From staff reports
Beaufort County School District (BCSD) and Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) will be accepting applications in March for BCSD Tides, a dual enrollment partnership that will allow qualified BCSD rising 9th-grade students to enroll in a full-time dual enrollment cohort at TCL’s New River Campus or Beaufort Mather Campus.
Like traditional dual enrollment courses, students in each 2025-2026 cohort will earn both high school and college credit for completing TCL classes taught by TCL instructors. Dual enrollment classes are free to district students. Uniquely, BCSD Tides students will complete the program as a cohort beginning in 9th grade and can graduate high school with two associate degrees and a technical certificate from TCL.
“The BCSD Tides program reflects a deepened partnership between BCSD and TCL in providing district students with more innovative and unique opportunities to excel while in high school as well as advance their academic and professional futures,” BCSD Superintendent Dr. Frank Rodriguez said in a media release.
“Our partnership is a great way to leverage college resources to benefit more students. TCL’s college classes, along with our state-of-the-art technology, business, and health sciences programs, are perfectly aligned with Beaufort County School District’s commitment to provide its graduates with post-secondary opportunities and our own commitment to meet the region’s workforce needs,” TCL President Dr. Richard Gough said.
Accepted students choose one of two associate degree pathways as a major for their 9th- and 10th-grade years and then will declare an associate degree minor with a technical program emphasis for their junior and senior years.
“What’s most exciting to me is that by the time these students finish their 10th-grade year, they will have already completed an entire associate degree – or two years of college,” TCL Vice President for Academic Affairs Laura Dukes said. “Then, they have a chance to earn another associate degree with an emphasis in a specific technical area, fully preparing them for whatever college or career path they choose after high school.”
“BCSD Tides’ extended dual enrollment model is the cumulative result of both learning institutions’ commitment to elevating student learning experiences through technology and teaching,” BCSD Chief Instructional Services Officer Mary Stratos said.
The program’s rigorous face-to-face instruction meets South Carolina requirements for a high school diploma, Stratos said.
BSCD Tides
Majors
- Associate of Arts: University Transfer Pathway
- Associate of Science: University Transfer Pathway
Minors
- Associate of Applied Science/Computer Technology-Programming
- Associate of Applied Science/Computer Technology-Networking
- Associate of Applied Science/Cybersecurity
- Associate of Applied Science/Business Administration
- Associate of Science/Allied Health Science
- Associate of Science/Allied Health Science – Medical Assisting
- Associate of Science/Allied Health Science – Entrepreneurship/Small Business Certificate
Qualifying students attending Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and May River High Schools will be eligible for the cohort housed on TCL’s New River Campus and will have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities and athletics at their home high school. Qualifying students attending Whale Branch Early College, Beaufort, and Battery Creek High Schools will be eligible for the cohort housed on TCL’s Beaufort Mather Campus and will have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities and athletics at their home high school.
Rising 9th-grade students who are interested in BCSD Tides and are currently enrolled in private, charter, or a homeschool organization are also encouraged to apply. Eligible students can apply to attend BCSD Tides during the 2025-2026 School Choice window through April 11, 2025 by visiting https://bit.ly/3L46mMZ.
Student eligibility is based on the following:
- Enrolled in BCSD
- Must be a legal U.S. citizen or legal resident
- Must have a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 unweighted scale)
- A qualifying PSAT score
- Additional criteria as determined by TCL Admissions and BCSD
For more information on how to apply, interested parents/guardians and students are encouraged to attend an informational session:
Northern Beaufort County
- Beaufort Mather Campus 5:30-6:30 p.m., Monday, March 17, Building 12 Auditorium
- Attend in person (RSVP is required.)
Southern Beaufort County
- New River Campus 5:30-6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 19, Room 126
- Attend in person (RSVP is required.)
Parents and students are also encouraged to take a tour to learn more. Registration for a school tour is required (click here). All tours are held at TCL’s New River Campus in Bluffton.
Or visit https://bit.ly/4h2sL9S.
For more information, please contact Scarlett Mooney, Director of BCSD Tides at 843-379-7823 or scarlett.mooney@beaufort.k12.sc.us, or Taylor Welborn, Executive Director, Admissions, Enrollment, & Student Success at 843-525-8336 or dualenrollment@tcl.edu.
To watch a video about Beaufort County School District and Technical College of the Lowcountry’s expanded dual enrollment opportunities go to https://bit.ly/4i1lgBd.
