Accelerated Scholars Program
The Accelerated Scholars Program (ASP) offers high-achieving high school students the opportunity to earn a semester’s worth of college credits by taking authentic Mercyhurst courses during their junior and senior years in high school. While other institutions offer similar dual enrollment programs, the Accelerated Scholars Program stands apart due to its practicality, convenience, value, and academic quality.
Students participate in genuine online Mercyhurst courses taught exclusively by esteemed faculty members, earn highly transferrable college credits, and make modest monthly payments automatically charged to a credit or debit card. In addition, the credits may be eligible for dual enrollment at your high school. Finally, students who decide to enroll at Mercyhurst will be eligible for a scholarship that effectively covers the costs associated with ASP. This means you will pay less for your degree by completing an entire semester of coursework before you ever set foot on campus.
Mercyhurst Academics
Students in this program will have access to the complete range of learning resources available to university students. Mercyhurst faculty, especially those chosen to teach in the Accelerated Scholars Program, are known for their engaging classroom leadership, approachability, and their eagerness to get to know you as an individual. We don’t have graduate or teaching assistants lead classes at Mercyhurst, so you’ll learn everything directly from your professors—and build close relationships along the way.
Courses — all of which are offered in Mercyhurst’s specially designed online format that allows for interactive collaborations with peers and personal mentoring with faculty — are selected for their general applicability and easy transferability. Students will take one course in Spring 2026, two courses in Summer 2026, one course in Fall 2026, and one course in Spring 2027.
Spring 2026 courses are as follows:
- ECON 105: Macroeconomics
- PHIL 100: Philosophical Inquiry
- POLI 100: American Government
- SOC 101: Contemporary Social Problems
Once they reach Summer 2026, students in the Accelerated Scholars Program will have the ability to choose from Mercyhurst’s extensive list of online 100-200 level REACH curriculum courses, which span a number of academic disciplines. Popular course choices include: - BIO 120/121: Human Biology/Lab
- STAT 135: Business Statistics
- SCI 104: Meteorology/Lab
- MUS 100: Music In Society
- ENG 155: American Classics
Current high school students that are expected to graduate in 2027 are eligible to apply for Accelerated Scholars. If you've already received an invitation to apply, complete the application to begin the process of enrolling. If you haven't been invited, you are welcome to self-nominate and provide a copy of your current high school transcript; we'll use that to evaluate your eligibility for Accelerated Scholars. Teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and other professionals are welcome to nominate motivated, high-achieving students using our nomination form below.
All credits from coursework are highly transferrable, meaning students can put the credits they have earned toward their freshman year of college studies. The 15-17 credits earned from four courses typically translate to an entire semester.
Students should consult with guidance counselors regarding whether credits will count toward their high school curriculum. Students who qualify for dual enrollment are often able to complete coursework during study halls and free periods.
Students who complete the program and decide to attend Mercyhurst will be eligible for a $2,500 Accelerated Scholars scholarship, which can be used anytime following the start of your second year. The scholarship can cover faculty-led study abroad fees, summer coursework and internship credits, or overload charges. This scholarship essentially reimburses the costs associated with Accelerated Scholars in the form of other learning opportunities.
Students in the Accelerated Scholars Program will be charged a flat monthly payment of $139 for 17 months, which covers the sum of the 15- to 17-credit load offered through the program. This payment also covers rental costs for all textbooks students will need for their courses.
Steve Gregg
Director, High School Initiatives