Colleges + Universities
PrepareRI is committed to developing and strengthening pathways that will provide today’s youth access to quality postsecondary credentials and experiences.
statewide Partnerships
OPC works closely with Rhode Island’s three public institutions of higher education: the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), Rhode Island College (RIC), and the University of Rhode Island (URI) to ensure that all students have options to pursue a postsecondary degree or credential, ultimately ensuring their pathway to a good job.
Improve matriculation between high schools and public colleges
Students who attend high school in Rhode Island should be prepared and able to attend one of the state’s three institutions of higher education. OPC is working to align high school graduation requirements with postsecondary admission requirements so that any student who wishes to pursue a postsecondary education in Rhode Island can do so with their existing coursework.
Increase the Rhode Island FAFSA Completion rate
OPC is deeply committed to ensuring that every student who wants to pursue a postsecondary degree or credential can, so we are partnering with the Rhode Island Department of Education and Rhode Island Student Loan Authority to launch a FAFSA Dash Completion Challenge in 2018/2019. To learn more visit OPC’s FAFSA initiative page.
Extend Career Education Pathways
We connect institutions of higher education, employers, and students to produce career opportunities for the future, which is why we are working to align career and technical education (CTE) pathways from high school through postsecondary programs. To learn more, see our pathway expansion presentation from a previous PrepareRI Summit.
Bringing college credit to high school students
RI high school students have access to dual and concurrent enrollment opportunities, the Advanced Course Network, advanced placement courses, and nontraditional students can access the College Level Examination Program to earn college credit prior to enrolling at one of our institutions. Earning college credit prior to enrolling is a great way to start earning a postsecondary credential that will advance your career.
nontraditional students
To that end, OPC is working to improve early completion of “gateway courses” by guiding high school students to take dual/concurrent credits in courses that count toward their desired majors. Gateway course guides can help high school students make informed decisions about which courses they should take for the career of their choice. To learn more about gateway course guides, see our gateway course guide presentation from the fall PrepareRI Summit. Here is a sample gateway course guide from RIC.