INDIANAPOLIS—Navigating college options can be daunting for many high schoolers and their families.
That’s why the Indiana Commission for Higher Education launched a new online tool that helps kids break down their options and save them money.
”I think we’ve needed this tool for a long time,” Monica Hingst, Ivy Tech’s interim vice president of K-14 and Strategic Initiatives, said.
Hingst said she’s excited for the expansion of the tool called ‘My College Core’—a program that streamlines the Indiana College Core program for students, and which soft-launched at Ivy Tech earlier this month.
”Students can really see and create multiple plan options based off of their interests, if they change, if their courses change so they know their progress toward earning that credential and how to adjust course if and when needed,” Hingst said.
In addition to helping high schoolers earn one year of college credit, the tool also helps students navigate financial as well as next steps upon graduation.
”We’re trying to make it be as much of a one-stop shop tool as possible both for students, for their families and their counselors,” said Dr. Michelle Ashcraft, who works as the senior associate commissioner and chief program officer of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
The tool comes amid a push to expand the Indiana College Core statewide. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education said starting this school year, nearly every public college or university in the state will participate to help students get the credits they need.
”I think that’s the best part is they’re not relying on a single institution to be able to put together this plan, but they can piece together all the different dual credits that are out there,” Vincennes University President Chuck Johnson said.
So far, 222 high schools are offering the Indiana College Core. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education said it hopes to have more than 500 schools involved by the 2025-2026 school year.
