Early College Program

• First-hand experience with college course content.
• Opportunities to earn high school and college credit.
• Early exploration of different college and career pathways.
• A chance to earn a college certificate or degree faster and at a lower cost.
• Take tuition-free Oakton courses at your high school location, if applicable.
• Take Oakton courses on-campus or online at a fraction of the cost of other colleges/universities.
• Since early college students are Oakton students, you gain access to the following:
  • Library services to request an Oakton student ID that can be used as a library card to access books from over 90 different colleges and universities. 
  • Academic Advising Services for help choosing the right classes for your college/career interest(s) and free tutoring at our Learning Center while taking Oakton classes.
  • Career Services for assistance with resume writing and interviewing skills.
  • Access to Oakton campus computer labs, even during evenings and weekends.
  • Free admission to Oakton athletic events and discounted admission to Oakton theater and music events.

• All Oakton students have a single login ID and password, which will be the same as your myOakton ID and password, used to login to any computer on campus. 
• As an early college Oakton student, you will get a ‘B-number’, which is your login ID for myOakton. After successfully submitting your application, you will receive a welcome letter containing your B-number at the email address you entered on the Oakton application.   
  • If you cannot find your welcome letter, you can look up your login ID online. 
• If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it online, call IT at 847.635.1965 24/7, or in person Monday-Friday from 8am-6pm*.

*Phone support during evenings, weekends, summer long weekends, overnight, and when the college is closed is focused on assistance with using D2L (our online learning system); other requests may be deferred to the next business day. In person support is only offered when the college is open.

General Education

These are standard 100-level college courses all students take and are accepted at other colleges/universities in Illinois as part of the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). (Many out-of-state colleges/universities also accept these courses but may have different general education requirements.)  A combination of these courses across various subjects makes up the General Education Core Curriculum (GECC), required for all students seeking a college degree through Oakton and other colleges/universities.

Career-Technical Education

These courses are within the academic pathway of a career-focused certificate or degree program at Oakton and may transfer to other colleges/universities in various ways. They help students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the workforce after high school graduation or continue their education journey beyond an Oakton certificate or degree.

Transfer Electives

These courses may count toward college certificates or degree programs in various ways. Each program requires different electives, so students should consider their potential college or career pathways when taking these types of courses.

• Oakton courses offered at high school locations through our early college partnerships are tuition-free to high school students. However, a one-time $25 application fee is added to student accounts but billed to the high school for payment.
• Students taking Oakton courses on our campuses or online must pay Oakton tuition and fees through the myOakton portal by semester deadlines to remain enrolled in courses.

• Dual credit opportunities allow high school students to take college courses to simultaneously earn high school and college credit before graduating high school. Grades and credits appear on students’ high school and college transcripts after completing dual credit courses. Oakton partners with every in-district public school and two private schools to offer dual credit courses at high schools during the regular school day, taught by qualified district instructors.
• Dual enrollment opportunities allow students to take college courses for college credit but not high school credit upon completion. Most often, students take these courses on-campus or online, outside of Oakton early college partnerships, in addition to their regular high school courses or over the summer. Grades and credits for courses taken under these arrangements appear only on the college transcript upon completion. We encourage students to work through their high school counselor before registering for classes not offered through our early college partnerships if they desire dual credit - high school and college credit.
• AP courses are advanced placement high school courses developed by the College Board, offered at your high school, and taught by high school instructors. Students earn college credit for these courses by taking an exam at the end of the semester and checking with colleges/universities to see what scores are acceptable. Oakton accepts scores for many AP exams and will award credit for equivalent Oakton courses according to the Advanced Placement equivalency chart. 

A transcript is an official document that provides a complete record of classes and grades earned by a student throughout their time at Oakton College. 

• If you decide to attend another college/university, you should indicate that you have attended Oakton College when applying to that college/university and provide an official Oakton College academic transcript. The other college/university may consider your dual credit course and grade in admission, financial aid, and scholarship decisions.

• To view your unofficial or order an official transcript login into myOakton and visit the Plan/Register/Grades tile. The charge for an official transcript is $10 per transcript. Allow 7-10 days for processing of the request.

• Students may also register for Oakton courses while studying at another college or university. Our online courses and summer semester provide course options that may not be available at your home institution. It is important to confirm Oakton course compatibility with an academic adviser at your home institution to confirm that the course will transfer.