Apply to Attend College While in High School

Eligibility for Students

• Students who attend a high school or adult school, which have a current Academic Enrichment Compliance Form on file with Sierra College
• Students who provide an affidavit indicating they are legally home-schooled or attending a charter school, which have a current Academic Enrichment Compliance form on file with Sierra College
• Students who have completed the equivalent of 8th grade and are in good academic standing

Eligibility for Schools (including Homeschools)

Schools that wish to participate must complete a Compliance Form every year (good for Fall, Spring, Summer) to specify the authorized approvers. Email outreach@sierracollege.edu to request the form. 

1. Meet with your high school counselor. Verify your eligibility and discuss your class options.
2. Apply to Sierra College. Apply online through OpenCCC and indicate that you are a high school student. We recommend using a personal email address and not a school email. Watch a tutorial video about applying to the Academic Enrichment program.
3. Set up your mySierra account. Refer to your Welcome email and use the password reset tool to create your account. If you have not received the Welcome email, contact outreach@sierracollege.edu.
4. Complete the Permission Form. Please note there are two different forms for different schools. See below for details.
5. Accept College Terms and Conditions. Log in to mySierra and click on the Terms and Conditions link to accept.
6. Register for classes in mySierra. Visit Register for Classes for instructions and how-to videos. Note: Make sure the class you want is not restricted by reviewing the Academic Enrichment Restricted Course List.

• NOTE: Many courses offer Zero Textbook Costs for textbooks that are free (represented by green icon with $0 in the Class Schedule) and Low Textbook Costs for textbooks costing under $50 (represented by yellow icon with dollar sign and down arrow in the Class Schedule).

Details for Step 4: Application Form

• Students: Use your mySierra login to access the 2023-24 Academic Enrichment Permission Form. If your school is not listed on the e-Form, fill out the PDF Permission Form: All Semesters. Send the completed form to outreach@sierracollege.edu. 
• Parents/Guardians: You will receive an email from Dynamic Forms to sign. For more information, watch a video on How to Sign Up
• Once processed, a confirmation email will be sent to your Sierra email. Please allow up to five (5) days for processing.

Please note

• Student and parent/guardian need to have separate email accounts to be able to sign the form electronically
• After parent/guardian signs the form, it will automatically be sent to the student’s high school counselor to sign, then routed to Sierra College for processing. Students will receive confirmation in their mySierra email. Please allow up to five business days for processing, once the form is fully completed

View the Academic Enrichment Policies and Guidelines in PDF format.

To ensure your success, the following questions and answers related to Academic Enrichment have been developed to guide your enrollment. College classes often include adult/mature subject matter.

Step 1: Meet with a High School counselor to verify that these requirements have been met: 

• Completion of the 8th grade
• Satisfactory academic standing

Step 2: Apply

• New students must complete an online Sierra College application (indicating that you are a High School student) at: https://www.sierracollege.edu/chs
• Within one  business day of submission online, you will receive an email from Sierra College containing important information, including your Sierra College ID number, mySierra log in information and your Sierra College email address

Step 3: Provide Documentation

• Complete an Academic Enrichment Permission Form (required each semester)
• If requested, provide your high school transcript
• If required, provide a copy of your Private Homeschool affidavit

Step 4: Terms and Conditions

• Accept the College Terms and Conditions in mySierra

Step 5: Register for Classes

• View your registration time and register for classes in mySierra
• There is a maximum enrollment of 11 units each semester or summer session
• Academic Enrichment students are not permitted to audit courses
• It is a student’s responsibility to register for the appropriate classes. The Restricted Course List is available online (https://www.sierracollege.edu/chs) and the College reserves the right to exclude certain classes

What else do I need to know about Academic Enrichment?

• Every year, high schools (including homeschools) must submit an updated Academic Enrichment Compliance Form with the names and signatures of all authorized personnel for the Permission Form. If the individual is not listed on the form, we cannot process the application.
• The course credit and grades you receive will become part of your permanent college record.
• You must meet all course prerequisites to enroll in a course, which may require providing transcripts.
• Students are responsible for being aware of and adhering to policies, procedures and deadlines (including Add/Drop deadlines) as they pertain to Sierra College students. For example, if you are not present for the first class meeting, you may be dropped from the class.
• You must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA at Sierra College to be allowed to continue in classes as an Academic Enrichment student.
• The parent / guardian assumes financial responsibility for all fees incurred by their Academic Enrichment student.
• Students seeking accommodations for disabilities must meet with a Sierra College Student Accessibility Services (SAS) counselor and submit disability verification from a qualified professional. Sierra College cannot participate in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process but will consider high school IEPs as part of the accommodation request. By statute, the accommodations available for students and the support offered are different at the high school and college levels, so the accommodations granted at the college may differ from those approved through the IEP process.
• Students may be interacting socially with adult college students and may be exposed to discussions, readings, and visual materials of a mature nature. Students will be expected to conform to the same performance standards as any other college students as set forth in course outlines and syllabi. Sierra College is not responsible for the social interactions of students and is released from the responsibility of monitoring concurrently enrolled minor students should a class meeting or course be canceled.
• Per Education Code Section 4906, parents of community college students do not have a right to access their student’s records, regardless of whether the student is under the age of 18. High school students attending Sierra College must abide by the same FERPA laws as any other college student. For more information on FERPA laws please visit the US Department of Education website.
• Upon graduation from high school, you can re-apply to Sierra College as a first-time college student.

• NJUHSD: Bitney, Bear River, Nevada Union
• PUHSD: Colfax, Confluence, Del Oro, Foresthill, Maidu, Placer, Placer School of the Arts
• RJUHSD: Adelante, Antelope, Granite Bay, Independence, Oakmont, Roseville, West Park, Woodcreek
• RUSD: Rocklin, Whitney
• WPUSD: Lincoln, Twelve Bridges
• OTHER: Center, CTE Works, Western Sierra Collegiate Academy

Note: This not be a comprehensive list. If your high school is not listed and you would like more information, contact Nigel Haikins-Appiah, Program Director of Dual Enrollment Management, at (916) 660-7505 or nhaikinsappiah@sierracollege.edu.

1. Meet with your high school counselor. Verify that you qualify and discuss your class options.
2. Apply to Sierra College. Apply online through OpenCCC and indicate that you are a high school student. We recommend using a personal email address and not a school email. Watch a tutorial video on applying for Dual Enrollment program.
3. Set up your mySierra account. Refer to your Welcome email and use the password reset tool to create your account. If you have not received the Welcome email, contact outreach@sierracollege.edu.
4. Complete the Dual Enrollment Permission e-form. During the first week of class (or prior to), you will receive a link to this form, which you can access using your mySierra username and password.
5. Parent/guardian and counselor e-form signatures. After you e-sign and submit the e-form, it will be routed to the parent/guardian you provided in the form, then to your high school counselor, and back to Sierra College. Video for Parents: How to sign the Dual Enrollment e-form.
6. Class registration. Sierra College will register you in the class(es) you were approved for. You can then check with your instructor or your mySierra account to confirm you were enrolled in the class.

View the Dual Enrollment Policies and Guidelines in PDF format.

• Although these courses are held on high school campuses and may be taught by high school instructors, they are college courses and all College rules apply. Your student will be treated as a college student, not as a high school student, in dual enrollment classes. In college courses, students are expected to be aware of college and course rules, processes, and expectations even if the instructor has not specifically referenced them in class. Refer to the college catalogue for a complete listing of Sierra College policies and procedures.
• The course credit and grades earned will become part of the student’s permanent college record. There is no way to remove Ws or substandard grades (D, F) from a college transcript. Classes in which a student receives a passing grade cannot be retaken later for a higher grade.
• Students must meet all course prerequisites to enroll in a course, which may require assessment tests.
• Students may enroll in a combined maximum of 11 units per term between Dual Enrollment and Academic Enrichment courses.
• Upon graduation from high school, students must submit a new application to be considered a first-time college student.
• Students are responsible for being aware of and adhering to policies, procedures and deadlines (including Add/Drop deadlines) as they pertain to Sierra College students, including attendance requirements.
• The parent or guardian assumes financial responsibility for any fees incurred at Sierra College by his or her dual enrollment student.
• Dual enrollment students are not eligible for state or federal financial aid.
• The Sierra College Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS) provides accommodation services to Sierra College students who have documented disabilities. Visit the College in High School page on the Sierra website for information on how to request accommodation services.
• Students may be exposed to discussions, readings, and visual materials of a mature nature. Students will be expected to conform to the same performance standards as any other college students as set forth in course outlines and syllabi and no alternate assignments will be provided. Sierra College is not responsible for the social interactions of students.
• Under Section 49061 of the Education Code, parents of community college students do not have a right of access to their children’s student records, regardless of whether the student is under the age of 18. High school students attending Sierra College must abide by the same FERPA laws as any other college student. For more information on FERPA laws please visit their website. Although the dual enrollment class may be taught by a high school teacher, the instructor will not be able to talk to you about your student’s performance in the class and College staff will not provide parents or guardians with information about the student’s record, including log-in information for MySierra.