Twenty percent of Wabash High School seniors graduated with a high school diploma and a college credential—the Statewide Transfer General Education Core Certificate from Ivy Tech Community College—in 2020. Students who have earned this credential can start their college education as a sophomore at any Indiana four-year institution.

Through a partnership with Ivy Tech Fort Wayne, Wabash High School teachers are credentialled through Ivy Tech to teach dual credit courses. These classes are free to the students, which means that those who graduate with this certificate earn their entire freshman year of college without the cost of tuition. Ivy Tech estimates the partnership saved Wabash families a combined total of up to $82,000 through this program.

“One of the key priorities in Wabash County is to increase educational attainment, making our county a better place to live and work,” says Jason Callahan, Superintendent of Wabash City Schools. “An important factor to our continued success is the partnership with Ivy Tech Community College. Together we are providing incredible cost-savings to Wabash families and giving our children a brighter future.”

Wabash City Schools partnered with Ivy Tech Fort Wayne/Warsaw in 2016 to develop this program with the purpose of increasing educational attainment for Wabash County citizens. Currently in Wabash County, less than 30% of the workforce has some kind of credential above a high school diploma. Ultimately, Wabash leaders have the goal of graduating 60% of high school students with a Statewide Transfer General Education Core Certificate or Technical Certification.

“We’re dedicated to giving everyone in northeast Indiana the opportunity for an affordable, world-class education,” says Jerrilee Mosier, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Fort Wayne/Warsaw. “Increasing the number of high school students in Wabash County who graduate immediately with a college credential is a momentous win. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Wabash through the school system and by continuing to offer classes through the Wabash County Community Learning Center.”

For more information on Ivy Tech’s dual credit program, contact Ashley Henderson at ahenderson150@ivytech.edu or 260-482-9171, ext. 2418. Interested in taking Ivy Tech classes at the Wabash County Community Learning Center? Contact Josh Blossom at jblossom1@ivytech.edu or 260-563-8828. Ivy Tech’s fall classes begin August 24.