College Credit Programs
Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA)
South Kent School is a proud partner of Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA), one of the nation’s leading dual enrollment programs offering college-level classes in select high schools across the country.
Launched in 1974, the SUPA program dual enrolls secondary school students in both the high school they attend and Syracuse University, encouraging students to explore and interact with college-level subject matter during their regularly scheduled high school day. The program not only better prepares students to transition from high school to college, but it also gives them college course credit that 90% of SUPA graduates receive recognition for at destination colleges and universities.
South Kent School was the first independent boarding school to partner with SUPA over a decade ago. Since the start, the program has helped the School challenge hundreds of top-level students with academically rigorous courses that increase their college readiness and earn them college credits before finishing high school, often resulting in savings in undergraduate tuition.
The SUPA courses offered at South Kent School are taught by South Kent School faculty who have qualified as “Adjunct Instructors” at Syracuse University, with training and guidance by a departmental Syracuse professor. South Kent faculty who participate in the SUPA program must demonstrate experience in their course of instruction, attend training at Syracuse University, and work closely with professors who teach the same classes at Syracuse University to create their South Kent syllabi. Additionally, professors from Syracuse University visit classrooms at South Kent regularly. South Kent faculty in the SUPA program are required to attend two professional development seminars at Syracuse University each year.
The course curriculum of South Kent School’s high school SUPA classes is academically challenging and is identical in all important aspects to courses offered to matriculated Syracuse University students—they use the same syllabi (where appropriate), materials, textbooks, assignments, and assessments.
South Kent students in Fifth, Sixth, and Postgraduate Forms can enroll in SUPA courses. On average, an impressive 60 students a year take advantage of the program. South Kent School students who participate in SUPA experience the rigor and expectations of taking a college course in a familiar, supportive high school setting developing the skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond.
Cost
South Kent School does not charge students for taking SUPA classes. However, for a student to receive credit from Syracuse University on his transcript, there is a fee accessed by Syracuse for South Kent SUPA classes. Syracuse University charges $115 per credit hour for every SUPA course, and the courses offered at South Kent range from 3-4 credits.
Students taking these courses at South Kent receive a 90% discount from what Syracuse would charge an undergraduate for the same class on their campus. Furthermore, Syracuse offers financial aid to select students. Additional need-based financial aid from South Kent is also available. Please reach out to our Admissions Office for more information.
Courses
The number of SUPA courses South Kent School offers has greatly expanded in recent years. Our current courses are:
- SUPA Economic Ideas
- SUPA Forensic Science
- SUPA Introduction to African American Studies
- SUPA Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy
- SUPA Studio I, Practices of Academic Writing
- SUPA The Economics of Personal Finance
- SUPA Writing Culture: Introduction to Creative Nonfiction
- Our complete course offerings can be found HERE
Transcripts and Transferring Credits
If you are a current or former student who has completed a SUPA class through South Kent School, you are eligible to request a Syracuse University transcript as evidence of your college work. The transcript must then be sent to your chosen institution in order to transfer your credit. While Project Advance cannot guarantee that your credits will be accepted by another college or university, 90% of former SUPA students report receiving credit recognition of some kind.
For additional information on Syracuse University transcripts and transferring credits, please click here.
Questions?
For questions about the SUPA program, please email Jesse Brennan, Dean of Mastery Learning & Curricular Innovation, at [email protected].
If you have a student who is currently enrolled in SUPA courses at South Kent School and have questions about the financial arrangements, please contact Trisha Laundry in the Business Office ([email protected].).
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