Sep 1, 2023
Students at a presentation in large auditorium
College of the Mainland hosts new student orientation for all incoming Early College High School students from Texas City High School and La Marque High school.

College of the Mainland (COM) will be seeing more high school students on campus than ever before. COM’s Collegiate High School (CHS) program has set a record-high enrollment number with 301 students for the 2023 Fall semester. This number exceeds the enrollments of the previous Fall 2022 and Fall 2021 semesters by 30 percent.

COM's CHS program allows college-ready high school students in the College's service area to earn an associate degree while simultaneously completing their high school diploma. Depending on the school district, this program is open to all ninth-through 12-grade students who meet the requirements. By receiving a 40 percent waiver of tuition and fees, students can obtain their education at an economically discounted rate and get a jump start on college. Despite spending the majority of their time on the COM campus, students are still considered high school students and can participate in all of their high school extracurricular activities.

“They’re still high school students; we’re just borrowing them for a couple years,” said Sandi Belcher, Collegiate High School Director. “It [CHS program] is the best-kept secret in Galveston County.”

COM’s CHS program is just one of three early college programs offered by the College. Other programs include Dual Credit and the newly added, Early College High School (ECHS) in partnership with the Texas City Independent School District (TCISD).

Dual Credit allows college-ready high school students in COM’s service area to take college classes and receive both college and high school credit upon completion. Depending on the school district, this program is open to all ninth-through 12-grade students who meet the requirements. Students typically enroll in one to two classes a semester and are taught by COM faculty either on campus or at their high school.

“You’re taking one class and getting credit for two,” said Anne Dickens, Dual Credit Director. “It saves them a lot of time and money.”

COM’s newest early college program is the Early College High School in partnership with TCISD. Offered at no cost, the program targets underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree or up to 60 hours of college credit from COM while attending classes at their home campus. Unlike the CHS and Dual Credit programs, the ECHS program is only available to TCISD students, who enter the program as cohorts in the ninth grade.

“Having this program offers more opportunities,” said Melissa Tortorici, TCISD Director of Communications. “Many students in the program are the first in their family to attend college.”

To learn more about the early college programs offered at College of the Mainland, visit: https://www.com.edu/start/