Students Resources
High School students that participate in the Early IT program will be better prepped for their college degree in Information Technology or Cybersecurity. By completing the Early IT program, they will have their first year of college under their belt while still in high school. In turn, this reduces the number of years to graduate and the total cost of college.
To help students get to graduation, please refer to resources below.
Resource Guide
Before you apply to the University of Cincinnati School of Information Technology, here are some helpful tips and tricks.
- Students that complete all nine courses with at least a C in the program prior to graduation will receive Automatic Admission. If you do not complete all nine courses, contact a CECH Admissions Representative to learn how credits may still apply.
- Before starting the application, review the Application Information website. This information will help you keep track of application materials for UC.
- After you have reviewed the application information, proceed to the UC Common Application (also known as the Common App). It is highly encouraged to apply by the Early Action Deadline on December 1 - applying by this deadline ensures a seamless acceptance and provides opportunities for scholarships.
- For the UC Common App, you will be asked to select two (2) Academic Programs to be considered for at UC. As an Early IT Program student that has successfully completed all nine courses, you must select "Information Technology" or "Cybersecurity" as your first program of choice to receive Automatic Admission.
To better help you track your application process, review the Early IT Resource Guide, complete with application materials, a checklist, and deadlines.
Track Your Early IT Journey
Use the Early IT Roadmap as a tool to track your progress through the Early IT Program. Download the roadmap and track your journey.
Once you download the roadmap, you can begin to fill it out. You will type your course names on the lines. Beneath the course name, you will check the box that indicates how you took the course. Be sure to save the roadmap each time you make a change. You can also print the roadmap out for a paper copy to fill in.
There are multiple ways to receive credit through the Early IT program. The four methods of receiving college credit are as follows:
AP: Some high schools offer AP courses. If your high school offers AP Computer Science Principles or AP Computer Science A, you may receive credit for some of the IT-specific courses. If your school offers other AP courses (English, math, history, government, psychology, sociology, a fine art, etc.), you may receive credit for some of the college-level academic courses.
*To receive credit for IT1050 Fundamentals of IT, a student must score a 5 on the AP Computer Science Principles exam. To receive credit for the other Early IT courses, a student must score a minimum of a 3 on the AP exams.
College Credit Plus (CCP): CCP is Ohio's dual enrollment program that provides students the opportunity to earn high school and college credit at the same time. All 9 Early IT courses can be taken as CCP. Sometimes, teachers are able to deliver the IT courses as CCP at their high schools. Your school may also offer CCP English, math, history, government, psychology, sociology, a fine art, etc.
*If you attend a high school outside of Ohio and would like to participate in your state’s dual enrollment program, reach out to Camille Watren for assistance.
Career Technical Assurance Guide (CTAG): This type of credit is typically available at a Career Center.
High School/Bilateral: A “Bilateral Articulation Agreement” defines a relationship between the University of Cincinnati School of Information Technology and K-12 school districts. There are some school districts with teachers trained to deliver the IT-specific courses. If a student takes the IT courses at their high school, they will receive college credit upon their enrollment at UC.
If you are unsure if your course was AP, CCP, CTAG, or bilateral, reach out to our Early IT Admissions Counselor, Camille Watren, for assistance.
Example 1: Jay is a high school senior and is about to graduate. By the end of May, he will have completed all 9 of the Early IT courses. He plans to attend the University of Cincinnati in the fall and major in Information Technology. Because Jay will have successfully completed all of the Early IT courses by graduation, he has received automatic admission to this program.
Jay attends a high school that has partnered with the University of Cincinnati to deliver the 6 IT-specific courses at his school. During his junior year, Jay took CCP College Algebra and CCP English. During his senior year, Jay took AP Government and scored a 4 on the AP exam.
Example 2: Lauren is a high school senior and is about to graduate. By the time she graduates, she will have completed 5 of the Early IT courses. She plans to attend the University of Cincinnati and major in Cybersecurity. Even though Lauren did not complete the entire Early IT program, she will have a semester of college completed.
Lauren attended a high school that was not partnered with the University of Cincinnati for the Early IT program, so she took the IT-specific courses through College Credit Plus (CCP). She also took CCP College Algebra during her junior year. Her senior year, she took AP History and scored a 3 on the AP exam.
More Information:
For more information regarding the benefits of the Early IT program, as well as the required courses, visit the Early IT FAQ page or reach out to Camille Watren.
Corbin M. Purdum
Assistant Director, Student Recruitment, CECH Recruiting
336D Teachers College