Richland Transfer Academy is available for juniors and seniors in high school who want to earn Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) college credits that count toward a college transfer degree and high school credits.
Students attend Richland ½ day (taking 9-11 credit hours per semester, typically 3 courses) and attend their MFHS ½ day.
Significant progress can be made towards the completion of an Associate Transfer Degree (60 hours). Classes are held on the Richland Campus and taught by Richland faculty. Students take college courses for dual credit, which means these classes count towards high school graduation requirements including high school GPA as well as towards a college degree. Students do not have to wait until they graduate from high school to start taking classes on the Richland campus.
Students in the Academy can earn up to 11 college credit hours per semester. Academy students pay a minimal fee to the high school for this opportunity and also must purchase their own textbooks.
If a student is looking at a private or out-of-state university, the student should check with that institution to assure the credits will transfer appropriately. ALL CLASSES MAY NOT TRANSFER TO THE COLLEGE OF YOUR CHOICE.
Qualifications for the Transfer Academy
- Junior or Senior standing
- Minimum of 19 in English and 19 in Reading on the ACT test OR an SAT score of 480 in English
- Math 116 (College Algebra) whether taken at CGHS or at RCC requires an ACT score of 22 in Math OR an SAT score of 560 in Math. OR Pass the English, Reading and Math placement tests through Richland Community College or meet minimum scores on the SAT or SAT in Math and English. Minimum scores are set by Richland Community College.
- Good attendance and Clean discipline record
- Juniors must have 4.5 or better GPA and Seniors must have a 4.0 or better GPA for admittance to the Academy.
Cost of Transfer Academy
- Current cost for a 3 hour course at Richland Community College is $450.
- Total cost could between $2700-$3000 per student
- Cost can be paid entirely by school district, entirely by student, or split between school and student.
- There will be a first semester payment and a second semester payment.
- District is currently paying $1500 per student for Heartland Technical Academy. We recommend the district pay the same amount for Transfer Academy students with the student picking up the rest of the tuition.
- Students who fail a class will be expected to reimburse the district for the cost of the course. After a failure, students can be denied readmission to RTA.