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Heartland Community College

College NOW

Our College NOW program is for high school students interested in early college opportunities through Heartland!


College NOW students can:

  • get a head start on their college career
  • earn high school and college credit (dual credit) 
  • experience early college and career exploration
  • take courses on-campus, online, at a high school/career center
  • have a better transition to a full-time college or career experience
  • decrease time-to-degree completion and lower overall college debt
  • finish a high school diploma & college certificate/degree simultaneously

Getting Started...

  • All students who plan to take Heartland courses on campus, online, at a high school, or at a career center must complete the Heartland student admission process.

    If you are not yet 16 years old and intend to take HCC courses on campus or online, you are considered an Early Bird and there are additional early admission steps you must complete.



Registration/Enrollment

  • Registration Timelines

    You can access the Heartland schedule based on the dates in the registration timeline chart to view available on-campus/online courses each semester. Once you see the course(s) you want to take, make sure you have met the placement requirements listed for the course(s). You can click the course titles on the schedule to see placement requirements.

    Term Schedule Available Registration Begins
    Summer 1st Tuesday in February 1st Tuesday in March
    Fall 1st Tuesday in March 1st Tuesday in April
    Spring 1st Tuesday in October 1st Tuesday in November

    Home School Community Spring 2025 Newsletter (PDF)

    Required: Complete the Heartland College Now Campus Agreement.

                           College Now Financial Agreement PDF link

    Ready to Register?

    • College NOW students who have not taken classes on-campus/online should call to make an appointment with an advisor. Advisors are also available for drop-ins in the Community Commons Building on Heartland's Normal campus.
    • College NOW students who have previously taken classes on-campus/online may: (1) make an appointment with an advisor, (2) come to HCC during drop-in hours, or (3) email the Advisement Team.
    For Advising Appointments Call 309-268-8027
    Drop-In Hours (Normal Campus)

    Mon-Thurs 12 pm - 4 pm
    Community Commons Building 1000

    Email HCC Advisement Advising@heartland.edu

    College NOW Campus Student Roadmap (PDF)

  • Select Your High School or Career Center

    You will see potential 25-26 Heartland courses chosen by high school and career center administrators. Your high school counselor is your main contact person to enroll in those courses. (Note: You need Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDFs.)

     

    • These courses are tuition-free, offered during the regular school day, and most are taught by qualified high school district instructors. (Some schools may charge a fee. Students/parents are responsible for purchasing required textbooks/materials.)
    • Don't forget to complete the HCC student admission process outlined above to earn college credit. (The course lists in the chart indicate the required placement for each course.)
    • HCC staff enrolls students based on rosters submitted by each school/center. (You should confirm your enrollment status with your high school counselor or career center support staff.)
  • Heartland Student Benefits

    Drop/Withdrawal Instructions

    *If taking Heartland courses for dual credit, talk with your high school counselor before following these instructions to drop/withdraw from a Heartland course:

    • Log into my.heartland.edu
    • Select Student Center, then enter your username and password.
    • Choose the Manage Classes option; you should see Drop Classes in the left panel to continue the process.
    • Click on the term header (i.e., Fall 2022, Spring 2023) to view your currently enrolled courses and select the appropriate course(s) for drop or withdrawal.

    View HCC's academic drop and withdrawal deadlines:

    • When you drop a course before the drop deadline, you will receive a refund, and no "W" will appear on your HCC transcript.
    • When you withdraw from a course after the drop deadline but before the withdrawal deadline, you will not receive a refund, and a "W" will appear on your HCC transcript.

    Graduating? Continue At HCC!

    Successfully completing HCC courses as a College NOW student means you can easily continue on to earn a degree or certificate at Heartland! Simply resubmit the Heartland application, but this time as a First Time College Student with Credit. Don't worry! You'll keep the HCC login credentials and email address. Then, you can plan your transfer to another college/university!

    Access Your College Transcript

    The grade you earn will be recorded on your unofficial and official HCC transcript.

    • You can download and print a copy of your unofficial transcript instantly from your Student Center.
    • If you intend to transfer your Heartland credits to another college/university, you can request your official transcript after your last HCC course.

    *Colleges use official transcripts to determine your financial aid eligibility. If you continue your college education after high school graduation and plan to seek financial aid, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress.

    Important Academic Calendar Dates

    Fall 2025

    Course
    Session
    Classes
    Begin
    Drop/Refund
    Deadline
    Withdrawal
    Deadline
    Final
    Exams
    8-week (1) Aug 18 Aug 22 Sept 19 Oct 10
    8 week (2) Oct 13 Oct 17 Nov 24 Dec 8-12
    12-week (1) Aug 18 Aug 26 Oct 17 Nov 7
    12-week (2) Sep 10 Sept 18 Nov 11 Dec 8-12
    16-week Aug 18 Aug 29 Nov 5 Dec 8-12

    Important Dates

    • Sept 1: Labor Day (HCC Closed)
    • Oct 27-Nov 3: Spring 2026 Priority Registration
    • Nov 4: Spring 2026 Open Enrollment
    • Nov 26-30: Thanksgiving Break (HCC Closed)
    • Dec 24-Jan 1: Winter Break (HCC Closed)

Early College Scholars

  • COUNTRY Scholarship Website

    The 2025-2026 application is open until January 15, 2025. 

    Country Financial Scholarship PDF link

    COUNTRY Scholarship (Downloadable PDF)

    Current Scholarship Recipients

    School Scholar Name Graduation Year
    BHS Alila Beck 2025
    BHS Zahara Gordon 2026
    BHS Jasmin Mendoza 2025
    LEXHS Jordan Milan 2025
    NCHS Believe Yayu 2025
    NWHS Alexandria Caruthers 2025
    NWHS Benedicte Diamonika 2025
    NWHS Naomi Getachew 2026
    OHS Davis Royal 2025
    OHS Anna Siltman 2026
  • State Farm Scholarship Website

    The 2025-2026 application is open until January 15, 2025. 

    State Farm Scholarship PDF link

    State Farm Scholarship (Downloadable PDF)

    Current Scholarship Recipients

    Cohort

    Scholar Name

    School

    2025

    Lillian Campbell

    NCHS

    2025

    Dhyan Chaudhari

    NCHS

    2025

    Nikitha Philip

    NCHS

    2026

    Jayden Altine

    NWHS

    2026

    Sahithyaa Balraj

    NWHS

    2026

    Addison Rhoades

    NWHS

    2027

    Lucas Karr

    NWHS

    2028 Timony Donlick NWHS
    2028 Daivie Livesay NWHS

Frequently Asked Questions

  • College NOW students are Heartland students who can take a variety of college courses. Here are two main categories of Heartland courses:

    General Education

     

    • These courses are common for 1st-year and 2nd-year students no matter the college/university.
    • Heartland offers general education courses aligned with the Illinois Articulation Initiative.
    Career Technical Education

    • These courses are connected to particular degree and certificate pathways at Heartland that may transfer to other colleges/universities in various ways.
    • You can review the current degree and certificate options offered at Heartland. 

    *Heartland also offers developmental (non-credit bearing) courses that help students advance to the next level of coursework and elective courses that may transfer to other colleges/universities in various ways.

  • According to the Illinois Community College Board... 

    Dual credit is:

    An instructional arrangement where an academically qualified student currently enrolled in high school enrolls in a college-level course and, upon successful course completion, concurrently earns both college credit and high school credit

    Dual enrollment is:

    An academically qualified student who is still enrolled in high school also enrolls in a college-level course at the community college. Upon successful course completion, the student exclusively earns college creditno high school credits are earned.

  • Both provide opportunities for students to earn college credit while in high school. Four-year colleges and universities routinely accept dual credit and advanced placement course credit; however, students must check with the college/university they intend to transfer to for information about how those credits transfer.

    Please note the following:

    • Dual credit courses are college courses for which students earn transferrable college credit; they appear on your collegiate transcript upon course completion.  

    • Advanced Placement courses are high school courses for which students do not automatically earn college credit upon completion. Instead, students must register to take an exam and achieve the required score, as denoted by various colleges/universities. Scores need to be sent to each college the student enrolls in. 

    *HCC awards college course credit for some high school AP courses. View our Advanced Placement Website for additional information regarding credit.

  • You can drop or withdraw from Heartland courses according to the deadline set for each semester. It is important to know the difference between the two:

    • After the drop/refund deadline, you can still drop a class until the withdrawal deadline. However, a “W" will appear on your college transcript to indicate a withdrawal. At that point, you are no longer eligible for a refund. (Note: A withdrawal counts as an unsuccessful attempt but does not impact your college GPA.)
  • Yes - it is very important that you take the right courses once you know the college major/career you eventually want to pursue.
    To learn more about your options, connect with the HCC Advisement Team in any of the following ways:

    For Advising
    Appointments
    Drop-In Hours
    (Normal Campus)
    Email
    HCC Advisement
    Call 309-268-8027 Mon-Fri 12 pm - 4 pm
    Community Commons Building 1000
    Advising@heartland.edu
    • Students who are struggling with their dual credit courses offered through high school should ask their high school instructor for assistance. They may also contact the high school guidance counselor for additional support.
    • Students also have access to the same resources as other HCC students. There are two ways to access these resources:
      • High school counselors can help students connect with HCC.
      • HCC student success office will also support students' connections.
  • College NOW students are limited to enrollment in 8 credit hours in classes taken on-campus/online, and in the fall/spring no more than 18 credit hours can be taken between dual credit classes they are enrolled in at their high school and on-campus/online classes.  Early admission (Early Bird) students are limited to 1 course (3-4 credit hours) in their first semester of enrollment at HCC. 

     

    A student who would like to enroll in more than the maximum number of credit hours must complete an Overload Request Form that they request and receive from an academic advisor. Submission of the form does not guarantee approval; the Overload Request Form and student's academic record will be reviewed by the appropriate staff before approving or denying the request. 


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