Concurrent Enrollment Grant Program

 

Increasing opportunities for high school students to earn high school and college credit through concurrent enrollment course offerings.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education administers the Concurrent Enrollment Grant Program (CEGP) per Minnesota Statutes 136A.91, which was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2015. The CEGP is a funding source which aims to increase access to postsecondary education for Minnesota high school students by providing funds to postsecondary institutions for the development of new concurrent enrollment courses and the expansion of existing concurrent enrollment programs.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

An eligible application must meet all of the following:

• Minnesota postsecondary institution
• Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), at the time of proposal submission
• Accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) or working towards NACEP accreditation

What are Eligible Program Initiatives?

An eligible applicant may apply For CEGP funding to support either of the following eligible program initiatives:

• New Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concurrent Enrollment Courses: Develop new concurrent enrollment courses under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09, subdivision 10 that satisfy the elective standard for career and technical education.
• Expansion of Existing Concurrent Enrollment Program: Expand concurrent enrollment programs already offered by the postsecondary institution and support the preparation, recruitment, and success of students who are underrepresented in concurrent enrollment classrooms by creating new sections within the same high school or offering the existing course in new high schools.

Courses must not be developmental (remedial) courses or any other course that is not college level.

An applicant may elect to pursue both program initiatives; therefore, would be required to submit two separate proposals. Each proposal would be evaluated and awarded separately.

How Much Money Can a Grantee Receive?

Total appropriation and grant award amount available for fiscal year 2025 is $640,877. Applicants are not limited by a maximum grant amount. However, applicants may receive partial grant awards based upon competitive priority parameters, budget efficiency and/or availability of grant funds.

What is the Application Process?

The 2025 application period opened November 27, 2024.

Application Materials

1. FY25 Concurrent Enrollment Program Grant Request for Proposals
2. FY25 Concurrent Enrollment Program Grant Proposal Submission Checklist (Fillable Form)
3. FY25 Concurrent Enrollment Program Grant Proposal Narrative Template (Fillable Form)
4. FY25 Concurrent Enrollment Program Grant Budget Template: There is an error in the instructions at the bottom of the “FY25 Concurrent Enrollment Program Grant Budget Template.” For the Concurrent Enrollment Grant Program, there is NO match requirement. The indirect cost is 8% of the total personnel costs, there is NOT a max of 5%.

Application Timeline

• Proposal Available: November 27, 2024 
• Proposal Workshop: December 10, 2024 
• Technical Question Deadline: December 18, 2024 
• Proposal Submission Deadline: Proposal Submission Deadline EXTENDED: January 13, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m. CST
• Award Notice to Applicants: February 05, 2025 
• Mandatory Grantee Orientation: March 03, 2025 *Please note the date of the orientation has changed to March 3rd, from the date published in the RFP stating March 1st.
• Project Period: March 2025 – June 30, 2026 

Applicant Workshop Resources

• Request for Proposal Workshop Recording
• Request for Proposal Workshop Slides

Who do I Contact with Questions?

For CEGP questions, please contact the Minnesota Office of Higher Education State Program Administrator, Grace Ferdinandt at grace.ferdinandt@state.mn.us. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can funding be used for instructor credentialling?

A: No

Q: Can funding be used for online college in the high school?

A: Response: Yes, as long as the concurrent enrollment program is otherwise eligible.

Q: Can funding be used for supporting students at the high school and for concurrent enrollment tuition costs at the college?

A: Each concurrent enrollment program does look different in what the applicant is looking to get reimbursed.

The following points are stated directly in the request for proposal, regarding eligible expenses.

• “Allowable expenditures are limited to the project as described in the proposal content and must align with the following budget categories:
  • Personnel Costs
    • Salaries for grantee personnel
    • Fringe benefits based on salaries paid
  • Course preview consumable supplies and instructional materials
• Other direct costs
• Indirect costs”

Q: College faculty teaches the courses not high school instructors; might that still be eligible?

A: The request for proposal states, “Increasing services to high school students through concurrent enrollment course offerings requires support for the postsecondary institution’s faculty and staff as they plan and develop new courses and programs. New course offerings must be taught by qualified high school instructors or college faculty (team-teaching is also permissible). Assessment methods and content must be the same as equivalent sections taught on the postsecondary campus. Students must be able to earn high school and college credit upon successful completion of the course(s).”

Q: Will the funds need to be spent down within the AY or are we eligible to expand funds over multiple academic years?

A: The expenditures for the Concurrent Enrollment Grant Funds would need to align with the beginning contract date through June 30, 2026. Contracts will be executed later in the spring of 2025. If funding is approved through the legislature for future years, we will open the program for requests for proposals to align with the statute established by the legislature.

Q: Do we need to provide a letter of commitment from every school district?

A: The fiscal year 2025 request for proposal allows for flexibility for the letter(s) of commitment regarding the number of letters and from whom. In the request for proposal, it only states that there is a requirement to provide “letters of commitment.” A letter of commitment could be from the secondary education provider that the grantee is partnering with. If the grantee is partnering with multiple schools, a letter from each school could be provided to confirm the commitment between all educational providers (grantee and partner secondary institutions), but it is not required in the request for proposal that there must be a letter from every partner.

Q: This year is our pilot year for the program, but we will want to request funding for next year. Would this be considered a new program or expanding?

A: This funding is not to sustain an existing program Concurrent Enrollment Grant Program. If the program already began this year and you are looking for funding next academic year, then the grantee could apply for funding to expand the existing program. The request for proposal states, “Expansion of Existing Concurrent Enrollment Program: Expand concurrent enrollment programs already offered by the postsecondary institution and support the preparation, recruitment, and success of students who are underrepresented in concurrent enrollment classrooms by creating new sections within the same high school or offering the existing course in new high schools.” This language is from the request for proposal under “Grant Overview.”

Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Recipients

2024 Request for Proposals

Bethel University

• Healthcare Career Pathway
  • Harding High School

Central Lakes College

• New Machine Tool Concurrent Enrollment Course
  • Staples Motley High School

Fiscal Year 2023 Grant Recipients

Anoka-Ramsey Community College (more info)

• Expansion Initiative: College Now
  • S.T.E.P. High School

Minnesota State University Mankato (more info)

• Expansion Initiative: Future Mavericks LEARN for Success
  • New Ulm, Owatonna and St. Paul Public High Schools 

South Central College (more info)

• New Initiative: High School to College & Career: Implementing a Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction Pathway
  • Faribault High School

University of Minnesota Crookston (more info)

• Expansion Initiative: Animal Science, Environmental Science & Sustainability, and Natural Resources
  • Ashby High School
     

Reports

Fiscal Year 2022 Concurrent Enrollment Grant Program Legislative Report