet the prerequisite) should choose the class.

  Following instructions from your teacher or counselor, and depending on your school term (quarters, trimesters or semesters) registration takes place for a limited number of days each term. Deadlines are firm.

  Please see complete information at Registration Process before creating an account and registering for the first time.

  The CiHS online registration portal is at our cihs page. Please see the Student Online Registration Guide (PDF) for additional information about navigating the portal. New users will need to create a CiHS Online Registration account.

  Once you choose classes, your school will review the information, add information about prerequisites if needed and additional data. If your school Reviewer approves you, then CWU will get you enrolled.

• Meeting Prerequisites and Placement Testing

  In order to register for a particular class, students must meet the eligibility laid out in the CWU catalog and the Course Description and Prerequisites in Forms. Requirements usually vary between classes, but two common requirements are either successfully passing pre-requisite course work and/or placement testing.

  Note: If a student took a college class for credit to satisfy a prerequisite (but not through CWU), CWU CiHS requires an unofficial copy of the other college's transcript. The high school transcript will not satisfy the registrar.

  The registration Reviewer at your school will attach any needed prerequisite proof to your online registration.

  In order to register for a particular class, students must meet the eligibility laid out in the CWU catalog and the Course Description and Prerequisites in Forms. Requirements usually vary between classes, but two common requirements are either successfully passing pre-requisite course work and/or placement testing.

  Note: If a student took a college class for credit to satisfy a prerequisite (but not through CWU), CWU CiHS requires an unofficial copy of the other college's transcript. The high school transcript will not satisfy the registrar.

  The registration Reviewer at your school will attach any needed prerequisite proof to your online registration.

  Placement testing may be required to meet a prerequisite. Ask your counselor if your school is set up to offer the Next Gen Accuplacer placement test through CWU. These exams are computer-adaptive tests designed to assist accurate placement into appropriate courses for math. You will receive your test results immediately upon completion of testing. Talk with the proctor or your teacher about qualifying scores.

  At Testing Information you will find an explanation of Accuplacer Tests, and downloadable sample questions to help you prepare for math testing.

  Any student(s) who are utilizing test scores from an outside agency must have a copy of their results provided (by the school's reviewer) with their registration. Examples include AP, ACT, ALEKS, APTP (MPT), Compass, or Accuplacer (if not taken through CWU).

• Drop vs. Withdrawal

  If a student signs up and then has second thoughts, moves out of the class, or struggles with the material, they can leave the CWU course.

  A "Drop" is available for a short time only, early in the term.  The Drop deadline is the same date as the closing of the registration window.  If a student signs up, and decides right away that it was a mistake, they can be dropped. Notify us right away. The result of a Drop is there is no record that the student ever signed up for the class. 

  Withdrawals fall into three categories:  Uncontested Withdrawal, Complete Withdrawal, or Hardship Withdrawal Petition. To initiate a withdrawal, a student must notify their teacher, and the teacher can start the process in the cihs.cwu.edu platform, before deadline. Students who leave a school, change districts, move away etc. must be withdrawn.  The school must notify us before deadline. 

  Withdrawals mean a W will be on your transcript, award no credit, and have no affect on your CWU GPA.  However, excessive withdrawals on a college transcript may be troublesome from a college admissions perspective. 

  Please see full information at Drop and Withdrawal Policy and Deadlines. 

• New Students Get a MyCWU Account

  Congrats! You're a CWU Wildcat!
  The first time you enroll for a course, you will receive a letter in the mail from CWU with your CWU ID and username, with instructions to activate your account. Keep this letter in a safe place so you can refer to it later.

  Students are encouraged to create their MyCWU account right away. The MyCWU account allows students to access to their classes, final grades, transcripts (both official and unofficial), make a payment, etc.

  See a sample "MyCWU User Letter" in Forms.

  The High School Partnerships office does not maintain usernames or passwords for students. If a student loses this information, they must contact Information Services to have their account “unlocked.” Please contact ITS Helpdesk at 509-963-2001 to unlock the account or go to https://wildcatpassword.cwu.edu

  **NOTE: Your MyCWU account is separate from your CiHS online registration account.

• Release of Information (Guest User on MyCWU Account)

  If you as the student would like to give CWU permission to speak to anyone about your classes, finances, grades, etc. please submit a Release of Information.

  To complete a Release of Information:

  1. Go to your account via MyCWU
  2. Click on the tab title Student (top center)
  3. In the left navigation bar, click "Personal"
  4. Select "Release of Information"
  5. Select "Add Designee"
  6. Fill out the form with the information about the person you would like to have access and allow us to speak to.
  7. Make sure you give that person the Auth Code you have assigned them.
• Students Provide Feedback

  Near the end of every class term, all enrolled CiHS students have an opportunity to respond to a survey called Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEOI), sent to them by CWU to evaluate the instruction, not the instructor. For in-depth information regarding SEOIs and how they operate with CWU College in the High School, please visit SEOI Information

  Students will also receive surveys from NACEP (National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships) as part of our ongoing accreditation process.

  Both of these surveys provide information back to us anonymously and help us improve our programming and effectiveness.

• Prepare for College and Additional Resources

  There are a lot of things to think about as you get ready for the college and career stage of life. Make yourself familiar with the Prepare for College information which can guide your next steps and may prevent mistakes.

  As a CWU CiHS student, you can connect with a full range of student resources including academic, social and career support.

• What About Paying for the Class?

  New legislation is going into effect for the 2023-24 academic year, which will alter the payment methods for public schools, and shift CiHS billing policy for private school students. 

  No individual students or families will be invoiced by CWU for College in the High School courses.  If you are receiving an invoice in the mail, it is either for a class taken before the 2023-24 academic year, or for another service (such as a Running Start tech or lab fee, if your student participates with CWU Running Start). 

• Tips for Parents

  Dual enrollment with CWU prepares your students for college and it's an excellent opportunity to shift expectations for both student and parent. College requires a higher degree of personal responsibility than what your student is used to, so here are some tips which will help you be supportive.

  Let your student work through the process.

  We encourage students to do the registration themselves. Of course you can supervise. But allowing your student to do it will help them understand how college processes are different from high school.

  Understand FERPA.

  The Federal Educational Records Privacy Act (FERPA) applies to all college students regardless of age. Your CWU College in the High School students are owners of their academic records. CWU staff cannot disclose certain information to anyone other than the named account owner, the student.

  Trust your parenting skills.

  If your student feels ready to take a CWU CiHS class, they are ready for the responsibility. Let them learn.

  Help your students advocate for themselves.

  Encourage them to check in with their instructor, their counselor/advisor and maybe the CWU College in the High School team. Learning the proper channels and how to get to the right person will help them understand the larger processes and their accountability to their future education.

  Encourage good habits.

  Now is the time for them to plan ahead, to meet deadlines, arrive on time, and do the work. These are academic skills which will serve your student for a lifetime. Set expectations that are reasonable and support them when they need help.

  Don't expect perfection.

  College is full of learning opportunities. Making mistakes is a great way to learn. Don't expect your student to be exempt from consequence. Be aware of all the outside influences that govern the program. University, state and federal policy all have influence. To learn more, see State and National Influences.