Homeschooled students probably do not need the high school credit, so many homeschooled students take classes as “courses only.”

Students should talk to their parents and their high school counselor before enrolling in a College NOW course. Students also have a student success advisor at LLCC who can help guide them to take courses that will be helpful for their future plans.

Reach out to the College NOW instructor, talk to the College NOW success advisor, talk to the high school guidance counselor, visit the Center for Academic Success at LLCC for free tutoring. It is important to understand grades will be generating an official college transcript which will become part of a permanent college record and could impact financial aid loans, admission criteria for special college programs, academic standing and future scholarships.

Work with the high school counselor first to be sure courses work with the high school schedule, call LLCC Registration at 217-786-2292 with an LLCC student ID#, course number including the section number, and plan for payment. Be sure to mention this is registration for a College NOW course.

The course syllabus will outline the instructor’s grading policies and procedures; these are real college courses that will be recorded on the student’s high school and LLCC college transcript. Earning less than a ‘C’ or withdrawing from a College NOW course could negatively impact the student’s academic standing and/or financial aid status.

”A student may elect to repeat a course at LLCC that was originally taken at LLCC. When a student repeats a course that is Repeatable for Credit, the student has the option to take the course for credit or to take the course as a repeat for the original.  The system automatically treats the attempt as if the student intent is to receive credit and grades for all attempts.  If the student would like for the attempt to replace the credit and grade of an earlier attempt, the student must request that the original grade be replaced unless the original grade is failing.  Since a failing grade does not earn credit, the system will automatically treat a subsequent attempt as a replacement of the original attempt.  If the student does not request a replacement of the original grade and credit, the system will accept the number of attempts up to the maximum times that the course can be repeated.” (Board Policy 5.7)

CLEP or AP scores or similar coursework taken at another institution are not applicable to this repeat option.

College NOW courses are taught at LLCC’s campus by LLCC instructors at the same level as any other college course taught to traditional students. College NOW students earn college credits as well as high school credits. College NOW courses do have to pay tuition, fees, and books. Dual credit courses are offered at the high school and taught by the high school teachers. Students do receive high school credit and LLCC college credit for dual credit courses. AP courses are taught at the high school by high school instructors but require students to take a high-stakes exam at the end of the course to receive college credit that does not come from LLCC.

Here are courses that many College NOW students take through LLCC:

• ART 101: Art Appreciation (3 credits)

• HIS 111- US History to 1877 (3 credits)

• HIS 112-US History Since 1877 (3 credits)

• EGL 101-Composition I (3 credits)

• EGL 102-Composition II (3 credits)

• CMN 101-Public Speaking Fundamentals (3 credits)

• PSY 101-Intro to Psychology (3 credits)

• AST 101-Intro to Astronomy (3 credits)

• POS 101-Intro to American Politics (3 credits)

• HUM 101-Intro to Humanities (3 credits)

• MAT 104-General Education Mathematics (3 credits)

• MAT-141-Intoduction to Statistics (4 credits)

• GEO 103-Natural Disasters (3 credits)

• FYE 101-First Year Experience (2 credits for 2024-2025)

Work with your high school counselor to see what courses the high school will agree to offer high school credit. High school students are allowed to take any courses if they meet the qualifications at LLCC but may not receive high school credit unless the high school approves.

College NOW students are expected to attend all meetings and will not be excused for extracurricular activities. College NOW students must follow LLCC’s academic calendar. This means that spring recess follows the LLCC schedule (class meetings happen during the schools’ spring breaks if they do not coincide with LLCC’s) and, importantly, closings (class cancellations) also follow the LLCC schedule. If LLCC is open, classes meet, regardless of what is happening in the school district.

College NOW courses cost $140 per credit hour ($420-$560 for a typical 3-4 credit hour course), plus the cost of any textbooks and fees for all in-district residents. There is an additional $20 fee per hour for online classes. Financial aid is not available to College NOW courses. Students choose to set up a payment plan or pay in full at the time of registration.

Visit LLCC Records website for information on how to request LLCC transcripts.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records. Students who would like to withhold or allow specific release of information may do so through a form that can be obtained from LLCC Admissions and Records. 

Students who withdraw from a College NOW course will receive a ‘W’ on their college transcript which can affect future financial aid. Students will receive an "F" on their high school report card for the class.